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| + | [[File:RobbietheRabbit.jpg|250px|thumb|right]] |
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| − | [[File:PyramidHead.png|thumb|right|250px|Pyramid Head in [[wikipedia:Silent Hill 2|''Silent Hill 2'']].]] |
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| + | '''Robbie the Rabbit''' is an [[Anthropomorphism|anthropomorphic]] rabbit doll that has made appearances in many of the ''Silent Hill'' games. In some of his appearances, his mouth is covered with blood. For the most part, his appearance seems to serve little more than to provide an ambiguous level of unease to the player, due to the odd nature of his existence within the world of ''Silent Hill'', his bright colors compared to the rust brown and dark red of everything else, and his recurring cameos. |
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| − | '''Pyramid Head''', also known as '''Red Pyramid Thing''' or "Triangle Head" (三角頭, Sankaku Atama?) in Japan, is a monster from the survival-horror ''Silent Hill'' video game series, published by Konami. Introduced in the 2001 installment ''Silent Hill 2'', he stalks the primary player-character James Sunderland, who comes to the town of Silent Hill after receiving a letter from his deceased wife. The ''Silent Hill'' series, particularly the second installment, frequently makes use of psychology and symbolism: Pyramid Head represents James' wish to be punished for his "sins". Masahiro Ito, the designer of ''Silent Hill 2'''s monsters, created him with the goal of having "a monster with a hidden face". Known for the large triangular helmet which conceals his head, Pyramid Head lacks a voice, a visible face and reasons for his actions. |
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| + | Robbie's character could be seen either as an in-joke, a homage to the many horror films that depict bloodied rabbits as nightmarish killers, or it could even be an element of the town itself. An allusion to ''Silent Hill'''s dark sense of humor would be fitting as many of the game's plots involve the town's children in some aspect. It's possible he is simply there as a plot device to help tie each game together in a small, yet memorable way. |
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| − | He has since appeared in the 2006 film ''Silent Hill'' as "Red Pyramid", in the 2007 first-person shooter ''Silent Hill: The Arcade'' as a boss (a computer-controlled opponent), and in the sixth installment of the series, ''Silent Hill Homecoming'', as the "Bogeyman". He has also made an appearance outside of the ''Silent Hill'' series as a selectable character in the 2008 Nintendo DS title ''New International Track & Field''. Positively received in ''Silent Hill 2'' for his role as an element of James' psyche, he has been cited by reviewers as an iconic villain of the series and part of ''Silent Hill 2'''s appeal. |
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| − | ==Design and characteristics== |
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| + | Robbie's first appearance is in ''Silent Hill 3'', where he is revealed to be a mascot for the Lakeside Amusement Park. Large models, possibly costumes, of Robbie can be found slumped in various areas of the park as if dead. It isn't quite clear whether or not there is a person, alive or dead, inside, or if the mascot is sentient. Robbie's 'corpse' can be seen many times while exploring the amusement park and he can also be seen as a doll in the souvenir store. Examining the tourist information scattered throughout the amusement park reveals that Robbie is one of its four animal mascots, along with Kathy the Kitty, Huey the Horse and Dawn the Duck. Heather Mason can also unlock a Robbie t-shirt to wear. He also appears as the icon for the game's save file on a PlayStation 2 memory card, which shows him running, or, perhaps more appropriately, chasing. |
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| − | Of the creatures that appear in ''Silent Hill 2'', only Pyramid Head features an "overtly masculine" appearance. He resembles a pale, muscular man covered with a white, blood-soaked robe reminiscent of a butcher's smock. He does not speak, but grunts and moans painfully inside the helmet. His most outstanding feature is a large red, triangular helmet that covers his head completely. Masahiro Ito, the designer of ''Silent Hill 2'''s monsters, wanted to create "a monster with a hidden face", which led him to add the pyramid-shaped helmet. According to Ito, the possibility of pain is suggested, because of the triangle's sharp right and acute angles.[3] At times, it appears that Pyramid Head is in pain. His weapons consist of the deadly and heavy Great Knife, which the player can find and use for the rest of the game, and later, a spear. |
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| + | ==''Silent Hill 4: The Room''== |
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| − | As revealed by Konami's ''The Book of Lost Memories'', his appearance was a variation of the outfits of the executioners from the fictional history of the town. They wore red hoods and ceremonial robes to make themselves similar to Valtiel, a monster who appears in ''Silent Hill 3''. Pyramid Head was created from "the townspeoples' idolatrous ideologies". Like Valtiel, he dresses in gloves and stitched cloth and pursues the game's protagonist. Christophe Gans, the director of the 2006 film adaptation ''Silent Hill'', suggests that he "was one of the executioners in the original history of the town" and that "there is not one particular or exclusive manifestation of him as an entity." |
