I could spend today talking about the glory that is Silent Hill 2 and why it’s my favorite horror game of all time, but I don’t feel like talking about that today. No, instead, I want to talk about one thing. One specific thing, and it’s this. Pyramid Head, the greatest horror character ever, with his creepy appearance, disturbing actions, and a haunting backstory that’s one of the most important in video game history, or even in the history of horror… and how he was completely ruined in one fell swoop.
Now, before we start talking about how crappy Pyramid Head has become, we first need to understand just who is Pyramid Head. So, right now, this entire article will contain spoilers for Pyramid Head from Silent Hill 2. Do not read this article any further if you don’t want the game spoiled. Seriously, SPOILERS AHEAD FROM HERE ON OUT! So, Pyramid Head is a being that is only kept in the small foggy ghost town of Silent Hill. You first meet him in the apartments, where he is harassing a Mannequin monster. After that disturbing scene, you then fight him, but your bullets do no good, so you just hug the wall in hopes that he doesn’t kill you, and then he leaves. But don’t you worry, you’ll see him again. Several times. You’ll notice that Pyramid Head himself is in complete misery, having to carry around a giant blade, while also wearing that clearly uncomfortable helmet on his head. As it turns out, Pyramid Head is the embodiment of James Sunderland’s need for punishment (AGAIN! MAJOR SPOILER RIGHT HERE!) After James killed his wife. The Pyramid Heads were created by James’s psyche, along with all the other monsters in Silent Hill, to punish James for what he did. After James defeats the Pyramid Head (Or Heads, rather), they die, and that is where their torment ends. Oh, how I wish it ended there.
After the major success of Silent Hill 2, Konami, being Konami, saw dollar signs, and thought it was all thanks to Pyramid Head. America wasn’t treating this any better, because when Hollywood, who were being Hollywood, wanted to make not one, but two crappy Silent Hill movies, they also saw dollar signs and thought that Pyramid Head was the best thing about Silent Hill 2. And yes, they’re right, Pyramid Head was the best thing about Silent Hill 2, but for good reason, which I’ll touch upon soon. But after that, they decided to put Pyramid Head in everything. He was in Silent Hill: Homecoming
Silent Hill: Book of Memories
The first crappy Silent Hill movie
The second crappy Silent Hill movie
And in a secret ending for Silent Hill: Downpour
I gotta admit. That last one was kinda charming. Probably because it’s a joke ending and not meant to be taken seriously. Sadly, these other ones were meant to be taken seriously. But the thing is, they shouldn’t be taken seriously. They shouldn’t be seen as accomplishments in the horror genre (Mostly because they’re all pretty damn terrible). Book of Memories literally slaps Pyramid Head onto the cover, despite not needing to be on it. Not one bit
It may seem like I’m just an angry individual who just doesn’t like the newer Silent Hill games. I mean… I don’t like the newer Silent Hill games. They’re all just trying to be shocking instead of creative and fascinating while also being disturbing like the first four games. But, the main reason I don’t like Pyramid Head being in anything other than Silent Hill 2 is because he doesn’t belong in anything outside of Silent Hill 2. Believe me, as great of a game Silent Hill 3 is, I would still be upset if Pyramid Head was in that game too. So, it isn’t limited to him just being in the newer games. It has to do with him being in anything other than Silent Hill 2. This is because he wasn’t just some monster that chased after you with a giant knife wanting to kill you. Yes, he did want to do that, but he had symbolic roots as well. He was meant to be a part of James’s psyche and his guilt for what he had done. He was a part of James’s guilt, that only he could see and was only a threat to him. But now, that whole thing doesn’t seem to matter now, because we’ve now got Pyramid Head just being another stereotypical monster being incredibly stupid.
By this point, Pyramid Head is nothing more than Slenderman. I mean, I never found Slenderman scary from the start, but he was fascinating at least. But after so much popularity and fans, I grew sick of seeing Slenderman everywhere, and I just stopped caring and tried to distance myself from him and the Creepypasta community as much as possible, because I was sick and tired of hearing about him all the time. That’s Pyramid Head. He’s not a threatening creature with a deep meaning. He’s a celebrity now. A celebrity that should have never been one. He should have just stayed in Silent Hill 2 and never left it. And, just like Slenderman, I don’t care about Pyramid Head anymore. He may have been one of the greatest monster in the history of forever, but not anymore. That’s one thing I can be thankful for about Konami probably never making another Silent Hill game. So we don’t have to worry about them ruining Pyramid Head anymore than they have. But, I fear that the damage has already been done. Take care.
