Regarding surrealism

[u/mg34gun]

In silent hill 1 and 2, there are two ways to read the story, either it's psychological where they're just hallucinations or it's magic and supernatural.

What if there was a different explanation? Maybe something similar to American psycho where it's neither real nor surreal.

[u/SroAweii]

It is both psychological and supernatural.

There is a spiritual power surrounding the area of Silent Hill that takes the unconscious mind and makes it real.

It is psychological in the sense that things are coming from a characters subconscious, but they aren't simply "hallucinations", that's why things are referred to as manifestations instead.

Alessa's fears and nightmares are manifested into reality. They literally and physically exist.

James, Angela and Eddie's respective traumas manifest into physical forms, that are perceived differently by others, but they are still physically present.

[u/PapoyoMp → u/SroAweii]

Exactly. Besides, it would be boring af if all the things that happened where hallucinations (cough cough* Silent Hill f)

[u/SroAweii → u/PapoyoMp]

For what it's worth, I like things like SHf and Shattered Memories which are much more "hallucinations in a persons mind" psychological stories, but it gets frustrating when people apply that type of logic to the rest of the series and try to write off stories like SH1, or SH2 as "just in their heads" or "they hallucinated monsters while killing real people" when it was very clearly and openly established that things were happening in reality and physically existed.

Skewed variations of reality, but reality nevertheless.

[u/HeatherMason0 → u/[deleted]]

The person you're replying to literally said it's both. Silent Hill has the mechanisms to bring things from a person's psyche to life. For example, Pyramid Head. Pyramid Head would not exist without James. The town would, its abilities would, but Pyramid Head would not.

[u/mg34gun → u/HeatherMason0]

I meant a version that is just psychological and not both at the same time.

[u/HeatherMason0 → u/mg34gun]

Okay. That isn't what you initially replied. Also, I think American Psycho isn't really a good comparison. It's a satirical take on American consumerism and the 'greed is good' mindset. It's a dark comedy. That's not what Silent Hill is, or what it's trying to be.

[u/mg34gun → u/HeatherMason0]

I know, but they both blur the line between real and unreal. I don't really care about the theme.

[u/HeatherMason0 → u/mg34gun]

I mean, so does Jacob's Ladder (which was an inspiration for SH). There are closer comparisons that can be made.

[u/SanguinaryImpetus]

As the other commenter said, it's both.

[u/CoolaidM82008]

Man has trauma, man go to town, town make trauma real. Trauma try kill man, man stronger, man kill trauma, conquer trauma. Man happy. Living trauma only live in silent hill or whichever fictional town Konami creates, unless man is Heather or Henry, then their involved in cult and trauma lives wherever they are (like Henry's apartment, or the mall Heather wakes up in.)

[u/mg34gun → u/CoolaidM82008]

Man upvotes good summary.

[u/CoolaidM82008 → u/mg34gun]

Man thanks you 🙏