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| + | In ''Silent Hill 4: The Room'', a Robbie the Rabbit doll is sitting on a bed belonging to Eileen Galvin. While he isn't seen actually moving, he does change posture once Eileen is rushed to the hospital. He is then turned toward the player, pointing at Henry Townshend with a menacing expression. A hot-air balloon of his head can also be seen outside of Henry's window, which, for unknown reasons, has its mouth bloodied. Cynthia Velasquez also has a tattoo of Robbie, only visible when she is wearing her alternate costume. |
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| + | ==''Silent Hill: The Arcade''== |
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| − | ==Appearances== |
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| + | In ''Silent Hill: The Arcade'', Robbie is an enemy and he appears in groups at Lakeside Amusement Park. They have squeaky, high pitched laughs that they use before attacking the player. Because ''The Arcade'' takes place before ''Silent Hill 3'', it can be assumed that ''The Arcade'' is the reason for the bloody costume corpses in ''Silent Hill 3''. Robbie also appears in the UFO ending's credits, where he is seen playing an arcade game. |
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| − | After receiving a letter from his deceased wife, Mary, and arriving in the foggy town of Silent Hill to search for her, the protagonist and primary player-character James Sunderland encounters Pyramid Head several times over the course of the game. He first appears from behind a gate and makes no attempt to attack James. Later in an apartment, James walks in on Pyramid Head's rape and murder of two Mannequins — creatures made of two sets of hips and legs. Terrified and panicked, James hides in a closet and shoots Pyramid Head with a handgun several times, which causes him to leave. James witnesses Pyramid Head's rape and murder of another creature when near a flooded stairway and Pyramid Head attempts to kill him. After a few minutes, sirens sound in the distance and Pyramid Head descends the stairway, removing the water. |
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| + | ==''Silent Hill Homecoming''== |
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| − | James does not meet him again until in Brookhaven Hospital, where Pyramid Head knocks him through a safety railing and he falls, sustaining injuries. Pyramid Head does not pursue or continue the attack. Later, he stalks Maria, James' companion who closely resembles his wife, through a lengthy corridor. As James flees into an elevator, the doors shut before she can join him. He struggles to open the doors to save her, but Pyramid Head kills her. However, in the labyrinth beneath Toluca Prison, James finds her alive and unharmed in a locked cell. Before trying to seduce him, she reminisces about a trip that only he and Mary took to a hotel in Silent Hill. He leaves, promising to find a way to her, and discovers that Pyramid Head walks a corridor nearby, now carrying a spear. James reaches Maria's side of the cell afterwards, but finds her dead. Pyramid Head makes his final appearance just before the final boss, where two Pyramid Heads take part in the encounter. They kill Maria yet again and after pursuing him around the room for a while, both commit suicide. |
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| + | In ''Silent Hill Homecoming'', he is once again a doll. Alex Shepherd is required to retrieve the doll, which is stated to be a toy belonging to his brother, Joshua. It is here he poses as an interactive obstacle; failure to pull him correctly from a bloody hole in the wall results in Alex's arm being severed. He makes a reappearance later as a key to opening a door. The doll is not the instigator of these events, however. |
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| + | ==''Silent Hill: The Escape''== |
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| − | ===Film=== |
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| + | Robbie acts as a tutorial guide for the game. |
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| − | Pyramid Head makes an appearance in the 2006 film adaptation of ''Silent Hill'' as "Red Pyramid" and is portrayed by Roberto Campanella. In the film, the perspective of the female characters shaped the character's physical appearance. Replicating the character's helmet exactly and having the actor move with it on proved to be impractical; Gans noted that despite the name, Pyramid Head actually wore "a basin" instead of a triangle-shaped helmet. Red Pyramid's sword and helmet were constructed out of lightweight material painted to appear heavy. For the role, Campanella wore a "five-part prosthetic"; it took two-and-a-half to three hours to get him into costume and make-up. His boots had a hidden 15-inch (38 cm) sole which made him just under 7 feet (2.1 m) tall. Patrick Tatopoulos, who worked on the make-up effects and monsters, enjoyed the project of designing the character. According to him, Red Pyramid serves as a symbol of the town's darkness and harbinger of its alternate dimension. |
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| − | + | ==''Silent Hill: Revelation 3D''== |
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| + | Director Michael J Bassett has confirmed on his blog that Robbie will make an appearance in ''Silent Hill: Revelation 3D'', the sequel to the 2006 ''Silent Hill'' movie. |
