Prison Monster Theory

James got a letter. From a dead person. Oh dear.

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Melisande
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Prison Monster Theory

Post by Melisande »

First you hear the heavy footsteps, and then the guttural whisper..

Im sure you all know of the infamous invisible prison monster of Toluca prison. It's one of those strange mysteries that probably won't ever truly be solved, but one of the best things about Silent Hill is that they leave things like this up to your own speculation. Much like Silent Hill reflects the protagonists mind, it also reflects your own by the way you interpret things that are never explained...

Anyhow, my theory of this strange presence is that it is the result of a demonic ritual. In one of the hallways where it appears there is an open cell beside the one containing this 'entity'. This too is a pretty strange cell in itself. Inside this cell are symbols on the wall, candles, and chalices which are all items used in conjuring. There are also lots of open books and we are given the opportunity to read the titles.

"On Sacrifice and the art of Demon-summoning."
"Tome of the Seer."
"The Feast of the Succubi."
"The Fallen Angels of Mercy and Favor."

Fallen Angels and Succubi are both terms for Demons, and a Seer is someone who can divine the future. This tells us whoever occupied this cell was heavily into the dark side of the occult. It could have been a member of the order who went astray of the path of finding 'God' and was therefore imprisoned for it.

Whoever it is, they seem to have carried out the ritual in the prison and summoned these 'demons' who too are trapped within the prison. You can clearly hear these monsters chanting 'ritual' which signifies that this is how they came to be and maybe it was never completely finished which would explain why they are invisible and not fully manifested. The way everything is scattered about the cell shows that maybe there was an interruption in the ritual. Maybe the member of the Order was caught at this moment and then executed in the gallow. The scream you hear at this part after placing the tablets could be the scream of that man who was killed, a residual haunting.

Or the gallow could just be a symbol for execution and perhaps he was really drawn and quartered which would explain the sounds of the invisible horses running around in the distance. These three unexplained events therefore can tie into each other, telling this secret story.

It is just a theory though...if anyone else has something feel free to say it.
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Re: Prison Monster Theory

Post by Mephisto »

No offense but many of the things you wrote are kinda obvious, you know.
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Don, Aman
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Re: Prison Monster Theory

Post by Don, Aman »

Given that when you encounter the invisible monster you are outside time and space, I would say it has more to do with pushing James towards a ritual of his own rather than there being an actual prisoner who conducted a ritual to bring the monster into half-being. I look at it as a grim foreshadowing of Rebirth. The ritual will resurrect something, but do you really want to know what?
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Re: Prison Monster Theory

Post by The Adversary »

"Prisoners do not feel remorse. In fact, they do not feel themselves to
be villans at all. Even the most uneducated brute will use what little
words he knows to justify himself.
In such trifling dreams they have,
flourishing even in the darkness. Prisoners, too, are no exceptions. No
matter how foul nor loathsome one's own life and existence may be, human
nature is abiding."

The prisoners speak, "Ritual." That is their one word, their justification.
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Re: Prison Monster Theory

Post by Joseph »

You can also see it as a challenge for James: will he just leave the harmless and powerless "prisoner" to its eternal ecapsulation, or will he end its suffering by killing it?
...an interesting fact is that you can see Lying Figures (represantations of Mary's poisonous anger and agony due to hospitalisation) being imprisoned as well.
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Re: Prison Monster Theory

Post by Monster »

The monster is invisible because it's meant to symbolize that James is really the one locked up. James thinks there's something in there, but the voice is in his head, in other words, James' head is locked up in that cell.
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Re: Prison Monster Theory

Post by larry_lovage69 »

My view of this is really simple. The “monster” may just be a prisoner trapped for all eternity in the prison. It is no coincidence that prison bars are made of iron.

On a side note if you aim your gun where the sound originates James will actually target the unseen figure, so in theory he may be able to see it but from the angle the camera is pointing we are not able to see it. You will also find that if you fire at the “monster” that there is a definite scream as the “monster” is hit and James will point his gun at the ground where the “monster” would be lying.
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Re: Prison Monster Theory

Post by Ashes »

^ No, pretty much everything and everyone James encounters in his Otherworld has some meaning to him. If the prisoner is indeed a trapped soul, this entity should have something to do with his journey. Otherwise the Otherworld wouldn't have shown it to him.

SH-wikia states there are two prisoners. One chants 'Ritual', and the other chants something that sounds like 'Are you sure?'. So we could assume this tells us James is already playing with the idea of rebirthing Mary, but some part of him is still reluctant of 'using the dark side of the force'.
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Re: Prison Monster Theory

Post by SHF »

Ashes wrote: SH-wikia states there are two prisoners. One chants 'Ritual', and the other chants something that sounds like 'Are you sure?'. So we could assume this tells us James is already playing with the idea of rebirthing Mary, but some part of him is still reluctant of 'using the dark side of the force'.
Wiki is not an accurate source. There are two invisible prisoners, one in each of the wings, but they both mutter " ritual".
I have recorded both and they say exactly the same thing, in the same tone.
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Re: Prison Monster Theory

Post by Ashes »

On the wiki they have both 'Ritual' and 'Are you sure?' recorded. They wouldn't have just made it themselves, would they? :p

On the otherhand.. they also mentioned something about vague about 'Ritual' being 'Are you sure?' reversed...
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Re: Prison Monster Theory

Post by SHF »

Ashes wrote:On the wiki they have both 'Ritual' and 'Are you sure?' recorded. They wouldn't have just made it themselves, would they? :p

On the otherhand.. they also mentioned something about vague about 'Ritual' being 'Are you sure?' reversed...
It does sound like the thing is saying Are You Sure,but the word is kinda distorted when its being said, but it is repeatedly saying Ritual.

