The Real Horrors of Silent Hill 3

amazing how silent hill 2 and 3 explore the very different experiences of men and women through the story and game design

Wonderful breakdown of the experiences this game portrays, the loss of autonomy is super strong, and creepy. Heather is never restrained, but so many people are trying to control her life, she isn't even allowed to die, Valtiel is the one who comes and resurrects her every time. It's not always played but sometimes when you die there's a cutscene of him pushing Heather's body in a wheelchair, then you start again at the last save.

can you make a vid ab cry of fear someday?

Seeing Silent Hill 3 analyzed through a woman's perspective is really refreshing and eye opening. As a man, I had completely missed all of the added layers of fear in this game.

SH3 is my all time favorite game. Thanks for the great vid.

i hate to say it but it always baffled me that these intense themes and symbolisms went over most men’s heads. it was crazy. this game was critiqued as being too “surface level” by a lot of the men who played it.

This was so well done, thank you for sharing! I don’t like to play horror games, but I find the exploration of horror themes really fascinating. I’ll be quoting your channel on my next podcast episode, as we’re talking about the psychology of horror games. This was exactly what I was looking for as I did research for the topic. Thanks, again!

really great point of view on this

For my part, Silent Hill 3 still remains somewhat the darkest entry of the whole franchise... SH4 - TR is my fave.

loved this video sm

I love this essay about silent hill❤

❤️‍🔥

I’ve only had the chance to play sh 2 and 3 but this game really hits home. Like the whole pregnancy/ menstruation and fear of being stalked… yea. Even then it’s still one of my favorite games

The 2 is the entry of the masses, great game, but for a person who played the 3 entries when they arrived, I can definitely say that 1 and 3 was better, more audacious, more well rounded and linked.

Being in a deserted mall is a terrifying experience. Once a few years ago I tagged along with my brother, dad, and some of my family to Dave and Buster which was located in a mall we left at 12 am the mall was completely shut down and we had to take a long way and walk the entirety of the mall outside. The area where the mall is always full because it's like 'the mall' to hang out in but there was hardly anyone except for like three cars parked in some places away. The thing that made it seem like a horror movie was the yellow flickering lights and that most of the lamp posts were flickering or out. My family members were taking all the time in the world to wonder around my cousin and brother were playing around with a bouncy ball while I literally power walked to the car (I was the only girl there and had always been told by my mom to not linger in parking lots while dark) so I felt very isolated thanks to the things ingrained in my brain while my family fooled around. It was a pretty visceral experience that felt right out of a horror game

Always refreshing to see a video analysis of this game from a lady creator. I've watched so many videos of it and many of the ones made by men barely scratched the surface that women have noticed. I applaud the game devs for what they have done honestly.

I’m looking for my momma
I mean..my mother

I'm a guy but I still related to Heather quite a lot, but for other reasons and interpretations than what you've mentioned

f89aczhog

Even before i knew about the underlying feminine themes, i always favoured heather over any other characters just by her attitude, in a horror game, usually female or younger characters are used to make the player feel more “ “ “ helpless “ “ “ but in heather’s case, i felt more empowered playing as her than i did any other male character in the silent hill series, she’s just so cool

I've always wondered if the god of the cult of Silent Hill was rver an actual entity or just the culmination of all of the cult members beliefs, fears, hopes and dreams
The spiritual energy of the town exists as a reflection of the secrets and hidden parts of the souls of its inhabitants
Perhaps the god is the final result of centuries of fervernt worship on one particular shared viewpoint

Great video ❤

Fantastic Video

Love when another woman talks about SH3. I feel like many of the male ytbers that I have watched say the story is "bland" and "doesnt amount to what SH2 was". To me it feels so personal, and so many of the fears that Heather has I can relate to. And her reactions are so real. The game touches so much on many fears of being a woman, and I think it is very easy for men to overlook it.

There are lots of men in this world that are disgusting, especially when it comes to exploiting women

But there are good men out there too. And I want to do all I can to protect women. Especially those who I love

I get nervous & very uncomfortable if someone was walking way too close to me. 😨

This game is my favorite out of the series I've beaten it so many times lol

I miss the enter button of this game for some reason its creepy by it self

Thank you

Something that makes Silent Hill 3 my favorite of the series is that Heather is probably one of the most realistically written teenagers in media (be it film, television, video games, etc.). So often, teenagers are written to be one-dimensional caricatures who only care about being popular, hanging out with their friends, shopping, getting a boyfriend/girlfriend, etc. Heather on the other hand is so layered and multi-faceted. I love that she has this snarky attitude to her, very reminiscent of kids her age but she also shows a lot of vulnerability too. Her love for her father is very evident (especially the way she snaps at Vincent for calling him a "pretty sneaky guy") and it's clear he means the world to her. The way she breaks down sobbing when she finds him dead is completely heart-wrenching. She never had a mother or siblings so her father is everything to her and to see her lose that is devastating.

