An article about the history of the town of Silent Hill, in which the events of the video game series of the same name from Konami unfold. The first part of the article analyzes the history of the town, starting from the times when the town itself was not yet in sight, and the territory was inhabited by the indigenous inhabitants of North America - the Indians
Silent Hill is a small resort town located in the northeastern United States - in Maine. The main directions of development of the city were tourism and agro-industry, while the population of Silent Hill at the time of the events of the first part was about 30,000 inhabitants. But, unlike large tourist centers, Silent Hill is not at all bustling with life - the city is surrounded by a mountain range (“gorgeous mountain landscape” - tourist brochure from Silent Hill 2/3) and forest, which creates the impression of the city being cut off from the rest of the world. The Silent Hill seems to have distanced itself from the outside world and continues to live in its own special world, where time has stopped, where time no longer has power over the mind and a person can, forgetting about everything in the world, plunge into memories and dreams (truly, these are the cornerstones of the Silent Hill, which in the city can exist forever, and, contrary to the well-known saying, they are never erased by the passage of time). Although, if time no longer matters, then how to distinguish between a memory and a dream? Introversion, absorption in thought - this is the main characteristic of the atmosphere of Silent Hill. In this city, the outside world loses its power over a person, allowing him to immerse himself in the inner world. A truly philosophical place. People come here in search of solitude and peace. However, despite the frequent advertising of Silent Hill on the radio, the city is still not very popular among tourists - apparently, not everyone wants peace (fans active rest now there are much more than philosophizing maniacs and other lovers of reflection).
The general mood of the city is in some way influenced by the climate of the area - there are almost no sunny days in Silent Hill (“I hear that it’s almost never sunny in Silent Hill,” Henry Townsend says about the city in Silent Hill 4: The Room) - this emphasizes general nostalgic atmosphere, and frequent rains (diary on the roof of Brookhaven from Silent Hill 2: “Rain. Stared out the window all day. Peaceful here - nothing to do. Still not allowed to go outside. May 10. Still raining. Talked with the doctor a little. … May 11. Rain again. … May 12. Rain as usual...”) is an indispensable attribute of aesthetically beautiful melancholy, a companion of reflection. And when the fog intensifies in the city, and the line between reality and sleep disappears, strange things happen...
The meaning of the city name
Until the 17th century, when the territory where Silent Hill would later be founded was inhabited by the indigenous people of America (Indians), they revered this place as the “Sacred Lands” and performed here rituals of communication with the spirits of deceased brothers, who, according to the beliefs of the Indians, even after death continued to exist on the sacred land - in stones, in trees, in water... One might think that these lands seemed to attract the souls of the dead, absorbing them into themselves... And for this reason, the indigenous people called this territory the “Place of Silent Spirits” (“Place” of the Silent Spirits"). When colonizers subsequently invade the sacred lands and build a city here, they will call it "Silent Hill", which is a derivative of the old Indian name for the land, and also alludes to the mountainous and hilly terrain in which SILENT HILL is located.
Silent Hill... This name inspires peace and tranquility, but there is also something frightening and lifeless in it. “Silent Hill” is primarily associated with a grave, where eternal peace and silence reign, which will never be disturbed by the voices of the living... And, indeed, this city is founded on land where, according to legend, the spirits of dead people lived.
Toluca Lake
Toluca Lake is perhaps one of the main attractions of Silent Hill. They say that you can watch the fire for a long time: a riot of colors, every second bizarre changes in shape, constant movement, life... Then the lake, undoubtedly, is the direct opposite of this life: calm tones, constancy and immobility. Toluca blends very harmoniously with the atmosphere of Silent Hill and instills a feeling of peace (yes, “peace” is indeed the central association with the lake, and with Silent Hill too - by the way, it evokes associations with Buddhist teachings), making you forget about the passage of time... Perhaps , the lake really represents renunciation from the world (again, remember Buddhism) and... death? Sad and wonderful at the same time. In Silent Hill 4: The Room 4, Henry Townsend, who was struck by the beauty and tranquility of the landscape (“the beauty and tranquility of the trees and lake there”), says about Toluca: “It's Toluca lake in Silent Hill... It's beautiful... But also sad somehow..."
Well, despite the fact that the lake doesn’t evoke particularly optimistic thoughts (especially considering the not particularly sunny weather in Silent Hill), and it’s not conducive to fun, you can still contemplate such beauty endlessly... That’s how James Sunderland and his wife Mary spent the whole day at Lake Toluca, enjoying the aesthetic experience of contemplating the stillness of the water surface: “Our 'special place'... What could Silent Hille mean? This whole town was our special place. Does Silent Hill mean the park on the lake? We spent the whole day there. Just the two of us, staring at the water,” James recalls.
