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Silent Hill started like most American towns; conceived in bloodshed and nurtured with idealism and
ancient religions. According to what I've read of Silent Hill 2, the town was founded on sacred Indian ground. It's settlers
brought with them a dark religion which worshipped a demon named Sammael. He is the angel of poison and better known as...hmmm...Satan?
The town is a quiet place where ancient traditions and superstitions are the norm. Talk of magic
or profecy is nothing unusual, in fact, non-believers are shunned.
The cult of Sammael, like Christianity, believes that there will be a second coming. Something like
the Anti-Christ, if you will. To allow their dark master to be reborn, they must channel his weakened being into the body
of another-only the pliable body and mind of a child will do.
The Virgin Mary is said to be the most beautiful woman to behold. In contrast, the mother of Sammael
would be...less than attractive. Dahlia Galespie is the perfect candidate. She's nasty, completely devoted to the cult and
just crazy enough to do such a thing to her own child. Honestly, I don't want to know who the father is...
Dahlia gives birth to a little girl. Alessa is a sweet and loving child, but has inherited some
powerful magic of her own. It proves to be her curse, however. The more Alessa develops her powers in an attempt to please
her mother, the more Dahlia sees her as a mere tool for evil, toying with the child's effections for her own propoganda...
Meanwhile, where there is money to be made, you bet your life somebody will be there to snatch
the opportunity. Silent Hill is spotted as an ideal vacation spot. Quaint, peaceful (slight demon infestation) - all it needs
is a little development and viola - you've got a tourist trap. While the foreigners came through with their blueprints
and glossy advertisements, the cult of Samael slipped into the shadows and out of sight. They hold their masses in secret, in
the back of the Green Lion Antique Shop. Everyone kind of "hushed up about it", as Lisa puts it later, but Sammael's
second coming is not forgotten...
Harry Mason is a writer. His wife has been diagnosed with cancer and despite her attempts to fight,
her condition steadily worsens. Mrs. Mason hates to see her husband so worried. She worries herself, about his stress-induced
writer's block. Upon seeing one of those glossy advertisements in a magazine, she suggests that they take a vacation - to
Silent Hill. The two enjoy their visit very much and come back year after year. They enjoy one another's company and try not
to think of their waning time together on Earth.
The cult of Samael practices the use of hallucinogens for meditation and prophecy. As Native American
tribes used peote to induce visions, the cultists used White Claudia. This plant does not grow in the Silent Hill region,
so it must be shipped in secretly. This task is given to Dr. Michael Kaufman, director of the Alchemilla Hospital, his friend
and fellow cult member Norman Young (proprietor of the Hearby Inn) and distributed by employees of the Indian Runner store.
They ship in the flowers, refine them at the hospital laboratory, then distribute them back to the cult of Samael. Once again,
however, where there is money to be made...the three make a secret deal and begin selling the White Claudia powder to tourists
in the area. The cult is none the wiser, but this raises an issue with the police department. To help the investigation, the
SHPD solicits the help of nearby Braums, where they begin an undercover operation. Cybil Bennett is assigned to the case,
while Officer Gucci goes undercover as a dealer.
One year, Silent Hill is changed forever by an unforgiving inferno. Dozens of buildings are reduced
to rubble and many are killed...including tourists. As a result, the town is less than picture-perfect and now holds an unfavorable
track record. As quickly as it began, Silent Hill's tourism quickly declines. Among those injured in the blaze is young Alessa,
who would be about 7 or 8 years old now. She suffers 3rd degree burns over her entire body and is rushed to Alchemilla Hospital.
Near death and in horrible pain, it seems that Alessa is no longer useful as the new body of Satan. Dahlia does not
want to put her daughter out of her misery, but instead sees it an an evil opportunity. She devises a plan--cast a spell on
Alessa to keep her alive. Inject her with daily doses of White Claudia and let her pain make the spirit of Sammael stronger.
Rumors quickly spread that Dahlia's child had died, so she played along. From that point on, Dahlia's
erratic behavior is attributed to the loss of her daughter. Alessa, meanwhile, is secretly housed in the old sanitarium
that runs underneath the hospital. A young nurse named Lisa Garland is assigned to care for her. She is sworn to secrecy,
but does not know much herself. What she does know is that Alessa should not be alive. Her wounds do not heal and disturbing
things start to happen in the room. Unable to talk about the case, Lisa turns to her diary and a video camera to record
her concerns.
