Religious Icons?

laban · Post by **laban** » 22 Apr 2006

Even though I know in the end that religious Icons had something of a role in Alyssa's death...or, whatever it is you'd say happened to her, I did notice something curious.

All through out the movie, begining at the first with the lit cross, and to the very end; the movie was FULL of religious icons, Crosses mostly, though there were also pictures like in the school and other locations.

Did anyone else pick up on this? It seemed around the time the "Demons" would come, you'd always have a rather conspicious religious icon of some sort. I wonder if this was a kind of subliminal hint, with Alyssa/ Demon Child thing (Alyssa's hate) being the devil and the crosses pointing to something else.

Fresh from the movie, these are the locations I can remember off the top of my head.

Lit cross at the waterfall
Religious passages on a billboard in front of the tree
Cross on the school window (ok, that's not exactly a cross. Close enough)
Religious passage above the door
Picture of "God" in the main office
Heaven on the hopscotch game
Rose Praying in the bathroom (Technically)
The "cross" (again) in the hotel
The "painting" of a witch being burned
The "cross" on the thing which Alyssa was burned on.
Rose's crucifix (only visible at times)
A series of crosses in the graveyard,
Cross on the church (duh)
A small notation at the hospital about the chapel (on the map)

Ok, that's the ones I can remember off hand...Think I'm crazy, reading too much into it or what?

Post by **lovelytourniquet** » 22 Apr 2006

I mentioned the "God" picture in a thread or two. But yeah, a lot of religious imagery.

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » 22 Apr 2006

Which really ties into the whole philosphical take that the Cult had as its basis - seperating the demon from themselves. Making them "good" and the "demon" "evil".

Okay, talk about mixed percpetions there.

laban · Post by **laban** » 22 Apr 2006

I can't wait to get the DVD and see if they touch on this in the commentary.

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » 22 Apr 2006

I thought along the same lines watching it. It was like "What does this mean?" and "That?"

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 22 Apr 2006

Did anybody notice the color purple? Isn't it a 'holy' color... well it was pretty much the only color seen in Silent Hill. When Aleesa was first talked to, she was next to purple cloths, and in every scene where Rose is exploring by herself, it is seen also. Even the 'cult leader' (sorry don't remember her name) is wearing it also. I may be reading too much into it, but I do know that purple is a significant color.

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » 22 Apr 2006

I've always come to think of purple as a color for royalty, but I doubt it has much to do with that in terms of the film.

Post by **Orestes** » 22 Apr 2006

The hopscotch game was quite creepy, what with the jumping from Hell to Heaven.

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » 28 Apr 2006

Laban here, registered finally and decided to post a bit more thoughts on the movie.

Unless I am sorely mistaken, the hopscotch game was in the original Silent Hill for PS1.

You're right though, it was somewhat disturbing to go from "hell" to "heaven" in the game. The color purple wasn't something I had noticed, but I did formulate a rather curious theory about the movie. See other post.

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » 29 Apr 2006

Well, first of all, I think there's quite a distinct difference between actual Christian references in the movie, and the cult's symbols. I don't think their cross is Christian, I don't think their "God" was the same, and the passage above the door is a script the cult came up with, it's not actaully in Scripture.

However, someone also noted that when the door refairs itself during the world shift after Pyramid Head, it appears he had made a cross.

Also, there's a reference to the Trinity through the three dimensions and the three persons of Alessa.

And finally, someone else noted the possibility of the barbed wire referencing to a crown of thorns.

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » 29 Apr 2006

This imagry was all there to show you how the Church controlled the entire community and shaped it around the church's laws. Even the churchmembers controlled the school faculty. Christabella was actually a teacher and she was still wearing her teacher's uniform when Rose and Cybil encountered her.

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » 15 May 2006

That's true. In the game, you're given various names, but If I remember right, the first Silent hill seemed to hint that the village people worshiped Marduk.

Marduk being the chief god of Zorriastarinism. And chances are, I spelled that wrong.

Post by **Phantom Allure** » 15 May 2006

Zoroastrianism. That's it.

Post by **Rei** » 16 May 2006

Wow, Zoroastrianism, isnt that from mesopotamia? I gotta read my old notebook on that.

Post by **Phantom Allure** » 16 May 2006

It's from Turkey, I think. They're the sect that does the "whirling dervish" dance right? BTW, I think I remember that the chief god of Zoroastrianism is actually Ahura Mazda, not Marduk.

Post by **JuriDawn** » 18 Mar 2007

>the passage above the door is a script the cult came up with, it's not actaully in Scripture.

From Psalm 34:

Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned.

Post by **silenthilljack** » 19 Mar 2007

Also at the end in the church the "GOD" mother of alessa Is like Christ on a cross. ---legs crossed----and so on...

Post by **JuriDawn** » 20 Mar 2007

I would have to say that's quite a stretch. Crossed legs do not a cruifix make.

And Alessa is not the God of the cult in the movie.

Post by **silenthilljack** » 20 Mar 2007

yes i understand

Post by **LoudValley** » 22 Mar 2007

I hated The order religious icon of a cross that was all over the town. They would 've stuck with the samael seal or other icon from the game!