Misty Day, Remains of Judgment

It is no secret that Silent Hill 2 is the greatest video game ever made. The game is very much an experience like no other. As far as sequels go, undoubtedly the finest example as well considering the restraint that went into its design.

There are roughly two different kinds of horror movies and video games. The first is the traditional American style which is heavily based on gore (Hostel), the literal manifestation of fears (Arachnophobia), monsters (A Nightmare on Elm Street), and generally speaking violence and mayhem. These elements make for visceral and shallow attempts at scaring the audience. Usually the only reaction these methods can elicit is an involuntary jump when something loud happens on screen.

The so-called jump scare. Usually accompanied by a scare chord.

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Now, shallow doesn't mean bad. These efforts are like potato chips; delicious, but gone quickly and rather unhealthy in large amounts.

The second method of horror is what I'll call the Japanese style. This methodology relies on an atmosphere of dread to create horror by implying horrible things, using supernatural elements like ghosts, symbolic manifestations of fear, alternate realities, and unreliable narrators. Of course, this style was not invented by the Japanese but the term is used basically as a distinction between the two ideologies of modern horror movies.

Games fall into these two categories as well. The American style is epitomized in the Resident Evil series with its gun-toting heroes and flesh-eating enemies. The Japanese style is epitomized by the Silent Hill series, specifically the second.

I prefer this style of horror. Disturbing. Lovecraftian. Psychological.

This is the painting that James Sunderland finds in the Silent Hill Historical Society as interpreted by my meager painting abilities:

"Misty Day, Remains of Judgment"

It's him.