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| − | ''PlayStation: The Official Magazine'' revealed that the "famous Pyramid Head makes a significant appearance in ''Silent Hill Homecoming'', but his role is limited to non-interactive scenes." The "Bogeyman", as he is referred to in the game, appears only twice to the game's protagonist Alex Shepherd; once in the Grand Hotel in Silent Hill and much later in a church where he executes Alex's father by splitting him in half. His last appearance is in a possible ending to the game: Alex wakes up in a wheelchair as two Pyramid Heads appear, each with part of a helmet, which they use to turn Alex into one of them. After this ending is played, the player obtains the Bogeyman's costume for Alex to wear. Mindful of Pyramid Head's role in ''Silent Hill 2'', the developers chose to include him as "the embodiment of a myth [that] parents started to keep the children out of trouble" and "the accretion of the activities going on in the town of Shepherd’s Glen." |
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| + | ==Interesting note== |
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| − | ===Other=== |
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| + | Robbie is very similar to [[Billy (Saw)|Billy]] from the [[Saw (franchise)|''Saw'' franchise]]. Both Robbie and Billy are inanimate objects but are treated as any other character, and both are unsettling and are used to unease people. Also, both have very small roles in their respective franchises, but both are very iconic. |
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| − | Pyramid Head appears in the 2007 first-person, two-player shooter ''Silent Hill: The Arcade'' as a boss, and as a super-deformed selectable character in the 2008 Nintendo DS title ''New International Track & Field'', an installment of the ''Track & Field'' series. He also made a cameo appearance in the 2008 ''Silent Hill'' comic book ''Sinner's Reward'', published by IDW Publishing. The writer, Tom Waltz, later said he regretted the cameo, which only functioned as fan service. To him, Pyramid Head is a psychological construct created for James; however, he stated that: "At the same time, I don't think that ruined the comic. Some people really liked it. To some people, Pyramid Head should be in all the stories because they do like him." Additionally, the character was portrayed in the 2009 ''Silent Hill''-themed haunted attraction in Orange County, California, from October 2 to 31. |
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| − | ==Analysis== |
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| − | {{Quote|I was weak. That's why I needed you... Needed someone to punish me for my sins...|James Sunderland|wikipedia:Pyramid Head#Analysis}} |
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| − | The ''Silent Hill'' series, particularly ''Silent Hill 2'', uses symbolism and psychology; the town of Silent Hill serves as limbo where "the protagonists are inserted into the disorienting nightmare to confront symbols of their inner darkness."<ref name="Alexander analysis"/> The player is left to decide as to whether ''Silent Hill 2''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s primary player-character James Sunderland killed his wife, Mary, to end her suffering or out of resentment and frustration for his sexual repression during her three-year-long illness.<ref name="Alexander analysis"/> James knew she had a terminal illness,<ref>{{cite video game|title=Silent Hill 2|developer=Konami (Team Silent)|publisher=Konami|date=2001-09-21|platform=PlayStation 2|quote='''James''': Mary's going to die...? You... you must be joking! / '''Doctor''': I'm very sorry. [...] As her doctor, I promise that I'll do what I can. But... there's still no an effective treatment for her condition. / '''James''': How long does she have? / '''Doctor''': I'm afraid I'm not sure. 3 years at most... Perhaps 6 months...}}</ref> which has been speculated to be cancer,<ref name="PH Allure 2"/> and often read medical textbooks, searching for something to help her.<ref>{{cite video game|title=Silent Hill 2|developer=Konami (Team Silent)|publisher=Konami|date=2001-09-21|platform=PlayStation 2|quote='''James''': I've already read enough medical books. None of them ever did any good.}}</ref> During her last days alive, she became physically repulsive as a result of the illness and treated James abusively, ordering him to leave one moment and begging him to comfort her the next.<ref>{{cite video game|title=Silent Hill 2|developer=Konami (Team Silent)|publisher=Konami|date=2001-09-21|platform=PlayStation 2|quote='''Mary''': Between the disease and the drugs, I look like a monster. Well what are you looking at? Get the hell out of here. Leave me alone already! [...] Are you still here? I told you to go! Are you deaf?! Don't come back! James... Wait... Please, don't go... Stay with me. Don't leave me alone. I didn't mean what I said. Please, James... Tell me I'll be okay. Tell me I'm not going to die. Help me...}}</ref> The knowledge of her terminal illness caused her to become angry and hurt her loved ones, particularly James, and it pained him to visit her in the hospital.<ref>{{cite video game|title=Silent Hill 2|developer=Konami (Team Silent)|publisher=Konami|date=2001-09-21|platform=PlayStation 2|quote='''Mary's letter''': Whenever you come see me, I can tell how hard it is on you...I don't know if you hate me or pity me... Or maybe I just disgust you... I'm sorry about that. When I first learned that I was going to die, I just didn't want to accept it. I was so angry all the time and I struck out at everyone I loved most. Especially you, James.