Alessa is alone, save for the medical care provided by Lisa. As her torment and inner conflict with
the soul of Sammael collides with the hallucinogenic properties of the White Claudia, Alessa begins to have horrible, gruesome
fantasies...mutilated bodies and a torture school for children. Flying monsters and skinless dogs...her visions mix with the
power growing inside of her. She has to escape. Alessa separates her two sides into separate entities - the last of her innocence
is poured into the body of a baby while her burned self remains with the soul of Sammael, an unwitting prisoner in the hospital. The
baby is cast just outside of Silent Hill, where Dahlia cannot harm her. Alessa, meanwhile, is forced to remain in constant
agony in her room. Dr. Kaufman, after seeing the gruesome effect of White Claudia in test subjects, creates an antidote -
the Aglophotis.
Harry and his wife enjoyed yet another vacation together in Silent Hill. On their way out of town,
however, they discover a baby girl by the side of the road, on the outskirts of the local cemetary. No one can say where she
came from. That being the case, the couple was allowed to adopt her. The girl was named Cheryl and brings great joy to her
dying adopted mother. When Ms. Mason finally passes away, Harry is devastated. He is left to raise Cheryl on his own and this
little girl becomes his only link to his beloved wife. He does not take Cheryl to Silent Hill, as the memories are still too
painful.
Meanwhile, the time for Sammael's return is at hand. Dahlia and the others are mortified to discover
that only HALF of Alessa's being is available! The angel of poison needs a whole being to return and their sinister plans
are postponed. Dahlia is on to Alessa. She knows that her daughter has never been a willing participant. Her insubordination
will not be tolerated. Dahlia then takes pleasure in her daughter's torment, constantly reminding Alessa of her imprisonment.
Alessa, too, is waiting--for some day her other half will return and she, not Sammael will be free!
Cheryl is now seven years old. Although smart and sweet, she begins to act differently. She has isolated herself from
the other children, has frequent nightmares and draws disturbing pictures of monsters and mutilated children. She is especially
frightened of hospitals and runs from anyone in a wheelchair. Harry is considering therapy for his young daughter when he
remembers his late wife. When it seemed they were at the worst of times, they went to their favorite vacation spot...Silent
Hill.
Summer road construction proves to be a timely set back and it is dark before Harry and Cheryl reach the Silent Hill
exit. Cheryl is sleeping, still clutching her beloved sketch book. Harry is lost in thought, replaying Cheryl's actions in
his mind. Is someone abusing her? Where did she really come from? Is therapy really the answer? If only his wife was still
here...
Officer Gucci has gone missing. Silent Hill has cut off all communications with Braums. Fearing the worst, Cybil Bennett
sets off, without authorization, in search of her partner...she passes Harry in his jeep, then sees it--a teenage girl wandering
in the street. She seems delusional and perhaps hurt. Cybil lays the bike down and runs to her aide...only to watch her disappear...
Harry passes Cybil's motorcyle and looks back for a moment. When he looks forward again, he sees the girl, as well. Swirving
to avoid hitting her, they veer off a cliff....and your adventure begins.
Cheryl wakes up before her father does and wanders into the fog. She knows this place from somewhere...a dream, perhaps.
Suddenly, she feels as if some part of her was missing until now...and she knows where to go. Harry desperately tries to stop
her, but Cheryl is no longer herself...she runs into the alley and past a wheelchair, no longer afraid of it. She must
find Alessa...
Reunited with her other self, Alessa gains full power and escapes! The town begins its horrible transformation...her
hallucinations become reality, fueled by the hatred and poison in her body. Dr. Kaufman realizes what has happened and knows
he is in over his head. He begs Lisa to leave with him, but she pulls away angrily. She demands to know what has happened
to the girl and what this is all about. She threatens to blow the whole thing open...Dr. Kaufman can't let that happen...it
would destroy his career and any chance of escape. He grabs a heavy instrument and knocks Lisa out, then locks the door behind
him.
