Transcript of The Closer (Silent Hill 3) | Monsters of the Week
RagnarRox
0:15Silent Hill 3 might be one of the greatest
examples0:18of Body Horror in the history of video games.0:22While the art of degenerating organic anatomy0:27is a widely used trope to evoke feelings of0:30disgust and unease in the audience...0:37...the Silent Hill series has a reputation
for ...0:40making the abject talk.0:43Masahiro Ito's designs bestow the abominations0:46of Silent Hill with layers upon layers0:49of narrative depth that's tied to the0:51psychological landscape of the visitors0:54trapped in this nightmarish purgatory.0:57As the town shifts and shapes according to
its...1:01spiritual host,1:02Silent Hill 3 is a nightmare shaped by1:05the subconscious of Alessa, a girl chastised
by a1:09religiously fanatic mother,1:10who was coerced into becoming the god-mother
of The Order.1:15But at the end of the first Silent Hill,1:17her soul is reincarnated into an infant1:19who grows up under the care of Harry Mason.1:23Cheryl - better known under her alias Heather1:25is grown up now, a young woman -1:28but her origin inexorably pulls her back1:31into the wake of 'The Order'.1:33Heather's life has been a journey of1:35social isolation and teenage insecurity;1:39hiding from the grasp of The Order,1:41she grew up adopting a fake name,1:43never given the opportunity to strike roots
in a place.1:47Never able to establish her own identity1:49in the adolescent phase of life that's all
about1:52finding out who you really are.1:55Constantly forced to look over her shoulder,1:57without support of family members or a circle
of friends2:00like in a normal childhood,2:02those circumstances nourished the identity
crisis2:06that grew from her repressed memories of an2:08abusive childhood as Dahlia Gillespie's daughter.2:12A child that grows up under such arduous circumstances2:16stands a high risk of developing forms of2:19Post Traumatic Stress disorder;2:20a common catalyst for other dissociative conditions2:24in later stages of life,2:26such as Borderline Personality Disorder,2:28which often results in pathological trust-issues,2:31unpredictable social behavior and difficulties2:34in establishing both, platonic and romantic
relationships.2:39Maybe more than in any other game in the series,2:42Masahiro Ito's Francis-Bacon inspired monsters2:46in Silent Hill 3 convey this feeling of helplessness.2:49Confined to a metaphorical cocoon for an2:52agonizing metamorphosis.2:54Many creatures twitch and jerk violently,2:57as if they've been fettered into a straightjacket3:00of their own identity and ache to break free3:03from their constraints.3:05Silent Hill 3's monster design is tailored
around3:08systemic societal female,3:11and to a lesser extent, teenage anxieties.3:14Insecurity about appearance, identity and
uneasy sexuality.3:19The fear of being watched and stalked,3:21of being objectified or becoming victim of3:24sexual assault and rape.3:26In addition to that, the third pillar of Heather's
bane3:30is her imposed role as the Order's Mother
of God;3:34implying the notion of unwanted pregnancy
and3:36the disturbing process of giving birth to
a...3:41... parasite.3:42We can find these themes sewn into the fabric3:46of the game's deeply unsettling nightmare-apparitions,3:48but perhaps the one that encompasses Alessa3:51and Heather's burden better than any other...3:54is the Closer.3:57A grotesquely shaped behemoth that drags4:00massive extremities behind it that appear4:03more like enormous cancerous protrusions than
actual arms.4:08It towers over Heather and obstructs her path4:11with its gigantic proportions -4:13the very characteristic that coined its name.4:16With its long reach - it deals clumsy, but
brutal blows4:20and its mass makes it an outright bullet sponge.4:23Which makes any attempt to fight it ill-advised.4:28Heather's best strategy against the Closer4:30is to just outmaneuver it...4:32You could say that...4:33Heather is the running back4:35and the Closer is the... linebacker?4:38And when it gets you...4:41Whooo!4:42You kill the Joe, you make some mo'!4:44You know that baby!4:46Anyway...4:47One of the keys to understanding the Closer's
place4:50in Heather's story we can find hidden in Alessa's
room.4:55When I played Silent Hill 1 for the first
time4:58and entered Alessa's room right before the
finale,5:01it was one of the strongest 'Eureka!' moments5:04I've ever had in any video game so far.5:07Almost stereotypically, this small nursery
consisted5:11of a children's bed, a wooden desk, a wardrobe
and5:15- pinned to the walls and scattered across
the floor -5:18children's drawings!5:21Upon closer inspection, those crude crayon-paintings5:24were like blueprints for the monsters Harry
