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Street Authors |
Mythology |
Books & Movies |
Miscellany
Authors - The Street Names (top)
Every street in Silent Hill is named after an author of the horror/thriller/sci-fi genres. The works of many of these authors have had a significant influence on the plot or atmosphere of the game.
| Author | Sample of Works |
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| Richard Bachman | 'Bachman' being his pen name, Stephen King is the author of numerous horror novels, including "The Mist" |
| Robert Bloch | "Psycho" |
| Raymond Bradbury | "Something Wicked This Way Comes" |
| Lillian Craig Reed | "Gone" |
| Michael Crichton | "Jurassic Park", "The Andromeda Strain", "Sphere", "Congo" |
| James Ellroy | "The Black Dahlia" |
| Jack Finney | "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", "Time and Again" |
| Dean Koontz | "Whispers", "Phantoms" and many others |
| Ira Levin | "Rosemary's Baby" |
| Richard Matheson | "The Shrinking Man", "I Am Legend" |
| Midwich | Not an author, but from John Wyndham's "The Midwich Cuckoos" |
| Carl Sagan | "Contact" |
| San Simmons | "Song of Kali", "Hyperion", "Summer of Night" |
| John Stanford | "Prey" series |
| Weaver | Undetermined author, although some believe this refers to Sigourney Weaver, the star of the "Alien" films |
| Colin Wilson | "Encyclopedia of Murder," "The Occult" |
Mythology (top)
The deities of the cult in Silent Hill, along with many of the rites and objects, are borrowed from mythology, particularly that of the Judeo-Christian and Western pagan traditions.
Ankh
A "cross" used by many religions as early as ancient Egypt. This talisman represents the union the sexes, and thus the continuation and renewal of life.
Flauros
The powerful being residing in Hell, if contained in a triangle he will be a vast source of knowledge for the conjurer. He will also destroy the conjurers enemies, often depicted as a leopard with fiery eyes. Go here for a photo of the creature. There is also a Finnish metal band named Flauros.
Melchior
A MidEastern magician, one of the "three kings" that visited the child, Christ.
Mercury
The Roman god of travel, and messanger of the gods. The Crest in the game is of the same design as the staff he carried. No-doubt he is also related to the Olympic Spirits.
Met(r)atron
The strongest and highest ranking archangel in heaven, second-in-commad only to God himself. As such he is given numerous titles, servents, pairs of wings, and is charged with the oversight of just about every virtue and rite.
Ouroboros
Ancient symbol depicting a snake eating it's own tail, representing the cycles of life. Although the name itself is Greek, it appeared in earlier religions.
Solomon
The third King of Israel, son of David. He was blessed with unmatched wisdom. (The fact that the Amulet of Solomon is, in fact, the Star of David supports this Judeo-Christian description of Solomon.)
Samael
Synonymous with Satan, regarded as a powerful yet evil fallen angel. Also the angel of death. (The Samael in the game is visually modeled after Baphomet, the Knights Templar god.) There is also a metal band, Samael, and it's interesting that they also use Baphomet in their site design.
The Olympic Spirits
These are deities similar to angels that preside over the natural world, each corresponding to a different plantary body. They provide virtue, knowledge and protection. (Only five of these were the names of keys/doors in Nowhere, but the entirety of them were depicted on the TV screens in the town center.)
Aratron |
Bethor |
Hagith |
Och |
Ophiel |
Phaleg |
Phul |
Book & Movies (top)
There are plenty of subtle references to movies and books depicted around town. Here a few of the more prominant ones.
"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll
 The four plates that Harry finds in the hospital-the Hatter, the Queen, the Cat, and the Turtle-were all given the names of characters in Lewis Carroll's classic tale. The allusion is appropriate in Silent Hill, as it could be said that Harry travels into a nightmarish wonderland himself. Click here for the texts of Lewis Carroll's works.
"Blue Belle" by Andrew H. Vachss
The establishment on the West side of Bachman takes its name from this novel. This is a thriller about an ex-con/PI who investigates the sleazy backstreet life of New York, riddled with murder, illegal porn, prostitution, etc. From this we can assume the Blue Belle in the game is a strip club or whore house of some sort. The font of the sign in the game is even similar to that on the book cover. Purchase the book from Amazon.
"Carrie" by Stephen King
Around town there are several posters for the Carrie film, based on a Stephen King novel. The story involved a teenaged girl, raised by religious-fanatic, who wields telekenetic powers (much like Alessa). Carrie "erupts" in a blaze of evil after a final humiliation at her prom. The poster in the game is the actual movie poster.
"Demons" by Dario Argento
On the corner of Bachman and Finney is an establishment called "Metropol." Although this is a pretty generic name for a recreation complex, it was actually the subject of a 1986 film, Demoni (Demons), which was about a possessed movie theater named Metropol. Click here to see the DVD cover.
