The Best Death Animations In Silent Hill Games

Key Takeaways

• Deaths in
  Silent Hill
  games can vary based on items obtained, puzzles solved, and QTEs, adding unique challenges for players.
• Certain death animations, like the impalement of Maria by Pyramid Head, are canon within the game’s storyline.
• Some enemies in
  Silent Hill
  games, like Schisms, have specific ways of killing the protagonist, requiring careful avoidance or quick actions.

Whether it’s being choked out by Pyramid Head or split in half by a Schism, there are seemingly endless ways to die in the Silent Hill franchise. While some of the older Silent Hill titles aren’t very inventive with their death animations (James falling to his knees in Silent Hill 2 starts to get old), there’s a lot to be said about some of the creative ways that characters can perish, especially in some of the newer series entries.

While some deaths occur from low health in combat scenarios, others play out depending on if the character obtains or uses certain items, fails to solve puzzles, or doesn’t hit QTEs in time. Each monster attacks differently, so they have their own ways of harming—and even killing—the protagonist if players aren’t careful. Here are the best death animations in all Silent Hill games.

Spoilers Ahead

9 Pyramid Head Impales Maria With A Spear (Silent Hill 2)

James Can Do Nothing To Prevent Maria’s Guresome Fate

In Silent Hill 2 and its remake, it is not possible to save Maria from Pyramid Head and all her deaths are inevitable save for the last one, which is determined based on the player’s actions throughout the game. In order to get the ‘Maria’ ending, in which Maria survives and leaves Silent Hill with James, the requirements are essentially to stick by Maria’s side, ensure she doesn’t get harassed by monsters, and refuse to read any of Mary’s letters or examine Angela’s knife.

Basically, James needs to make it look as though he’s invested in Maria and cares about her well-being. When James and Maria are running from Pyramid Head in the hospital, Maria gets impaled by Pyramid Head’s Great Knife right before entering the elevator to salvation. Maria’s death is a canon event here, so it doesn’t matter how fast James runs.

8 Lisa Attacks The Player (P.T.)

Certain Prompts Allow Lisa To Get The Drop On The Player

In the demo for Silent Hills, a project which sadly never saw the light of day, the player can be attacked by a ghost named Lisa. While it is possible to avoid Lisa entirely in P.T., there are scripted segments where she can kill the protagonist and reset the corridor loop.

For example, when examining the radio on the dresser near the photograph, if the radio transmission says “look behind you” and the player does so, Lisa will spawn and incapacitate them. When Lisa appears before the protagonist, she lifts them off the ground and snaps their neck. Once this happens, they respawn in the starting room and the loop begins all over again.

7 Sakura Head Drives Its Arm Through Anita’s Throat (Silent Hill: The Short Message)

There’s No Way To Fight Back Against Sakura Head

In Silent Hill: The Short Message, Anita struggles to evade a monster covered in cherry blossoms (officially dubbed “Sakura Head” by the Silent Hill community) in an abandoned complex, which turns out to be a popular suicide spot for teenage girls. Whenever it appears, Sakura Head will relentlessly chase Anita with violent twitching and writhing movements, and will gain sudden bursts of speed to pursue her.

Anita cannot fight back against Sakura Head and instead must escape the labyrinthine structure in which it spawns. If Sakura Head catches Anita, it will drive its entire arm through her throat, similarly to how the Wendigo kills Samantha Giddings in Until Dawn.

6 The Schism Brutally Bisects Alex Shepherd (Silent Hill: Homecoming)

Failing To Break Free From The Schism’s Grasp Has Dire Consequences

Exclusive to Silent Hill: Homecoming and Silent Hill: Book of Memories, Schisms are lanky humanoid creatures with an elongated head resembling a mix between a hammerhead shark and a pendulum. Like Lickers in the Resident Evil franchise, Schisms are completely blind and rely on their other senses to find their prey.

They cannot detect Alex if he moves quietly and keeps his flashlight turned off. If the Schism grabs Alex however, and he fails to release himself, it will use its razor-sharp head to slice him in half. Alex can avoid this gruesome fate but button-mashing when the prompt appears.

5 Harry Meets The Bloodsucker Living In The Fridge (Silent Hill)

Harry Must Take Preventative Measures To Keep The Bloodsucker Trapped

Unlike many of the enemies in Silent Hill, Harry cannot kill the Bloodsucker. It appears in Room 204 of the hospital, then again in Nowhere. Initially, Alex can distract the Bloodsucker using a blood pack found in the storage room, but when the creature reappears in the kitchen in Nowhere, Harry must ensure it remains trapped inside the fridge to avoid an untimely death.

Harry can use the Ring of Contract to reinforce the chain around the fridge and keep the Bloodsucker contained. If he fails to do this, the Bloodsucker will emerge from inside the fridge, ensnare Harry, and drag him in.

4 Murphy Gets Sucked Into A Rotating Fan (Silent Hill: Downpour)

It Would Make Sense To Turn The Fans Off First

When Murphy Pendleton is navigating a large ventilation system in Silent Hill: Downpour, he can come across a few environmental hazards, namely some large rotating fans. Murphy must find ways to shut off the fans in order to progress safely, but if he tries to pass them without shutting them down, he will be sucked into the giant blades and blended up like a smoothie.

It’s one of the more brutal deaths to come from Silent Hill, which seems to have a special interest in utilizing spinning blades in a variety of gruesome ways. There’s another segment where Harry slides down a water chute and must maneuver himself to avoid—of course—more spinning blades.

3 A Sea Monster Drowns Heather Mason (Silent Hill 3)

Electrocuting The Beast With A Hairdryer Is The Only Way

Heather Mason can be dragged to a watery grave by an unidentified sea monster in Silent Hill 3. She can learn about the creature through a note left by a sewage worker, in which they express concerns that an “alligator” lurks beneath the underground structure.

In order to safely exit the Underpass, Heather must find a hairdryer before attempting to cross the bridge under which the monster lives. If Heather finds it, she can electrocute the creature and pass by unscathed. If Heather fails to grab the hairdryer before proceeding, the sea monster will snag her leg with its tentacle and pull her under, drowning her.

2 Alex Shepherd Loses An Arm (Silent Hill: Homecoming)

Failing QTEs Will Leave Alex Armless

Most of the goriest deaths seem to appear in Silent Hill: Homecoming. As if it weren’t bad enough already that Alex gets split in two, he can also have his arm chomped off. Poor Alex just can’t catch a break.

In Room 203 of the Operating Theater, Alex finds a wall with a large hole in it from which blood continuously seeps. Alex needs to reach inside to obtain the Robbie toy, but if the player doesn’t successfully complete the QTE sequence, Alex will get his arm ripped off by whatever monstrosity lives inside the bleeding wall. The Robbie toy can be used to unlock the gate to another corridor, at the end of which Alex finds an elevator.

1 Heather Mason Collapses In The Mirror Room (Silent Hill 3)

Perfect Timing Ensures Heather’s Escape From The Mirror Room

The Mirror Room is one of the most iconic locations from Silent Hill 3. When Heather enters the Mirror Room, a gurney in the corner of the room begins leaking blood, which reaches across the floor with spider-like tendrils. If Heather tries to leave, the door will be locked, forcing her to stay in the company of her own reflection for a while.

As the bleeding intensifies, the room grows darker. In order to escape the room, timing is key, as once Heather’s reflection stops moving, she can rush back to the door and try it again. This time, it will open. However, if Heather remains in the Mirror Room for too long, she will collapse and die.