Toluca is located in the center of Silent Hill, dividing it into 2 parts: northern and southern (more precisely, into 3 parts: northwestern, northeastern and southern), in the middle of the lake there is a small island on which a small church was built by city believers - yes, this is indeed an excellent place for solitude and detachment from the material world, immersion in the spiritual world and the revival of memories (remember the Rebirth ending of SILENT HILL2).
Several incidents are also associated with Lake Toluca - for example, in the 19th century the bodies of those who died from a mysterious plague were dumped there, in 1918. a ship called the “Little Baroness” disappeared on the lake, and in 1939 even stranger things happened... Of course, such events gave rise to many rumors and speculations - for example, that at the bottom of Lake Toluca there are dead people who, with their bony hands, drag boats to the bottom of the lake . However, don’t pay attention - these are just meaningless stories, right? ;)
It should also be noted that Toluca is shrouded in a strange fog - but sometimes this fog intensifies, and strange events begin to occur throughout the city. What is the reason for the mysterious fog concentrated on the lake? Special climatic conditions, evaporation of the hallucinogenic herb “White Claudia” growing near lake water, or the embodiment of the psychic energy of the dead? (“The mist is a symbol of Silent Hill. It can also be interpreted as the thoughts of the dead rising up from the lake and settling over the town” - LM hints that the mist may well be a manifestation of the thoughts of dead people) Only Silent Hill knows the answer to this question...
Meaning of the name: Apparently, "Toluca" is an Indian word, but the developers themselves did not provide any comments regarding its meaning. However, it is quite curious that in Mexico there is a real city called “Toluca”, and on one of the sites for tourists you can find out that the name of the city “Toluca” comes from the word “Tollocan”, distorted by the Spaniards, which is in the Nahuatl language (which in turn developed from the Aztec language) means "Place of the God Tollo" or "Where God Tollo (the bowed of the head) lays."
History of Silent Hill
Until the 17th century, the territory of Silent Hill was a swamp area (“The ****ers of land surroun**** **is monument was originally swamp”), inhabited by the indigenous inhabitants of America - the Indians.
They called Silent Hill the Abode of the Silent Spirits (“The Place of the Silent Spirits”) and revered it as a sacred place (“This whole area used to be a sacred place”). Sacred sacrifice rituals characteristic of the Mayan and Aztec Indians were also carried out here. As we see, the religion of this region has always been influenced by other beliefs, and even rituals were borrowed from the traditions of the Aztecs - later such religious metamorphoses will continue with the arrival of representatives of other religions to these lands, the introduction of other traditions.
Why did Silent Hill become a holy place?
The Indians believed that in Silent Hill they could communicate with the spirits of their ancestors. What could have caused such a strange belief? As we remember, an extremely rare representative of the flora grows in Silent Hill, which is a distinctive feature of the area - the hallucinogenic White Claudia (the hallucinogenic effect of BC played a key role in ancient rituals - “Ancient records show it was used for religious Ceremonies. The hallucinogenic effect was key" ). We might think that, under the influence of a strong hallucinogenic drug, peace pipe lovers really believed that they were communicating with the spirits of their ancestors...
Why did the Indians believe that they were communicating with their dead ancestors?
Naturally, after using White Claudia, the Indians who conducted the “spiritualistic seance” saw elements of their subconscious (just as in a dream we see elements of the subconscious), including images from their memories. Aren't the images of deceased parents and loved ones stored away in memory? For this reason, the Indians in their dreams saw images of the people they missed so much. Although, given that White Claudia allows a person to perceive “another world,” we can also think that after Klavka’s joint, the Indians could perceive the thoughts and feelings of dead people.
So, having discovered the wonderful features of Silent Hill, Native Americans began to often conduct “experiments” with the hallucinogen - soon they formed the belief that Gods live in Silent Hill (“This town, Silent Hill.... The Old Gods haven't left this place...” - says James about the ancient Indian Gods).
What Gods did the Indians believe in?
The main God of the Indians was the Sun... The luminary, which every day “dies” in the evening and is “reborn” in the morning, made a great impression on the indigenous people of America and they even came up with a special symbol for it - a red circle, personifying the radiance of the divine Sun and its daily cycle of Revivals.
In addition to the almighty Sun, there were two more deities - the red pyramidal God Xuchilpaba (over time, the pronunciation will become “Kzuchilbara”) and the yellow god Lobsel Vis.
“The names of the gods have Mayan and Aztec motifs. As for the strange pronunciations, they are completely original" - Lost Memories. In fact, this can be interpreted in two ways: either the names of the Gods Xuchilbara and Lobsel Vis came to the “Abode of Silent Spirits” from the cultures of the Mayan and Aztec Indians, but changed beyond recognition (history knows many such examples), or these names were invented by the Indians who lived in "The Place of the Silent Spirits", but their language had some phonetic similarities with the language of the Mayans/Aztecs - therefore the names of the Gods are pronounced in pronunciation similar to the language of the above-mentioned tribes.