"Little Shop of Horrors"
There is a store on the North end of Simmons St called "Mushnick's Florist." This was the exact name of the florist shop in "Little Shop of Horrors," a book/movie about man-eating, mutant plants. In the game, there is a sign in the window that mentions Audry Jr, the main character. Check out this poster.
"Mars Attacks"
The third panel of the UFO ending was designed after #19 of the Mars Attacks bubblegum monster trading cards from 1962. Click here for more information and the complete set.
Silent Hill |
Mars Attacks |
"Natural Born Killers"
The 5 to 2 Cafe in which Harry meets Cybil is named after the establishment in the beginning of the movie Natural Born Killers. Written by Quentin Tarantino, the flick concerns a young couple who go on a would-be-hilarious aimless killing spree. Click here for a shot from the film.
"Phantoms" by Dean Koontz
In Silent Hill, Harry finds "Leonard Rhine - The Monster Lurks" written in blood on the wall in the school bathroom, and then goes upstairs to find a book by that title and author. That whole bit is a reference to Phantoms, where "Timothy Flyte - The Ancient Enemy" is written in lipstick on a bathroom mirror, and later the title and author is discoverd as part of a tabloid. Flyte is an actual character in Phantoms, however, while Rhine is not in Silent Hill. Notice how the two messages have exactly the same number of letters and the exact same spacing.
"Psycho" by Robert Bloch (film by Alfred Hitchcock)
Norman's Motel is, of course, a reference to "Psycho." The layout of the building is also similar to the one in the movie. Also, in Nowhere, right before going down the stairs to face the boss, the layout of the house is just like that in Psycho.
"The Shining" by Stephen King
On the side of a garage door near the gas station is painted in blood, "REDRUM" -- an obvious reference to The Shining. The story is about a family who moves into an isolated hotel as caretakers for the winter, and eventually the father goes mad and homocidal towards his wife and son. "Redrum" is, of course, the reverse spelling of "murder."
"Silence of the Lambs" by Thomas Harris
This popular novel/film concerns the search for a serial killer of the alias "Buffalo Bill" who murders and skins young woman. If you look closely at all the newspaper vendors in Silent Hill, you'll notice the headline of the day is "BILL SKINS FIFTH."
"Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Part 2"
"Cut-Rite Chainsaws," the name of the store where the Lefty purchases his chainsaws in the movie is that of the store in Silent Hill where Harry finds his own chainsaw.
"Twelve Monkeys" by Terry Gilliam
Across the street from the Green Lion Antique Shop is a store entitled "FAA." This was the name of the headquarters of Brad Pitt's character's animal rights group in the 1995 film, "Twelve Monkies," a thriller in which Bruce Willis travels back in time to prevent humanity from being whiped out by a virus. I'm not certain, but I believe FAA stands for "Free the Animals Association" or something to that effect. Click here to see the movie's FAA.
"The Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum
 The names of three keys used to open the back door to the house on Levin St are another obvious reference to The Wizard of Oz.
Miscalleny (top)
References to individuals, musicians, and other special surprises.
Algernon Blackwood (1869-1951)
He was an esteemed writer of the occult, praised by (a then young) HP Lovercraft for his ability to create unparalled atmospheres. One of his stories, "The Willows," describes a foreign dimension "invading" our own. Sound familiar? Although perhaps not big enough for a street name, Blackwood certainly deserves a building named after him on the corner of Finney and Bachman, as it is. Read the online text of "The Willows" here.
Hyperblaster Light Gun
It's true, the seemingly extra-terrestrial HyperBlaster was actually a short-lived light gun for the Playstation, made by Konami themselves. Check out Raiden Land for photos of the real-life hyperblaster. Notice how the design is exactly like the one in Silent Hill.
Mark Twain (1835-1910)
The great American regionalist writer has a bookstore named after him on the East end of Bradbury. Mr. Clemens is best known for his light-hearted novels, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." His work obviously has no relevance to Silent Hill, though.
Portishead
There are posters for this British band in the Cafe. Portishead released their first album in 1994, and their music attempts to combine tencho, jazz, and alternative. The posters in Silent Hill are designed after the cover art of their self-entitled album. Check out their official site.
Sonic Youth
When Harry reads the list of teachers in the school, the names may sound familiar. This is because [Thurston] Moore, [Lee] Ranaldo, and [Kim] Gordon are the three original members of Sonic Youth. This punk-derivative, alternative band was popular in the 1980's-90's and as of 2004 continues to tour. Check out their official site.
Psychic(k) TV
The PTV drug that is being trafficked in Silent Hill (and stored in the hospital) gets its name from a 1980's industrial band. Genesis/Djin Breyer P-Orridge, who is often credited with inventing the genre, headed the group. Much of Psychic TV's lyrical content focuses at encouraging deviation from orthodox religion, making it appropriate for Silent Hill. Click here for Genesis' site.
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