I thought Silent Hill was supposed to be scary (no spoilers)

[Zing]

So I finally get around to playing Silent Hill.

It seemed like it should be scary. Father crashes his car. Young daughter goes missing. When I was first walking around the town, it was actually milding disturbing. Seeing a glimpse of the daughter while chasing after her. Running full speed.

Then the zombies. Uh, ok.

Then the flying zombies. Oooook.

Then the zombie dogs. Yeah, I'm totally peeing my pants here. Yawn.

I guess I didn't realize that this was basically "Resident Evil" with a slightly different plot.

I plodded along for a few hours, but there is zero scare factor. I admit that I am probably not very far into the game, so maybe there is something I will come across in the future. It's just odd that this was supposedly one of the scarier games of the time, and its not scary in the slightest.

I will update this thread in the future as I progress.

[ShinobiMan]

You must be desensitized. This is one hell of a CREEPY game. Are you playing in the dark, with a good TV and the sound cranked up?

[DefaultGen]

.....

[HYB]

I still can't play the game by myself to this date, this+Resident Evil games gave me a slight trauma when I was a kid which is why I still can't stomach anything that have zombies or other similiar shit. I dunno how anyone can not find this game creepy as hell.

The school parts were the worst and they always appear in my nightmares to this day.

[pseudonym]

I never found it scary, it's more creepy and unnerving. Try to play it at night with the sound up. It's a lot better that way.

[Kamille01]

I guess with current standards it's not nearly as scary as some may say.

I also don't find it as terrifying as everyone told me it would be but I'm sure if I were still a kid I wouldn't even touch the game.

Even with all the hype and praise it received I always viewed it as more of a disturbing game and not jump off your seat scary. I like it a lot because of the design and plot. Some of the monsters and concepts in the later games are exceptionally well done. I'm a big fan of horror movies and stories in general though, so that's most likely why I find Silent Hill fantastic.

If you want to try and scare yourself do as ShinobiMan said and turn out all the lights, crank up the volume. I'd also recommend opening a window in the room where you're playing and only play at night. Chances are none of that will help scare you though.

[gamedude45]

I don't really know what to tell you i mean if you don't find it scary/creepy I doubt anything anyone tells you will change that.

But I guess i'll tell you the three reasons why I personaly think Silent Hill is one of scariest/creepiest games ever and those reasons would be the atmosphere, the fog/darkness and the radio.

now i'll try and explain why

(The atmosphere) I find the whole game to be very lonely. I mean think about it your daughters gone missing, your in an seemingly abandoned town and the one friendly person you meet (Cybil) leaves you almost immediately. To me this is the one of the loneliest games ever and to me that feeling of loneliness makes me alot more susceptible to being scared.

(the fog/darkness) To me not being able to see but a foot or two in front of me creeps me out especially when I don't know what's waiting for me in that fog/darkness.

(the radio) to me the radio makes the fog/darkness 100 times worse than it already was. I mean yeah it helps you know when enimies are around but you still don't know which direction their coming from so technically you could be running straight at an enemy and that just creeps me out more.

Now having typed all that I doubt it will change your mind (Silent Hill is definitely not for everyone not even all horror game fans) but hopefully this will help you understand alittle why some people find this game to be one of the scariest games ever.

[RJ]

Yep it's more creepy/unsettling than out & out scary. The 1st time, I rented it & played at night by candlelight w/ a guide & still got spooked. IIRC I bought it used even after I beat it & unlocked/discovered everything. Yes, it's that good.

Might I add you're playing it a decade after its release; it's 10 yrs old & quite a masterpiece for its time.

[JSoup]

I'm not a horror fan, but I realized that Silent Hill works by making you think it's scary and then supplementing that with a few creepy bits.

[mobiusclimber]

There are no zombies in this game. And the only thing that even resembles a zombie is not the scary monster in the game. The little kids w/ knives, that's the freaky shit. I think if you go in trying to get scared, it won't happen. In fact, I don't think the first SH has too many actual scares (as in, jump scares, the kind that the RE series tosses out way too often). The game is meant to be more unsettling than scary. There will be times when the world changes and there's some weird noise off somewhere that you can't see... that's what's scary. There's also a lot of just plain disturbing images and ideas in the game. Again, I think it's unfair to compare this game to RE. With RE you have lots of jump scares, things jumping out at you, but the storyline is really basic and not frightening at all. SH is the exact opposite. But you'll find out eventually. Just keep playing it, that's all I'll say.

[Lerxstnj]

I liked Silent Hill more for the story and the puzzles than for the scare factor.

If you want scary and have an Xbox 360... Try Condemned.
Damn, even the demo is scary.. try it and you'll see.

I remember The Suffering being very scary also. Something in the sound effects and music.

[Sniderman]

Yeah, I'm totally peeing my pants here. Yawn.

You are truly a manly man with manly balls of manly steel.


I will update this thread in the future as I progress.

"This game still sucks!"

Yeah. Don't bother on our account.

[Emperor Megas]

Then the zombies. Uh, ok.

Then the flying zombies. Oooook.

Then the zombie dogs. Yeah, I'm totally peeing my pants here. Yawn.

I guess I didn't realize that this was basically "Resident Evil" with a slightly different plot.There's aren't any zombies in Silent Hill. I could try to explain the nature of the creatures in the town, but it's better you explore/discover everything on your own. The more you learn about the town and the story, the more disturbing and immersive the game becomes. And the plot is absolutely NOTHING like Resident Evil. The only thing they have in common is that they're both traditional survival horror games.

Silent Hill still gives me a creepy vibe, but the sequel straight up scares the shit out of me. Silent Hill 2 gave me actual nightmares when I first played it, and they lasted for weeks...I'm not even exaggerating. I swear that game unnerved me more than than book I'd ever read or movie I'd ever seen.