Now, before we start talking about how crappy Pyramid Head has become, we first need to understand just who is Pyramid Head. So, right now, this entire article will contain spoilers for Pyramid Head from Silent Hill 2. Do not read this article any further if you don’t want the game spoiled. Seriously, SPOILERS AHEAD FROM HERE ON OUT! So, Pyramid Head is a being that is only kept in the small foggy ghost town of Silent Hill. You first meet him in the apartments, where he is harassing a Mannequin monster. After that disturbing scene, you then fight him, but your bullets do no good, so you just hug the wall in hopes that he doesn’t kill you, and then he leaves. But don’t you worry, you’ll see him again. Several times. You’ll notice that Pyramid Head himself is in complete misery, having to carry around a giant blade, while also wearing that clearly uncomfortable helmet on his head. As it turns out, Pyramid Head is the embodiment of James Sunderland’s need for punishment (AGAIN! MAJOR SPOILER RIGHT HERE!) After James killed his wife. The Pyramid Heads were created by James’s psyche, along with all the other monsters in Silent Hill, to punish James for what he did. After James defeats the Pyramid Head (Or Heads, rather), they die, and that is where their torment ends. Oh, how I wish it ended there.
After the major success of Silent Hill 2, Konami, being Konami, saw dollar signs, and thought it was all thanks to Pyramid Head. America wasn’t treating this any better, because when Hollywood, who were being Hollywood, wanted to make not one, but two crappy Silent Hill movies, they also saw dollar signs and thought that Pyramid Head was the best thing about Silent Hill 2. And yes, they’re right, Pyramid Head was the best thing about Silent Hill 2, but for good reason, which I’ll touch upon soon. But after that, they decided to put Pyramid Head in everything. He was in Silent Hill: Homecoming
Silent Hill: Book of Memories
The first crappy Silent Hill movie
The second crappy Silent Hill movie
And in a secret ending for Silent Hill: Downpour
I gotta admit. That last one was kinda charming. Probably because it’s a joke ending and not meant to be taken seriously. Sadly, these other ones were meant to be taken seriously. But the thing is, they shouldn’t be taken seriously. They shouldn’t be seen as accomplishments in the horror genre (Mostly because they’re all pretty damn terrible). Book of Memories literally slaps Pyramid Head onto the cover, despite not needing to be on it. Not one bit
It may seem like I’m just an angry individual who just doesn’t like the newer Silent Hill games. I mean… I don’t like the newer Silent Hill games. They’re all just trying to be shocking instead of creative and fascinating while also being disturbing like the first four games. But, the main reason I don’t like Pyramid Head being in anything other than Silent Hill 2 is because he doesn’t belong in anything outside of Silent Hill 2. Believe me, as great of a game Silent Hill 3 is, I would still be upset if Pyramid Head was in that game too. So, it isn’t limited to him just being in the newer games. It has to do with him being in anything other than Silent Hill 2. This is because he wasn’t just some monster that chased after you with a giant knife wanting to kill you. Yes, he did want to do that, but he had symbolic roots as well. He was meant to be a part of James’s psyche and his guilt for what he had done. He was a part of James’s guilt, that only he could see and was only a threat to him. But now, that whole thing doesn’t seem to matter now, because we’ve now got Pyramid Head just being another stereotypical monster being incredibly stupid.
By this point, Pyramid Head is nothing more than Slenderman. I mean, I never found Slenderman scary from the start, but he was fascinating at least. But after so much popularity and fans, I grew sick of seeing Slenderman everywhere, and I just stopped caring and tried to distance myself from him and the Creepypasta community as much as possible, because I was sick and tired of hearing about him all the time. That’s Pyramid Head. He’s not a threatening creature with a deep meaning. He’s a celebrity now. A celebrity that should have never been one. He should have just stayed in Silent Hill 2 and never left it. And, just like Slenderman, I don’t care about Pyramid Head anymore. He may have been one of the greatest monster in the history of forever, but not anymore. That’s one thing I can be thankful for about Konami probably never making another Silent Hill game. So we don’t have to worry about them ruining Pyramid Head anymore than they have. But, I fear that the damage has already been done. Take care.