had been encountering5:28throughout the game:5:30the Pterodactyl-like Air Screamers5:32the disfigured dog-like groaners5:35the insects on the wall that haunted us in
the form of5:39Night Flutters and Floatstingers.5:42That was the moment when I realized that5:44all of the monsters and apparitions were spawned5:48from the mind-maze of Alessa Gillespie.5:51And there's one more image, almost hidden
in the corner5:54that already foreshadows the Closer.5:58It depicts a huge creature towering over an
infant:6:01Alessa's perspective of how she saw herself
overwhelmed6:06by the abusive treatment by her mother Dahlia.6:09However, Alessa is... grown up now.6:12This drawing though, is still in the same
place.6:15But it looks slightly altered now.6:18The creature's arms have grown longer6:20and it has taken a more pyramidical shape.6:23And the little girl it looms over is no longer
painted in purple,6:27the color associated with Alessa,6:30but in Heather's signature orange.6:33This memento has grown into an amalgamation
of Alessa's fears6:38and Heather's societal anxieties as a post-adolescent
young woman.6:44When we first encounter the Closer in the
mall,6:46the scene almost exactly mirrors the angle
of the drawing;6:51The nightmare has become self-aware!6:54The Closer's huge proportions are almost
a direct analogy6:59to the way Alessa experienced the treatment
of her mother;7:02the catalyst for an evolving fear and7:05distrust of adults in general.7:07Through the eyes of a small child,7:09every grown-up seems like a giant.7:12This is truly the nastiest part about Alessa's
experience:7:16the unmitigated physical inferiority to her
mother,7:19who not only mentally impaired her by denying
her7:23the trust and care of a loving mother-figure,7:26but who also repeatedly physically mistreated
Alessa.7:30This is also the origin of the Closer's humongous7:33and grossly shaped arms.7:35There's a common rule in the field of dog-training7:39saying that, when you punish a dog, you should
never,7:43under no circumstances strike it your own
hand7:46or it will become “hand-shy”.7:48I mean you shouldn't hit an animal no matter
what7:50if you ask me but...7:51for the sake of argument:7:53this is no different with children.7:55The physical superiority of a parent over
a child7:59turns even a comparably mild slap into a massive
blow8:02from the perspective of such a small being.8:05It's because the physical force gets multiplied8:08with the humiliation of being hurt8:11by a person of trust that it brings.8:14This is how it feels to receive a stunning
blow8:17from the Closer when it sluggishly swings8:19its cancerous, steel-reinforced club-arms
around.8:23It's a direct allegory to Alessa's life8:26at the mercy of Dahlia Gillespie.8:29But scattered across its grotesquely disproportionate
body,8:32we can also find allusions to Heather's experiences8:35as a teenager and young woman.8:37For example Alessa's deeply rooted distrust
of adults8:42which gradually evolved into a persecution
complex8:45during Heather's adolescent years.8:48In stark contrast to its bulky and muscular
physique,8:52the Closer is an outright mockery of the female
form.8:56It is dressed in ridiculously lascivious clothes:9:00high heels and a short skirt dress,9:02not unlike the one Heather herself is wearing.9:05On a sidenote, skirts and insinuations of
male gaze9:09can be found repeatedly throughout the game.9:12Ladders or escalators that put Heather in
an9:15inconvenient angle to the player's,9:17or even to Valtiel's gaze in the background,9:20nurses placed in a way that makes it almost
unavoidable9:23for them to fall in the direction that aligns
them9:26perfectly to the camera,9:28or even the Closer itself in the shopping
mall cutscene9:31after being shot.9:33Which only underlines the theme of feeling
stalked9:35and observed we already mentioned earlier.9:39The Closer's face - if you can call it that
-9:41consists of a giant pair of lips,9:44salaciously smacking, slurping and moaning.9:48This part of the Closer might be the most
striking9:51example for the objectification of the feminine9:55into soulless lust-objects:9:57it's constrained to a perfectly round shape.10:00Not an organic round, but it's fixated into
a10:03tight metal ring, that gives it the distinct10:06appearance of a male sex toy.10:08All of this conveys the subconscious fear