Soon, when the belief in the existence of Gods was firmly rooted in the consciousness of the indigenous people of America, already in the minds of many people the concept of “God” began to be closely associated with the generally accepted traditional ideas about Xuchilbar, Lobsel Vis, etc. - i.e. This is how these “Gods”, figuratively speaking, passed from one subconscious to another.
Soon, from the Aztec traditions, methods of showing special honor to the Gods came to Silent Hill - human sacrifices, in particular burning and bloodletting. Apparently, new qualities began to be attributed to the Gods - in particular, a thirst for human sacrifices - and believers began to please the Gods with sacrifices. To show respect to each God there was special kind sacrifices.
What is the reason for the cruelty of rituals?
It was believed that God was pleased with human sacrifices (by the way, becoming a victim was very honorable) - human deaths. This means that God must like death. Death is invariably accompanied by suffering of the victim. Therefore, the more suffering a martyr sacrifices to God experiences, the more God will be pleased and the more he will contribute to harvests, rains, etc. An example is the traditions of the Mayan Indians, who used human sacrifice to establish a connection with the world of spirits (which means that if the indigenous inhabitants of Silent Hill were influenced by the Mayan culture, then in their spiritualistic sessions they could also use not only narcotic drugs, but and bloody sacrifices!).
So, from similar beliefs, the indigenous inhabitants of the “Abode of Silent Spirits” began to gradually introduce into the sacred rituals of spiritualistic sessions of communication with the spirits of ancestors and Gods, elements of sacrifice and outright sadism (and the victims considered their role honorable - that’s religious masochism). Accordingly, both the role of the victim and the role of the executioner were considered sacred. Subsequently, these Indian ritual traditions will be reflected in the teachings of the cult (“Which do you prefer? To give pain or to receive it?”) and will lead to the division of the cult into the “yellow” sect (for educating potential martyrs) and the “red” (for educating executioners) sect.
The suffering experienced by the victim of a religious ceremony also played another role. After all, according to the concept of Silent Hill, human feelings have a certain energy (negative mental energy is especially strong negative emotions) and with the murder of the victim, this force remained concentrated in the place where the ritual was held, feeding the city with mysterious power... The Silent Hill gradually absorbed human emotions, like some kind of spiritual sponge.
Nahkeehona
Nahkeehona is huge ancient stone, located in the wilds of the forest. Considering that the indigenous people believed that spirits inhabit nature and live in trees, animals, stones, it can be assumed that they believed in the existence of a very strong spirit inside the stone - God (which of several Gods is unknown - it is possible that the people believed in finding all the Gods inside one sacred stone). Therefore, the stone was considered sacred and was even given the name “Nahkeehona” (correctly pronounced “Nah-keehona”).
In the old days, it was in this place (a forest near Toluca Lake, near the Nahkeehona stone) that the Indians performed rituals to communicate with their departed ancestors. Subsequently, when the Indians are expelled from their rightful lands and the cult of “the Order” reigns in the city, members of this religious organization will build a Wish House shelter next to the sacred Indian cobblestone, the stone will be renamed “Mother stone” and will begin to spend time near it their mysterious rituals.
Such fun with “peace pipes” and sacrifices to Kzuchilpabe, Lobsel Vis (as well as other gods) continued until the 17th century...
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
The article is based on materials from the Silent Hill Plot Analysis guide, the latest version of which you can find.
Before the 1600s "The Place of the Silent Spirits."
Until the 17th century, the territory of Silent Hill (in those days it was a swamp area - “The ****ers of land surroun**** **is monument was originally swamp”) was inhabited by the indigenous inhabitants of America - the Indians. They called Silent Hill “The Place of the Silent Spirits” and considered it a sacred place (“This whole area used to be a sacred place. I think I can see why.” says Mary). Sacred sacrifice rituals characteristic of the Aztecs were also carried out here. Those. , as we see, the religion of this region has always been influenced by other beliefs, and even rituals were borrowed from the traditions of the Aztecs - later such religious metamorphoses will continue with the arrival of representatives of other beliefs to these lands, the introduction of other traditions
Late 17th century. “Then a lot of new people came in”
1607 - the beginning of the colonization of North America
1670 — Rene de la Salle (France) explores the Great Lakes.
