Speak. I am the Crimson One.

The Lies and the Mist are not They, but I.

I shall bring down bitter vengeance upon thee and thou shalt suffer my eternal wrath.

Thou shalt ever call upon me and all that is me in the place that is silent.

Arguably, the most memorable part of the Silent Hill series isn’t its fog and fire sirens, its gritty Otherworld or vicious monsters, but rather something on a level entirely its own: Pyramid Head. Known in some installments as the Bogeyman or the Red Pyramid Thing, the unforgettable villain says nothing; drags a giant, heavy knife; and walks around with a massive, blood-stained metal cone on his head. It almost sounds silly by rough description, but the true figure makes a very different impression. So why do fans dread a foe who covers his never-before-seen face with such an unwieldy helmet? Well, Pyramid Head isn’t hiding—and there’s something terribly wrong when a being in a world quite the definition of hell can strike fear in the horrendous creatures dwelling there.

1. Pyramid Head first showed his face in the sequel to the original game. Because of Silent Hill 2’s incredibly visceral and intense psychological nature, which ties so darkly into the heavy narrative of one man’s personal hell, the installment stands as one of the best in the survival horror genre. James Sunderland nearly runs straight into the creature in the Woodside Apartments, but he is able to take shelter in a closet (yeah, like that’s going to save him) nearby while Pyramid Head focuses his attention on another matter. If you didn’t hate it so much, you’d almost feel sorry for the Mannequin as it flails helplessly against Pyramid Head’s wrath. In a sexually intense and graphic scene akin to rape, the monster makes short work of his screaming prey before sensing you.

2. Sunderland encounters Pyramid Head many times throughout the game, although the player only actually fights him once or twice. Often the creature will seemingly stare straight at James from across a barrier or some sort (a wall of bars, a closet door), as though waiting. Indeed, Pyramid Head carries out the role of executioner. He’s the Grim Reaper of Silent Hill: an eternal judge of damnation, biding his time to unleash punishment on those who have committed dark crimes of their own. The weight of knowing he could just literally be around the corner adds to the already extreme feeling of isolation and panic. Add a narrow, winding hallway to that, some disorienting camera movements, and an elevator at the end of it all and you’ve got one of the most adrenaline-pumping moments of the series.

3. All of that hits an epic note with the final meeting, where the player must kill not one, but two impervious Pyramid Heads. And you were crying about having to face the lone monster on the other side of the door. The way the twin Pyramid Heads die—by impaling one another where they stand—only inspires a greater sense of fear. You know they’re not dead, but you’re forced to leave them behind cognizant that they could easily hunt you down again. You’re stuck in Silent Hill, and there’s nowhere to run. At least you can put Toluca Lake between you and them.

4. The Silent Hill movie replaced the sharp angles of the violent monster’s helmet with a jagged version adorned with bolts. The best part about the film’s rendition of Pyramid Head—besides being the most realistic version at that time—is that it demonstrates how powerful and mighty his Giant Knife truly is. Along with that dramatic action, my favorite scene in the movie occurs when the Bogeyman rips the skin (and, well, the clothes, but whatever) off of Anna at the top of the church steps. The visuals clashing against the deep red blood not only show the ease with which Pyramid Head destroys his victims, but the act forever cements him as the town’s merciless executioner and, let’s face it, ruler.

5. The iconic character finally returned for the latest game in the series, Silent Hill: Homecoming. Although many fans (myself included) were disappointed over not getting the chance to battle Pyramid Head once again, this time as Alex Shepherd, we delighted in the next-gen graphics—just dripping with horrific details and gore. Sunderland stood just shy height-wise of the old incarnation, but this time Pyramid Head towers gravely over Alex. Gone is also his twitching and lumbering demeanor. Homecoming draws a heavy influence from the film: Spiders forebode the entrance of the monster, who drags his rust-colored knife with a screeching sound. Later in the game, Pyramid Head slices Alex’s father in half right in front of him, only to walk away darkly.

Watching Pyramid Head merely move always proves a terribly haunting and fearsome experience slabbed with the peril of his unpredictable nature, and Homecoming captures that perfectly. Whether it’s the superior graphics or simply how the developers managed to portray the scene, you can virtually feel the heaviness in the air between Alex and Pyramid Head and sense just how close the monster lingers.

Pyramid Head truly embodies the hell that is Silent Hill, and the character will remain eternal both as a part of the deranged town and the series itself. His triangular, blood-drenched visage is also forever burned in our minds. And you thought geometry was boring.

[Ed. Note: WITA.  also known as Stephanie Carmichael, is currently a guest writer at Spawn Kill! We can guarantee you'll want to sink your teeth into more of her work, which you can find here at her personal blog, Batman-On-Film, Impulse Creations, and scattered all over the place at GEN! Thanks for stepping in, Stephanie!]

Tags: Pyramid Head, silent hill, Video

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 16th, 2009 at 11:14 am and is filed under Editorials, Featured, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.