Dahlia knows that Kaufman has double-crossed her. He is marked as a traitor. Prior to the town's transformation,
the cult assasinated his accomplices - Norman Young, the Indian Runner employees and Officer Gucci, who was acting as a dealer.
Dahlia personally confronted Gucci, exposing his true intentions and injecting him with a fatal dose of White Claudia.
He died of heart failure, but Coroner Seals expresses her concerns after the autopsy, as Harry discovers later. The anti-drug
mayor also dies under similar and mysterious curcumstances. Dahlia breaks into Kaufman's office and finds the Aglophotis,
shattering its contents onto the floor...now no one can stop them!
Dahlia does some scrying and sees that Harry is looking for his daughter. She sees that he is determined
and quick-thinking. She decides to let him find Alessa, leading him to believe that she is the enemy and
that finding her will lead him to Cheryl. She rings the bell at the church to lure him there. Harry is given the Flauros,
a device not unlike the puzzle boxes from "Hellraiser." It controls the multiple demensions and fights evil by exorcism (see
the Eerie...isn't it? page for details)
Alessa still feels a great love for Harry, however. He has loved and protected her other half for
so long, she hates to see anything bad happen to him. Alessa wants Harry to know the truth, so she leads him to intricle locations
in Silent Hill, gives him the key to the K. Gordon house, etc. The two dimensions of Silent Hill are reflective of the half
controlling it. The fog and snow, although creepy, is significantly less threatening than the dark, industrial wasteland.
Cheryl influences this world, while Alessa controls the dark, rainy nightmare.
Harry reaches Alchemilla Hospital just in time to catch Dr. Kaufman leaving. He seems like a shady character and just
wants to get out of there...after braving the secrets of the hospital, Harry finds Lisa. The bump on her head has given her
temporary amnesia, but she is desperate to remember the truth.
Harry finds the "other church", where Cybil tells him that she saw Cheryl walking on air...after consulting with Lisa,
he finds a way through the sewer to find her in the resort town... We run into Dr. Kaufman again, who got jumped at Annie's
Bar. Perhaps he was trying to find Annie, another accomplice, only to find her murdered...hmmm....anyway, Kaufman rushes back
to his motel room to fetch the spare Aglophotis he hid in his motorcycle.
In an attempt to help, Cybil gets knocked out by Dahlia and slapped on the back with some White Claudia. She is instantly
infected by the evil parasite that plagues nurses and doctors throughout the hospital. Harry is given a choice at Lakeside
Amusement park...use the antidote or kill her?
Harry, by now, has discovered that he is not crazy - that these two worlds are colliding. When he finds Alessa, the Flauros
takes control of her and renders her helpless again. Dahlia then confesses that she used Harry to capture her and they are
transported to the site of Sammael's planned rebirth...
Lisa's memory returns and she remembers her part in this evil plot. She visits the basement and discovers her diary.
Harry discovers the video tape. Feeling responsible for Alessa's ordeal, she consumes a large amount of White Claudia, killing
herself.
They are now ready for Sammael's return. The hospital basement has been transformed into a hellish grating, fire licking
up through the openings. Dahlia stands with a weakened Alessa/Cheryl combined and Alessa's burned half, wrapped and helpless
in a nearby wheelchair. Harry confronts Dahlia, only to 1) witness Alessa's seige of power and murder of her mother or 2)
Sammael's rebirth, who kills Dahlia. (Either way, Dahlia is screwed) Dr. Kaufman shows up in the 'GOOD' ending, throwing the
Aglophotis onto Alessa to end this once and for all. It extracts Sammael from her body, but he puts up a fight. Harry kills
him and Alessa returns to her human form, but she is dying. Once more, she casts her life into the form of a baby and hands
it to Harry, the man she calls father. She then opens a porthole so he (and Cybil, depending on your ending) can escape. Lisa
rises up in her transformed state and drags Kaufman down to his death, revenge for his part in this evil plan.
Harry runs out of the porthole and back into the fog, desperately clutching the baby. He knows that
Cheryl died with Alessa and with them, the only link to his wife. Now he is left with this new child in his arms...but is
she a complete soul?
FIND OUT IN SILENT HILL 3!!!
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