The end of the 17th century - the first potential “settlers” come to “The Place of the Silent Spirits”. I think from georaph. location (Great Lakes) and the date of settlement of Silent Hill (late 17th century), it becomes clear that the French were the first to populate Silent Hill (there is also a hint that the first settlers had a different nationality in Lost Memories: "But it was not the ancestors of those who now live in this town that first stole the land from these people. There were others who came before."). The colonizers settled in the north of Toluca Lake (the “Old Silent Hill” area was the first to be populated - obviously from the name of the area), began to build a city there, even gave it a name (“In those days, this town went by another name.”) , which would later be forever lost to historians (the Indians did not remember the unpronounceable French name).
All this time, the indigenous population continued to perform rituals in the forests to the south of the lake - a conflict began to brew between the neighbors.
1712-1716 - a period of active resistance of Indian tribes in the Great Lakes region, a war between the indigenous population of America and the French colonialists (it is known how it ended for the indigenous population).
1810 — Silent Hill Prison was built.
19th century, “Plague” epidemic.
1850 - opening of the mine. “There was a HOLE here...”
Coal deposits were discovered in Silent Hill, and the Wiltse Coal Mine was opened to extract this resource, a photograph of which can be seen in SHHS - this led to the revitalization of the city, Silent Hill actually became a small mining town - it is quite interesting that it is in such towns that religious communities most often arise sects From early morning, workers are plunged into the dark world of a coal mine - an underground world where there is no place for sunlight and the main thing that supports people in the mines (well, of course, I don’t take into account mining fans, for whom the process of coal mining itself is a little is it not an end in itself) - this is the hope of returning home soon, the belief that at the end of the working day they will see the light again (in the 19th century the working day was longer, and the work was harder, because there was no technical base necessary for normal working conditions) . The end of the working day, people take the elevator up from the mine, they finally see the long-awaited light at the end of the tunnel (yes, Henry Townsend crawled along the pipe to freedom in about the same way - however, there was a mistake =) - crawled into the subconscious world of W. Sullivan ). But the next day everything repeats itself again - again you have to go down into the mine - and so on day after day, the life of 19th century miners turns into a hopeless nightmare (and there were children among them!) - and what can support the Stakhanovites in such cases ? Again, faith and hope for the best - respectively. there is an increase in the need for religion, and where there is demand, there is supply - Christian churches are being built, in addition, a gradual revival of the religion of the Indians who previously lived on the territory of Silent Hill begins, perhaps even tiny associations of fans of Indian beliefs are appearing (but this is not a cult yet!!) , the original Silent Hill religion begins to mix with other religious movements.
American Civil War 1861-1865
1861 - the beginning of the civil war between the north and south of the United States.
“In the beginning, people had nothing. Their bodies ached, and their hearts held nothing but hatred. They fought endlessly, but death never came. They are despaired, stuck in the eternal quagmire."
The war engulfed Silent Hill, which led to contradictions in the city and a split of the population into two parts (“The town is drawn into the Civil War that divided the nation in two” - LM).
Patrick Chester takes part in the war - perhaps even on opposite sides of the barricades with his father, Edward Chester.
1862 - a camp for prisoners of war “Toluca Prison Camp” was built
1865 Creation of a religious cult.
1866 Toluca Prison. "Misty day, remains of the Judgment"
In 1866 (after the end of the Civil War), the Toluca Prison Camp was converted into the Toluca Prison. The cult has a great influence on the prison - incl. there, new ritual clothing for executioners is introduced, duplicating the image of the saints of the cult - a robe and a red robe. To prevent Christians from being offended, a slit is made in the robes in the shape of a Christian cross (see the picture in the Toluca prison - the left one of the three).
In prison, brutal reprisals are carried out against criminals (and not only) - from “Please someone save me”, “Dead men, dead men”, “I do not wish to die” and “Death upon the head of sinner” we understand that often by mistake, and sometimes just for fun (“They are bloodthirsty and I am their sacrificial lamb!”) innocent people were executed. Moreover, the condemned were even given freedom of choice - they could choose their own death, the range is as follows:
-In the prison yard there is a gallows (13 steps - in the last moments of your life you will begin to pay attention to such little things...) - always at your service =) . “There is a hemp rope, so why do you need another?!”
- Impalement is an EXTREMELY pleasant and healthy procedure - it straightens your posture perfectly =) In the Toluca prison you can see a picture (the middle of the three) depicting sinners impaled on the branches of a dried tree.
Now executions are also of a ritual nature - the corpses of sinners were tied to metal frames and hung for illustrative purposes (see the painting “Misty day, remains of the Judgment”).
White and Red banquets for the Gods are held (see the painting “Crimson and White Banquet for Gods” - in the painting there are two executioners with a bucket of blood - apparently, the execution of criminals has become more reminiscent of Indian sacrifices, also see Part 2, paragraph 14-4 about ritual execution ).