of10:12predatory male behavior and sexual objectification10:15that Alessa's distrust of adults grew into10:18during Heather's adolescent phase.10:21Dominated by secrecy, mistrust and vigilance.10:24This is also apparent by the way the Closer10:27mutilates its victims.10:29After subduing them to the ground,10:31it violently tears and chews their face apart,10:35eating away skin, flesh and facial features10:37in a frenzy of carnal rage,10:40accompanied by almost confused outcries10:43and lustful moans and slurps.10:46This kind of sexually charged cannibalistic
outburst10:50reappears in a more poetic form later10:53in the Brookhaven Hospital.10:55Scattered throughout the hospital,10:57Heather finds extremely obsessive notes by
the11:00confined patient Stanley Coleman,11:02who suffers from severe attachment disorder.11:04In his notes, he vividly paints his ever growing11:08manic obsession for Heather and in one,11:11very long poem he describes in morbid detail11:15how he dreams of subduing, desecrating and
devouring11:18the face of a nurse that he had sexually abused11:21several times before.11:24Considering that the model of the Closer's
victim11:27during the shopping mall cutscene is actually11:30a bloodied version of Angela Orosco from Silent
Hill 2,11:34who herself was a victim of mental, physical
abuse11:36and rape by her father during her childhood.11:39I mean, of course it miiight be just coincidental,11:43a convenient choice of a 3D model that was
just...11:47lying around...11:48but considering the attention to detail that11:51Masahiro Ito and Team Silent is known for11:53putting into their work...11:55it fits the whole theme uncannily well.11:59The Closer's head itself is a spineless appendix
that ...12:03jabbers around aimlessly.12:05It reminds me of a description from Stanislaw
Lem's Solaris,12:10where a creature that's taken the shape of
a human infant12:13is described to move within the natural constraints12:17of a human body,12:18but without any understanding sense and purpose.12:22This arbitrary movement pattern makes it look
like12:26it's randomly exploring all the possible angles
and shapes12:30this unfamiliar husk offered its host.12:33This style of random jerks and spasms describes
the way12:37the Closer operates its wormlike head-protrusion,12:41and to a lesser extent the rest of its body
almost spot-on.12:46As I've already mentioned earlier,12:47many creatures in this game share this movement
pattern.12:51Violent, uncontrolled twitches caused and
seemingly12:54random contractions that give the impression
of a12:57soul that's are trapped within a prison of
flesh;13:01vehemently struggling against13:03the constraints of their organic prison.13:07Like a chrysalis trying to break out of its
cocoon.13:11This analogy isn't arbitrary -13:13Butterflies and nymphas are a symbol that's13:15closely associated with Alessa, and respectively
Heather;13:20the insect collection full of butterflies
in the nursery13:23at the end of both games -13:25and a plethora of enemies that are directly
based13:27on insects in a pupa stage.13:29And that is, throughout many cultures,13:32a classic symbol for rebirth, metempsychosis
- or reincarnation.13:38The Silent Hill series, and especially The
Order's doctrines,13:42are closely tied to the notion of rebirth
through metamorphosis.13:46The scriptures tell allegories of an ongoing
cycle of attempts13:50to bring 'god' into this world through an13:52incarnation of the prodigal birth mother Saint
Alessa.13:56And hey... - there are even real-world religions
based on that principle....14:00Hinduism, Jainism, Taoism, Celtic and Norse
mythology -14:06and of course Buddhism,14:07all incorporate forms of the concept of reincarnation.14:12If only we could tie that more closely to
the...14:15Closer.14:16But what's that?14:17There seems to be an edgy string of Japanese
Symbols14:20tattooed on the top of its wormlike head,14:23and it's apparently so important to the very
designer of the monster,14:28Masahiro Ito,14:29that he tweeted out this clue a couple of
years ago,14:32conveniently delivering the translation with
his revelation.14:35It spells: “Like Lotus Sutra”.14:38Now the “Lotus Sutra” is one of the most
popular and influential scriptures14:44that forms the basis for several schools of
Buddhism,14:47such as Tendai, Cheontao, Nichiren and especially
Tiantai -14:52the most prevalent denomination of the Buddhaic
Dharma in Japan.14:56Its core philosophy, the catvāri āryasatyāni
- The Four Noble Truths,15:02describe the journey of each individual soul,15:05human, animals and plants alike,15:07according to the principles of Samsara, Dukkha,
Karma and Nirvana.15:13Samsara, which literally translated means
“wandering”15:16refers to the theory of rebirth and the cyclicality
of all life,15:22matter and existence.15:23It implies that every soul lives through an
ongoing cycle15:27of life and reincarnation.15:29But!15:30It is not considered desirable to be reborn,15:34since the journey of an imperfect life is