Also, funny enough, despite the fact that I'm not a female, Heather was actually the most relatable Silent Hill protagonist for me. I was a pretty lonely and isolated teenager when I was in high school and I would often go to the mall by myself just like Heather. While I can't relate to the feminine/female horror aspects presented in the game, in a way, they did translate a little bit for me as I began to realize that I was gay. The fear of sexuality theme really hit home for me as I was terrified of my own attraction to other guys. Heather being pregnant with "God" was also similar to the feeling I had (as though I had this terrible thing inside of me that I wanted to purge). I would also see horror stories of other young gay men being attacked and brutalized (or even killed) just for their sexuality that made me extremely wary of strangers. But, just as Heather comes to terms with her being the reincarnation of Alessa/Cheryl and begins to love herself, I came to terms with myself too and realized there was nothing wrong with me.

Sorry if that last part is so corny, lol, but I think being a teenager can be a bit melodramatic and corny sometimes haha. Ultimately though, Silent Hill 3 continues to be my favorite game in the series. I know I have a definite bias because I played the game when I was the same age as Heather and it just really resonated with me. I'm not at all reluctant to admit that but I still think the other games are absolutely excellent. I imagine the first game really hits close to home for those who are parents and the second game for those who have a spouse. I think Silent Hill does an excellent job really exploring these dynamics and the anxiety/fear that comes with them.

The realest of real horrors is how it’s not available on any digital store, and used copies are absurdly overpriced. Especially considering it’s probably the best Silent Hill game.

Summed up in a nutshell

SH1: The Tradegy of a parent unable to protect their child

SH2: The Tradegy of a young adult becoming an adult and realizing actions have lasting consequences

SH3: The Tradegy of a young female girl coming to grips of womanhood and what that means for her moving forward

SH4: The Tragedy of being an introvert and being a witness to a crime and the anxiety induced adventure

Great presentation on your content here! Was checking up a video to see what silent hill 3 was about and I'm hearing the challenges women face in the world that men don't necessarily have to think about. Didn't expect that but I'm so glad I decided to see what this game was about.

The brief bit where Heather is running through the city at night to her apartment on her own was uncomfortable af and it didn’t feature a single abnormal thing in it. They really did a good job never making you feel like Heather was safe.

this was a great video! I did pick up on some of the themes while playing, but, probably due to my own very different experiences as a man, there was def some stuff i missed which you highlighted very well!

I really wanna watch your other videos on Silent Hill Downpour and Shattered Memories, but I just haven't played those games yet and I wanna go in blind. But I look forward to watching them when I get there. Great video 😊

edit: oh, I see you have other videos on Silent Hill than this and the two i mentioned, but they're all about game content i have not fully experienced. But Ill def give them a watch when I have fully experienced the related material 😊

i love your videos

I’m really glad you explained how you relate to Heather’s experience as a woman. It’s something that male gamers wouldn’t be able to catch or understand at first.

Despite me being a male I couldn't help but heavily sympathize with heather's state all if the time. I luckily got the good ending and goddamn was she on my top list of the best protagonists ever. I have never seen such an expressive character like her and I'll always hold silent hill 3 as my favourite of the series

I just finished it last night and thought it was incredible. Heather is a fantastic character.

The "Safe place can turn sinister" thing was something that scared me about Silent Hill from the very first game

This is one of the best Silent Hill perspective videos I’ve ever seen ( subscribed!) I’m playin SH2R right now and loving, savoring, every second. I hope they do the same job with SH3make as it’s my favorite in the series. Great video, thank you!

Great video, fantastic analysis of silent hill 3 that made me reevaluate the game from a woman's perspective

This game always freaked me out as a young pre teen. so much so i returned the game because I was TERRIFIED. (Big regret) but coming back to it now 15 years later and realizing WHAT these horrors really were from the perspective of a female (I’m a guy) makes it EVEN WORSE. This is such a good game dude and you did the most excellent job of explaining it that I’ve seen so far. Ty.❤ 🔪

Waaait. For almost twenty years I've completed this game three or four times and never saw that scene in underground with pushing on railway. Huh!
And your video is great, yes :D

Playing through sh3 for the first time in a decade and I just realized something bonkers. The best emding of this game involves an abortion of a god. One if the first puzzles requires A FUCKING COAT HANGER to reach and pull down a ladder.