Early 20th century. "We're happy to have you"
Over time, the cult gradually loses its position, the Wiltse Coal Mine is closed, the Toluca prison is also closed... Without radical economic changes, the city will no longer survive. And then the reconstruction of Silent Hill into a resort begins. The cult was not happy with such an event - “Before the resort, there wasn’t really anything else out here. Everyone was so flipped out. Gotta blame it on something. Then a lot of new people came in and everyone clammed up about it.” says Lisa Garland. Hotels are opening in the city, SHHS, the prison is being rebuilt as historical Museum, the Old Silent Hill area, abandoned in the 18th century, is being repopulated, Business Disrict is being developed.
1918 and 1938, Events on Toluca Lake.
As we remember, the bodies of people who were sucked into subconscious worlds and died from a “mysterious plague” were thrown directly into the lake (Jennifer Carroll’s body was also thrown there). But. if a person’s consciousness goes deep into his world and can exist there forever, then with the death of the physical body, the subconscious world and thoughts of a person do not disappear, but still exist in the form of a psyche. energy. Now just imagine what kind of energy has accumulated at the bottom of Lake Toluca, if all the “plague victims” were dumped there (“Many corpses rest at the bottom of this lake.”) - and this energy can influence people, drag them into the subconscious worlds, and This transition occurs especially easily when visibility deteriorates - and Toluca is shrouded in fog.
That's how it was in 1918. all the people who were on the ship "the Little Baroness" ended up in someone's subconscious world (just like Cynthia, Jasper Gein, Braintree in Silent Hill 4: The Room ended up in Walter's world), and in 1939. a similar incident occurred. Since then, there have been rumors around the city that the dead live in the lake and drag boats to the bottom of the lake, which, in general, is not far from the truth =) (“Many corpses rest at the bottom of this lake. Their bony hands reach up towards the boats that pass overhead. Perhaps they reach for their comrades. ")
After these events, the city's reputation suffered greatly.
What comes to mind when you think of the name Silent Hill? Of course, the computer game or film of the same name. But, probably, few of us know that there really is a city on the map of the United States, under the ground of which a fire has been going on for 47 years.
The fire near Centralia, Pennsylvania began in 1962. What’s most interesting is that it happened due to the fault of volunteer firefighters who simply decided to burn garbage in an abandoned coal mine. It turned out that in the vicinity of Central, as well as in the mine itself, a huge amount of anthracite deposits remained. According to scientists, this goodness will burn for another 250 years.
The city authorities did not pay attention to the fire for 17 years, despite numerous complaints from citizens. Officials woke up only in 1979, when the mayor of Central was personally confronted with the problem. He owned a gas station, and the temperature of gasoline in underground tanks reached 80 degrees Celsius. The problem received widespread publicity in 1981, when a 12-year-old boy almost died. The teenager was playing carefree in the courtyard of his own house when a huge hole 50 meters deep opened up under his feet. The boy was ultimately not injured, but after the incident the authorities decided to urgently evacuate local residents.
Currently there are 9 people living in Centralia. They simply did not want to leave their beloved city.
Centralia is a small mining town in Pennsylvania. In 1981 it was home to a thousand people. In 2007, there were only 9 of them left. What made the population of this small town leave forever?
Not only the restless soul of the deceased, but also an entire city can become a ghost. Until recently, the town of Centralia flourished, but today ash falls from the sky here all year round, and the air is poisoned.
The American state of Pennsylvania has always been famous for its industry, including coal mining: the coal reserves on its territory will be enough for several future generations. In the 19th century, the town of Centralia arose on one of the most famous natural deposits of anthracite in the state. In 1841, in a township, a small village called Roaring Creek ("Roaring Creek"), a certain Jonathan Faust opened the Bull's Head Tavern. We can say that he laid the first stone of Centralia, although he hardly suspected that within 13 years a real city would grow from a modest village.
Meanwhile, this is what happened. In 1854, the large mining corporation Locust Mountain Coal and Iron Company decided to take over the territory and sent mining civil engineer Alexander Rea there. He designed the streets of the settlement and named his creation Centerville. However, it turned out that there is already a town with that name in Pennsylvania, and so as not to confuse postal service, in 1865 the village was renamed Centralia. A year later, the town received the status of a city, in which schools, hospitals, churches, hotels, shops, theaters, bars, a post office and a bank appeared.
Coal mining provided two thousand people with monetary work; their lives proceeded calmly and without incident until a high-profile crime occurred on October 17, 1868 - Alexander Ria was killed on the way out of the city. It was rumored that the murder was contracted and related to the activities of the Molly Maguires secret society, which, apparently, was not satisfied with the death of the city’s founder alone, and several more murders and arson occurred in subsequent years.
CLEANING WITH CONSEQUENCES
After a series of lawlessness, peace and tranquility came to the town, as if Centralia had exhausted its entire supply of negativity. But, as it turned out, the real nightmare was yet to come. And while life went on as usual, people were still engaged in coal mining.