}}</ref> Manifesting as "James' anger and guilt",<ref name="CW"/> Pyramid Head functions as an executioner of Maria—a woman who strongly resembles Mary and later revealed to be James' delusion<ref name="Alexander analysis"/>—and his constant tormentor.<ref name="CW"/> As a result of her repeated deaths, James re-lives the guilt and suffering that he felt when he killed Mary.<ref name="Alexander analysis"/> Pyramid Head acts as "judgment personified, a sexually dark butcher", and "James' masochistic delusion" which punishes him for his sins.<ref name="PH Allure 2"/> Because of Pyramid Head's role in ''Silent Hill 2'', it has been suggested that his face, which is concealed throughout the ''Silent Hill'' series,<ref name="PH Allure 1"/> would resemble James'.<ref name="GR villains"/> Placing ''Silent Hill 2'' in the context of a psychotherapy, Doris C. Rusch suggested that Pyramid Head might stand for a fear of James' because he provokes "fear of confrontation" from James and the player through his violent acts.<ref name="Well Played analysis"/> |
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| − | ==References== |
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| − | {{Reflist}} |
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| − | [[Category:Video gaming]] |
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| − | [[Category:Rapist]] |
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| − | [[Category:Pervert]] |
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| − | [[Category:Villain]] |
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| − | [[Category:Comics]] |
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| − | [[Category:Featured character]] |
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Revision as of 08:23, 23 February 2011
Robbie the Rabbit is an anthropomorphic rabbit doll that has made appearances in many of the Silent Hill games. In some of his appearances, his mouth is covered with blood. For the most part, his appearance seems to serve little more than to provide an ambiguous level of unease to the player, due to the odd nature of his existence within the world of Silent Hill, his bright colors compared to the rust brown and dark red of everything else, and his recurring cameos.
Robbie's character could be seen either as an in-joke, a homage to the many horror films that depict bloodied rabbits as nightmarish killers, or it could even be an element of the town itself. An allusion to Silent Hill's dark sense of humor would be fitting as many of the game's plots involve the town's children in some aspect. It's possible he is simply there as a plot device to help tie each game together in a small, yet memorable way.
Silent Hill 3
Robbie's first appearance is in Silent Hill 3, where he is revealed to be a mascot for the Lakeside Amusement Park. Large models, possibly costumes, of Robbie can be found slumped in various areas of the park as if dead. It isn't quite clear whether or not there is a person, alive or dead, inside, or if the mascot is sentient. Robbie's 'corpse' can be seen many times while exploring the amusement park and he can also be seen as a doll in the souvenir store. Examining the tourist information scattered throughout the amusement park reveals that Robbie is one of its four animal mascots, along with Kathy the Kitty, Huey the Horse and Dawn the Duck. Heather Mason can also unlock a Robbie t-shirt to wear. He also appears as the icon for the game's save file on a PlayStation 2 memory card, which shows him running, or, perhaps more appropriately, chasing.
Silent Hill 4: The Room
In Silent Hill 4: The Room, a Robbie the Rabbit doll is sitting on a bed belonging to Eileen Galvin. While he isn't seen actually moving, he does change posture once Eileen is rushed to the hospital. He is then turned toward the player, pointing at Henry Townshend with a menacing expression. A hot-air balloon of his head can also be seen outside of Henry's window, which, for unknown reasons, has its mouth bloodied. Cynthia Velasquez also has a tattoo of Robbie, only visible when she is wearing her alternate costume.
Silent Hill: The Arcade
In Silent Hill: The Arcade, Robbie is an enemy and he appears in groups at Lakeside Amusement Park. They have squeaky, high pitched laughs that they use before attacking the player. Because The Arcade takes place before Silent Hill 3, it can be assumed that The Arcade is the reason for the bloody costume corpses in Silent Hill 3. Robbie also appears in the UFO ending's credits, where he is seen playing an arcade game.
Silent Hill Homecoming
In Silent Hill Homecoming, he is once again a doll. Alex Shepherd is required to retrieve the doll, which is stated to be a toy belonging to his brother, Joshua. It is here he poses as an interactive obstacle; failure to pull him correctly from a bloody hole in the wall results in Alex's arm being severed. He makes a reappearance later as a key to opening a door. The doll is not the instigator of these events, however.
Silent Hill: The Escape
Robbie acts as a tutorial guide for the game.
Silent Hill: Revelation 3D
Director Michael J Bassett has confirmed on his blog that Robbie will make an appearance in Silent Hill: Revelation 3D, the sequel to the 2006 Silent Hill movie.
Interesting note
Robbie is very similar to Billy from the Saw franchise. Both Robbie and Billy are inanimate objects but are treated as any other character, and both are unsettling and are used to unease people. Also, both have very small roles in their respective franchises, but both are very iconic.