There is a lot of schlock inSilent Hill 2. It’s a psychological horror masterpiece that burrows deep beneath your skin and refuses to leave, yet it’s also a little bit silly. Horrific encounters with enemies likePyramid Headare beautifully juxtaposed with silly little buggers that sprint about the place like Scooby-Doo villains. Nowhere is this more true than the mannequins.
In every single Silent Hill game, there are a handful of enemies that will make you step back and ask yourself, “What the hell is that thing?!” But these eventually become normalised as you beat several of them to death with planks of wood and begin to recognize their movement patterns. In Silent Hill 2, the mannequins sneak around James and taunt him from a distance, only to strike when you least expect it. Well, that’s their intention, but the reality is significantly more hilarious.
Walk Like A Mannequin, Talk Like A Mannequin
Unless you aren’t familiar with the mannequin enemies, they are essentially two pairs of legs stitched on top of one another, and yet another subconscious representation of James’ more perverted desires. It’s an ingeniously unsettling design that is both familiar yet alien. Noticing one in the corner of your eye is bound to give you the willies, at least until you start stumbling across their very obvious and very hilarious hiding places.
I quickly developed a nickname for the Mannequins in my playthrough. Say hello to Legs. It sounds like a member of the mafia that doubles as a long-distance sprinter.
Silent Hill 2 is drenched in darkness for the most part, and you will depend on your flashlight to light a path forward and figure out where to go next. That means, apart from a hostile buzz that emanates from your controller, every single enemy you stumble upon is a grim surprise.
The majority of monsters will rush you in a moment, but the mannequins love to crawl on the walls, hide beneath tables, or push themselves next to doorways just out of sight. They are trying to scare us within an inch of our lives, but they look so obvious that it’s downright adorable. I got spooked a couple of times when I first found a mannequin or two sneaking around the local apartments, but they rarely try any fresh tricks before settling into a comical routine.
If you hear some buzzing and haven’t been rushed yet, chances are a mannequin is hiding behind the nearest door ready to jump you. But once you spot them, they act like they’ve been caught in a compromising situation and try to walk it off to avoid potential embarrassment. That’s when I promptly beat them to death.
Mannequins Provide Some Welcome Comedic Relief
Sometimes you will be walking along a pitch-black corridor only to see a mannequin run right across your field of vision, like they’ve missed their cue and need to hide before you arrive. It is ridiculous, and has made me and my friends laugh out loud on more than a few occasions. It isn’t meant to be funny, but unintentional hilarity in an experience so harrowing relieves the tension.
Mannequins become more aggressive as you progress through the main story and deeper in the Otherworld, adapting new strategies like crawling on prison walls and dropping from high ceilings, but the way in which you dispatch and interact with them is largely unchanged. One encounter that sticks out to me is when I ran into a new area and through a locked door, very much convinced that no enemy could follow me through. Then a deafening blur burst across the screen, and the next thing I knew a pair of legs was hammering me to a pulp.
I recovered, albeit a bit shaken, and ever since, I have been stumbling upon mannequins that make me laugh and cry in equal measure. I know they’re meant to be scary, but now I have an image of them being employees in a half-baked haunted house, I can’t help but love them.
Silent Hill 2
WHERE TO PLAY
Investigating a letter from his late wife, James returns to where they made so many memories - Silent Hill. What he finds is a ghost town, prowled by disturbing monsters and cloaked in deep fog. Confront the monsters, solve puzzles, and search for traces of your wife in this remake of SILENT HILL 2.High-end Graphics and SoundWith ray tracing and other cutting-edge technical enhancements, the world of SILENT HILL and its unsettling ambiance is even realer than before.And with the inclusion of new, immersive soundscapes, you’ll feel like you’re standing in the thick of it.Larger EnvironmentsExplore locations and buildings that were once inaccessible, or are newly added in the remake. Enjoy the same acclaimed story, even while you experience the town of Silent Hill with fresh eyes across an expanded map.Over-the-shoulder CameraThe remake moves from the original’s fixed-camera viewpoints to an over-the-shoulder perspective, putting you closer to what James sees, for a more thrilling, more immersive experience as you explore the town and come face-to-face with monsters.Evolved Combat GameplayFamiliar weapons like the steel pipe and handgun make their return, but now with an updated combat system. Avoid attacks with carefully timed dodges, aim down sights, and more, making monster encounters more engaging and nerve-wracking than ever.