Of course, over the entire century of the city's existence, mountains of garbage have accumulated. Industrial and domestic waste that was dumped into an old mine next to Odd Fellows Cemetery had to be disposed of. And in 1962, there was just a reason: Memorial Day was approaching - a US national holiday dedicated to American soldiers who died in wars and armed conflicts. For qualified garbage collection, the government of Centralia hired five firefighters. They acted according to an already proven plan - set fire to the waste, wait until it burns out, and then extinguish it. Careless firefighters, to put it mildly, did not do their job very well: the garbage continued to smolder until it ignited the coal in the mines.
In any case, that's what the official version says. According to another, set out in the book “The Day the Earth Opened Up: A Tragedy of National Significance” by Joan Quigley, the cause of the fire could well have been a cigarette butt thrown out by one of the drivers passing by. However, what accuracy do you need to have in order to accurately throw the “bull” into the mine! Moreover, so that it does not go out in flight or when it hits walls and thrown objects (after all, there were not only leaves and paper there).
Throughout the 60-70s, the fire, despite all efforts to extinguish it, continued. Abundance of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide seriously affected the health of local residents, and the lack of oxygen led to illness. They tried to put out the fire, but all attempts failed - the local disaster turned out to be too large-scale. True, according to some eyewitnesses, if they dug the trench near the Odd Fellows cemetery more intensively and did not shirk work during the holidays, the fire could have been dealt with.
GEHENNA OF FIRE
Residents began to leave the city in May 1969, but many still held out faint hopes for a favorable outcome. The mines continued to smoke, and for a decade the townspeople carefully pretended that nothing terrible was happening. We learned by chance that Centralia was on the verge of disaster. The owner of one of the gas stations, John Coddington, decided to check the level of gasoline in underground tanks and lowered the dipstick inside. When he took it out, the dipstick seemed very hot.
Out of curiosity, John measured the temperature - the thermometer showed almost 80 ° C! The news quickly spread throughout the area, and the residents finally realized that they were living on the lid of a boiling underground cauldron.
The city hall was forced to admit that it was unable to control the situation. And the incident that occurred two years later attracted the attention of the entire country to the disaster. On February 14, 1981, under the feet of 12-year-old Todd Domboski, who was playing in his yard, the ground literally opened up - a hole about 45 meters deep appeared. The boy almost fell there, but managed to grab the roots of a tree, and his cousin came to the rescue in time and pulled Todd out.
A few years after this incident, the US Congress allocated $42 million to Centralia to resettle residents to other cities. Most citizens took up the offer, but several families refused, despite government warnings. Then in 1992, the state's governor, Robert Casey, demanded that the government forcibly deprive residents of their property and force them to move, given the increased danger.
The townspeople tried to appeal this decision in court: they suspected that they were being resettled in order to have the opportunity to mine anthracite, large reserves of which are stored under the lower part of the city. Officials argued that the Pennsylvania government never had coal mining rights and that no mining company operates in the area. The court sided with the governor.
In 2002, Centralia's ZIP code 17927 disappeared from the registry. Route 61, which led to the city, was bypassed, and the settlement was removed from all maps of Pennsylvania and the United States. They stopped fighting the fire - it turned out to be a waste of money.
Some residents will return to the city in 2016 to open a time capsule that was planted in 1966 near the Veterans Memorial.
BEYOND POPULATION
By 2010, only five houses remained in Centralia - all the rest were demolished. Now several people live here, among whom is the mayor of the city and a hereditary miner. They flatly refuse to leave their beloved city. Even despite the fact that the underground fire will still burn, according to various estimates, from 250 to 1000 years. Every day the asphalt becomes covered with new cracks, holes in the ground have long become the norm, and the air is poisoned.
Thick smoke constantly pours from the ground, ash can fall from the sky at any moment, and the four surrounding cemeteries have become the most “densely populated” areas. What could be worse?
Only ghosts frightening tourists. Since the disaster occurred, and news of it spread across the states, many adventurers and lovers of abandoned places have rushed to Centralia. Some were simply interested in walking along the deserted streets, taking photographs, absorbing the strange atmosphere of hopelessness and forgetting about the trip after a couple of years, others were “lucky” to remember it for the rest of their lives.
Sometimes tourists hear strange sounds, feel as if they are being watched, or feel as if a figure has flashed around the corner. Imagination knows how to play evil tricks on its masters, but some cases when several people witnessed a paranormal phenomenon at once really deserve attention.