As to why it says Ritual, scroll back up to Adversary's posting, he's right :wink:
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Re: Prison Monster Theory

Post by cmm6016 »

I pretty much lend credibility to there being multiple ways to explain the existence of the prison monsters. They're all very valid, and they could all be right. A lot of things in Silent Hill, from monsters to manifestations like Maria, encompass more than just one thing. You can't just point at a monster and say, "That's a symbol of James' suffering," because it's not as simple as that. So the theories about the ritual, the connection to Mary (leaving it be or end its misery) and the Rebirth connection could all be on the right track.

I don't know what exactly Adversary was trying to say, though. There has to be more of a context behind the quote he gave than it just being the justification of the actions of a prisoner. Perhaps he can elaborate more, because that quote wasn't exactly self-evident and neither was his curt explanation. Sorry, Adversary.
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Re: Prison Monster Theory

Post by Ashes »

I always thought the quote Adversary gave was about how the executioners felt about their prisoners. Can someone explain to me what it has to do with the prison monsters?
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Re: Prison Monster Theory

Post by SHF »

The Adversary wrote:"Prisoners do not feel remorse. In fact, they do not feel themselves to
be villans at all. Even the most uneducated brute will use what little
words he knows to justify himself.
In such trifling dreams they have,
flourishing even in the darkness. Prisoners, too, are no exceptions. No
matter how foul nor loathsome one's own life and existence may be, human
nature is abiding."

The prisoners speak, "Ritual." That is their one word, their justification.
Tom is saying that the prison monster is the "brute", and the "little word he knows to justify himself" is Ritual.

I believe that the the prisoners were very religious, and committed crimes because of said beliefs. This is in accordance to the Religious Paintings and other paraphanalia lying about the cells.
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Re: Prison Monster Theory

Post by alone in the town »

At least some of the guards participate in the ritual, too. There's an altar with a candle and two chalices in one of the cells. Another altar, just like it, is found in the room with the rifle.
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Re: Prison Monster Theory

Post by SHF »

^
I don't doubt it at all. Good theory Alone in the town.
By the way, your'e never alone when SHF is around ;P
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Re: Prison Monster Theory

Post by The Adversary »

>On the wiki they have both 'Ritual' and 'Are you sure?' recorded. They wouldn't have just made it themselves, would they?<
I made this discovery in 2001. The two invisible creatures both say the same thing: "ri-choo-uhl." However, when I reversed and sped-up the recording, it sounded like "Are you sure?" The reason the uhl sounds like are backwards is because it's spoken in Engrish.

>At least some of the guards participate in the ritual, too.<
The book Lost Memory in SILENT HILL 3 has something to say about this:
"Offering prayers, pierce a man's
chest with a copper stake. Drench
the altar in the blood which spouts
red from the heart, to praise and to
show loyalty unto God."

In another sacrificial rite mentioned
in the same book, the victim is
burned alive.

This was a more dignified ceremony
in which prisoners and sinners were
not allowed to participate. Only the
clergy could be sacrificed.
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Aerith Gainsborough
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Re: Prison Monster Theory

Post by Aerith Gainsborough »

^That's interesting. So it was kind of like a pureness ordeal? That would be why they would pick Clergymen, since their hearts would be 'pure', due to their belief in the religion of the town, and maybe worthiness, due to their position? Correct me if I'm reading too much, or too little into this.

Which ritual are the 'monsters' referring to? Or is there no information that states which?
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Re: Prison Monster Theory

Post by SHF »

^
It's hard to say...i have to look at the ritualistic paraphanalia in Toluca Prison again.
Perhaps its the same that Ernest used?
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Re: Prison Monster Theory

Post by mikefile »

Aerith Gainsborough wrote:^That's interesting. So it was kind of like a pureness ordeal? That would be why they would pick Clergymen, since their hearts would be 'pure', due to their belief in the religion of the town, and maybe worthiness, due to their position?
It's simple. The big shots, like Alessa (nepotism if you ask me), got the special treatment- they got burned alive, while the simple folks would simply get a stake through their heart.
Aerith Gainsborough wrote:Which ritual are the 'monsters' referring to? Or is there no information that states which?
I'm not really sure about that. But I believe it's the "stake through chest" treatment, since they were prisoners/ sinners and due to the altairs in the prison. The chalices that 'alone in the town' mentioned make me suspect about the Obsidian Goblet used in the Crimson Tome ceremony.
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