part of the Dukkha.15:38Loosely translated, it means “unsatisfying”15:41or - suffering, suggesting that life itself15:44is an undesired, intermediate state,15:47in which our own shortcomings and desires
prevent us15:51from breaking the 'cycle of eternal suffering'.15:54To achieve that state of inner perfection,
one has to acquire Karma,15:59literally translated meaning something like
'action' or 'work'.16:03And that's achieved through shaping our own
desires16:06to meet the world around us.16:08It's a notion that stands in stark contrast
to the traditional western16:12enlightenment-fueled ideology that we can
and should16:16change the world to meet our needs and desires.16:20Karma is a uniquely east-asian philosophy
that's usually not16:24as easily approachable for western audiences:16:27the idea of freeing ourselves of the mundane
dead weight16:31that prevents us from reaching a perfect,
shapeless16:34inner state of enlightenment required to achieve
fulfilment in Nirvana.16:40And the concept of Nirvana is not, as often
assumed,16:43a form of afterlife in which we can indulge
in all our16:47gluttonous pleasures for the rest of time;16:50it is nothingness!16:52The liberation from the never-ending cycle
of mortal torment.16:57Literally meaning “blowing out, becoming
extinguished”.17:04And that is, and has always been,17:07the core philosophy behind Silent Hill.17:10Not only for Alessa / Cheryl / Heather,17:13who is literally reborn over and over and
over again,17:18each time carrying the burden of her former
self with her.17:22This cycle of torment is also heavily implied17:24for the other characters of the series.17:28Many parts of Silent Hill 2 almost strongly
hint at the notion17:32that James is trapped in a flat circle,17:35doomed to repeat his path of redemption over.17:38and over.17:39and over.17:40until he finds the inner strength to17:42free himself of what anchors him to this world.17:46Silent Hill 4 revisits that concept in a truly
agonizing manner17:50for the player themself,17:52making them revisit all the game's locations
a second time17:55in an even more excruciating incarnation.17:59But nowhere is this idea more prevalent than
in Heather's story.18:03The terrible experiences her soul has accumulated18:06over several lifetimes of trauma, isolation
and angst -18:11those are the things that mold her monsters
into shape.18:16The souls trapped in them,18:18twitching, jerking, trying to break free -18:21it's all Heather herself,18:24subconsciously fighting against her Dukkha.18:27She even literally confronts her own tormented
past,18:31The Memory of Alessa.18:33It's almost a blatantly symbolic showdown18:36against the demonic personification of her
dark past.18:41Louis: ...if you're frightened of dying and...18:44and you're holding on...18:47you'll see devils tearing your life away.18:50But if you've made your peace,18:54then the devils are really angels,18:57freeing you from the earth.19:00It's just a matter of how you look at it,
that's all.19:03Just as Louis in Jacob's Ladder,19:05one of the hugest influences on the Silent
Hill series,19:09suggests how hell, or purgatory, or...19:11just Silent Hill -19:13it's not a place that mindlessly tortures
and torments19:17its visitors for arbitrary sadistic reasons.19:20It's a place of Katharsis,19:22where our desires and struggles,19:24our traits and flaws19:26get burned away -19:27and where we learn that they are truly the
things19:30that hold us down and prevent us from finding
inner peace.19:35From finding Redemption.19:37Only if we shape our desires to the world,19:41by letting loose of all the mortal dead-weight19:44dragging us down,19:45by suffocating those deceiving hopes and fears19:49we so desperately cling to,19:51only then can we achieve the pure state of
harmony.19:55To finally break the circle of Eternal Recurrence.20:00Like Lotus Sutra, Heather's journey, her samsara20:04is a path of suffering, of Dukkha.20:07Only through her actions, her Karma,20:09she can free herself to be finally “liberated”20:13from the endless circle.20:15The Closer..20:17is the sentinel who guards the path.20:20Like Cerberus at the gates of Hades,20:23its only purpose is to impede Heather's progress20:26towards her destination,20:28armed with the combined anguish of several
lifetimes20:31of hardship, trauma and abuse.20:34The Closer is Heather's weak side come to
life.20:38The nagging voice in her mind20:40that urges her to capitulate,20:42to quit fighting and simply...20:44give up....20:47Don't we all have such a thing inside of us?
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