For example, in 1998, Ruth Adderson and a friend visited Centralia. They swore that they saw two men in miner's helmets appear from the haze not far from the cemetery. It was as if they had come out of a huge hole behind the graves, walked around a bit, and then disappeared. It is unlikely that the frightened young people thought that these could not be ghosts, but a couple of local residents who were difficult to see in the smoke. That same year, Scott Saylor and two friends decided to go sightseeing in Centralia. Finding nothing interesting in the city, they went to the cemetery. The guys stopped at a hill from which smoke was pouring out. While examining the local flora, they were taken by surprise by a strange voice coming from underground. The first time they couldn’t make out the words, but the second time they heard “Get out of here” quite clearly.
The hill began to smoke much more and smelled like rotten eggs. Frightened friends ran to the car, and rushed after them: “Why? Why did you do this? There were no people or cars visible in the area. When Scott arrived home and looked at the map, he learned that they were near the site of the fire.
Finally, the third story really makes you wonder about the existence of ghosts. In 1999, a young couple, Laurie and Jim, walked into one of the abandoned houses in Centralia. They adored such places and in their free time often explored abandoned villages and old cemeteries, not at all afraid of spirits in which they simply did not believe. In a three-story mansion, Jim and Laurie went up to the second floor and stood next to the stairs.
Suddenly wooden steps there was a creaking noise at the top. The young people decided that there was someone in the house, and curiously discussed when another tourist would come down to them. The steps approached, and now they had already reached the second floor, but suddenly they stopped as unexpectedly as they had appeared. Laurie looked up - there was no one there. Jim looked down, but the stairs to the first floor were also empty.
STOP, CUT!
It is not surprising that Centralia, known for such incidents, attracted the attention of the screenwriter of the horror film “Silent Hill” Roger Avery. The film was based on the video game of the same name. Silent Hill was a sensation back in the day and is still considered one of the best horror games. The virtual town of Silent Hill is somewhat different from Centralia. His story begins not with a tavern, but with an Indian settlement imbued with supernatural power. During colonization, most of the Indians were killed and Silent Hill was founded on the site of their village. As punishment for the blood of innocent victims, misfortunes rained down on the city. First, its inhabitants were devastated by a mysterious epidemic, then a penal colony was set up in the city, which turned into a prisoner of war camp during the Civil War. After the victory of the northerners, Silent Hill became a mining town, the prisoners were released, and the camp was turned into an ordinary prison.
Then control of the city was seized by sectarians who took refuge in the building old church, and Silent Hill itself was divided into two parts. The first, real one, was not much different from today’s Centralia: abandoned houses, quiet streets, empty roads. The other - the world of horrors - has become a haven for human nightmares and strange creatures hiding in the eternal fog.
The atmosphere and plot of the game were so well thought out that Hollywood took up the task of transferring them to the silver screen. Screenwriter Roger Avery accidentally came across a story about Centralia, went there and realized that this is exactly what the ghost town in the film should be like.
Instead of a story about the wrath of Indian gods, the script was based on real events, which led to the death of Centralia. Even air raid sirens and a church migrated into the film - Avery was so inspired by what he saw.
But what's next for the Pennsylvania town? Most likely, complete oblivion and despondency, occasionally disturbed by curious travelers - extreme sports enthusiasts. After the prosperous Centralia, due to criminal negligence, turned into a smoldering monument to human stupidity, only its most devoted inhabitants remain loyal to it - the ghosts of a past happy life.
However, apparently, it is not such - the heroes of the games encounter only “alternative” versions of the city: the “foggy” Silent Hill, which looks like an ordinary city, from where all the people suddenly and mysteriously disappeared, and the infernal “otherworldly” Silent Hill. The real city continues to live its own life and develop. It is a resort town and a relatively popular destination for tourist pilgrimages.
There are different versions of the origin of the alternative sides of Silent Hill. According to one of them, the alternative side is the result of the rituals of a certain closed magical order that controls the city and is obsessed with the idea of building Paradise on earth through the suffering of people. According to another, the city was influenced by Toluca Lake, a local landmark. Confirmation of this theory can be found in the second part of the game (Silent Hill 2: Restless dreams). It talks about how the inquisitors who carried out executions of witches washed their axes in the waters of the lake, and it became cursed. Subsequently, the fog from the lake, covering the city, “brought with it changes.”
Geography
Silent Hill is located on the shores of Toluca Lake, surrounded by mountains and forests and dividing the city in half into two parts - northern Paleville and southern South Vale. At the other end of the lake is the smaller town of Shepherd's Glen; the larger town of Brahms is beyond the mountains; further away is the large town of Ashfield. In addition, the real-life city of Portland (Maine) is relatively close to Silent Hill. From Ashfield, Silent Hill can be reached via County Road 73, which becomes Nathan Avenue; Similar unnamed highways lead to the northern part of Silent Hill from the north (Bachman Street) and the east (Midway Avenue).