The ambient industrial music, the static from the radio, the grainy filter, dramatic camera angles and claustrophobic locales, the 'other world'...that game is a work of art.

[izarate]

I remember the fetus shaped walking shadows at the school. That part were you have to open the school tower couldn't end fast enough.

That and Pyramid head.

[mobiusclimber]

Silent Hill still gives me a creepy vibe, but the sequel straight up scares the shit out of me. Silent Hill 2 gave me actual nightmares when I first played it, and they lasted for weeks...I'm not even exaggerating. I swear that game unnerved me more than than book I'd ever read or movie I'd ever seen.

The ambient industrial music, the static from the radio, the grainy filter, dramatic camera angles and claustrophobic locales, the 'other world'...that game is a work of art.

Definitely agree, SH2 is the scariest of the series, and is one of the scariest ANYTHINGS ever. Or rather, it's not even about being "scared" as it is about being unnerved and totally freaked out. Angela is probably what does it for me. Her last lines to Harry just send chills every time I even think about it.

[The 1 2 P]

Silent Hill is one of my favorite PS1 games and also one of the creepiest games ever. Like others have already said, it's not about "jumping out of a closet" or "boo" scare tactics. It's all about the creepy ass atmosphere where you can't see anything more than two feet in front of you and you have no idea whats about to attack you or where it's going to attack from.

I played thru the Japanese import version of this game because I didn't have a US version yet. Although I absolutly loved it, it absolutly creeped thd hell out of me. It is a very disturbing game but I mean that in a good way. Having said that, I could see how someone could come away as not being scared of this game. At my age no games or movies scare me anymore(not since that clown pulled that little boy under the bed in Poltergist). But like I said earlier, the Silent Hill series is more about it's disturbing/creepy atmosphere that tends to mess with your mind so much that you start seeing things that aren't even there.

If you want to play a real scary game, go get ET for the Atari 2600. It's absolutly frightening that game ever got released to the general public.

[Steven]

Game creeped me out (and satisfied to no ends as well) 11 years ago when I first played it as a young teenager. I think it certainly helps to have played it when it first came out before you heard all the massive hype and whatnot.

The fog, radio and uneasiness of it all was rather unnerving.

[YoshiM]

I'll chime in as well about the game being creepy, not so much scary. Only thing that made everyone in the room jump wasn't some inside-out dog that attacked but in the school were these little black phantoms of toddlers walking about. No one noticed it until it "squeaked" and everyone hollered out and hopped an inch from the seat of their chairs.

It's always been psychological. The second game got into your head (though I never got far into it-was a rental) but I'm not sure about the others. Shattered Memories, while not scary, REALLY gets into your head because it does a pseudo psyche profile on you throughout the game and gets the heart pumping when you have to flee the monsters as you can't fight. I can so totally see how characters in a horror movie can find themselves running in circles only to end up back at the danger.

[Rogue]

So you're hoping for something that scares you and you're not enjoying the game.
You are actually trying to challenge yourself, not the game.
Don't play it waiting for something. Just play it.

I've never heard that the opening video was scary. It's not. The monsters are not "scary". It's the surprise, not the monsters.
For me when that damn radio starts to noise I become affraid of something. For my character.

I remember being scared in Duke Nukem 3D. When you enter some place and a monster groans behind you. That's scary. I don't wanna lose HP.
Also, in many Tomb Raider games, when some animal appears from nowhere. Same feeling.

Do what someone said. Play at night with a good sound. It's a good game.

[Slate]

I only played one Silent Hill game, The one on 360. Come to think of it, It didn't scare me exactly but it felt like I was playing someone's nightmare. I've had nightmares similar to silent hill and I don't need reminded of them, Especially not the ones about graveyards.

Austin

[skaar]

It's like japanese horror. It's about building tension and atmosphere more than "OMG GORY" horror.

I got totally creeped out once I started the school bit.

[Zing]

I was pleasantly surprised at how many replies this received. I expected maybe two. Anyway, I am happy to see that my impression is just due to not being very far into the game. As I said, I have only played for a couple hours and am not even at the school yet.

I guess I was just expecting a more intense, high-level form of horror. The daughter disappearing and the following chase after her represented that. Then I run into "zombies with knives" in the alley and I felt let down. Since then I have been running/creeping around avoiding/shooting bats and dogs while being presented with artificial path blocking in the form of destroyed roads.

I guess it just felt more "gamey" than I expected. I wonder if watching the initial scenes for Heavy Rain raised my expectations.

And no, I never said the game "sucks" and likely never will. I am going to have a lot of time in the house alone tonight so I will load this game up and see where it takes me.

Thank you all for your comments!

[Zing]

I'll chime in as well about the game being creepy, not so much scary.

It's always been psychological.

This is what I was hoping for from this game. I am relieved that the game isn't about "jump" scares like Resident Evil. I guess I just haven't reached that part of the game. It looks like the school is the turning point?

[Steven]

You know in the beginning those garage doors in that alley with the rabid dogs early on? It helps that I know a neighborhood that looks just like that alley. It was therefore very easy for me to "feel" the game right away... as I could imagine what it'd be like to be Harry since I knew that "place" very well in my mind.

And yes, the school is where the game hits its stride.

[mobiusclimber]

I think it happens before you get to the school, but I don't want to spoil it.

[duffmanth]

I think the reason you're not finding Silent Hill very scary is maybe because of the limitations of PS1 when it comes to producing realistic graphics, sound effects, and the just overall atmosphere. I never found Silent Hill overly scary when I played it. However when I played Silent Hill 2, 3, 4, Origins, and Homecoming, I found them to be creepier games simply because the graphics, sound effects, and everything in general was more realistic.

[Haoie]

Maybe you'd like Clock Tower more?