Paleville is the older part of town; it includes old Silent Hill, business center city and resort area with an amusement park. Southern South Vale, built up during the 20th century, is an industrial area; It is home to attractions such as the Silent Hill Historical Society (a former Toluca prison turned museum), Rosewater Park, where victims of the epidemic are buried, and Brookhaven Hospital.
Thanks to the unique natural conditions The city is almost always exceptionally quiet and calm. Toluca Lake attracts fishermen and boaters.
Story
The first settlements in the Silent Hill area appeared at the beginning of the 17th century, during the development of New England by colonists who came from Great Britain. They displaced the indigenous inhabitants of these places - North American Indians, for whom the territory of Silent Hill was the sacred “Land of Silent Spirits”; however, Native American beliefs had a great influence on the early inhabitants of Silent Hill.
Around 1700, Silent Hill was severely damaged by a mysterious epidemic that also affected neighboring settlements, and was abandoned for decades, turning into a real ghost town. However, by the end of the XVIII - early XIX century the city was repopulated. In 1810, a federal prison and Brookhaven Hospital, which later became a clinic for the mentally ill, were founded in the city, which received the status of a penitentiary colony. The prison was closed around 1840 due to another epidemic, and the city experienced some decline, followed by an industrial boom when extensive coal deposits were discovered in the city area in the early 1850s; The opening of the Wilts mine attracted many workers to the city. Around this time, four Silenthill families left the city and founded the small town of Shepherd's Glen at the other end of the lake.
Around this time, a mystical sect known as the Order appeared in the city. In 1862, in connection with the American Civil War, a prisoner of war camp was created in the city, later transformed into the new Toluca prison, which existed until the beginning of the 20th century. After its closure and the depletion of coal deposits, the city was turned into a resort.
In the years 1900-1920, there were many cases of mysterious disappearances of people in the city; The closure of the prison was partly due to this. The most notorious episode was the disappearance of the pleasure yacht “Little Baroness” on Lake Toluca in 1918 - with its entire crew and passengers. The city authorities had to make great efforts to smooth out the impressions of these mysterious episodes and restore the good name of the city.
The action of all games in the series takes place in the last quarter of the 20th century and at the beginning of the 21st century, without precise reference to any dates. Before the start of the first Silent Hill, the city became the center of a drug trade involving the hallucinogenic drug PTV, produced from the local White Claudia plant. The production of PTV was in the hands of sectarians, and attempts by the authorities to investigate crimes related to it ended in nothing. It is not known exactly when the next games take place, but you can estimate based on these facts. It is absolutely certain that the third part takes place seventeen years after the events of the first part. In the fourth part, it is mentioned that Walter Sullivan was imprisoned and committed suicide ten years before the events of the game. And after reading the note in the “House of Wishes” shelter, it can be assumed that Alessa and Walter were about the same age. That is, Walter's murders could have occurred even during Harry Mason's visit to the city. This means that most likely the events of the fourth game take place before the events of the third. It is unknown when exactly the events of the second take place, before the first or after, but it is obvious that before the fourth, since in the game you can find a mention of Walter Sullivan in the newspaper.
Layers of reality in Silent Hill
A "real" city, inhabited by people and continuing to live a normal life, is not shown in any game in the series. However, there are characters living in it in games - for example, Laura in Silent Hill 2. They do not see those nightmarish images of the city that are presented to the protagonists of the games. On the other hand, in the ordinary world people would hardly allow Laura to run around the hotel, much less the hospital. In the movie Silent Hill, Thomas Gucci and Christopher DaSilva drive into town in a car. The city is empty, there are no monsters, no people, no fog. But moving around without respirators is dangerous, as you can be poisoned by the products of coal combustion under the city.
The “foggy” city, the image of which is approximately the same for all games in the series, looks like an abandoned city, abandoned by people. It is covered with a dense layer of fog, through which only the nearest buildings are visible; Most of the houses are boarded up, cars are parked on the streets, and the lights and water supply are not working. In Silent Hill, Silent Hill: Homecoming and Silent Hill: Origins, as well as the film "Silent Hill", the city is cut apart by strange bottomless holes, similar to traces of an earthquake. In addition to fog, in the first Silent Hill, snow falls from the sky (which surprises the characters, since the game does not take place in winter), and in the film Silent Hill and Silent Hill: Homecoming - ash.
Perception
Silent Hill took first place in the ranking of "The 7 Scariest Fictional Cities" according to Total DVD magazine. It is one of the most famous virtual cities, whose name has become a household name. The city is regarded as a direct participant in the events, a canvas on which the developers embodied non-verbal clues to understanding the narrative. Foggy, frightening and otherworldly, it does not repel people, but attracts and personifies dark power and negative psychoenergy.
see also
Write a review on the article "Silent Hill (city)"
Notes
Links
- (Konami Japan)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
An excerpt characterizing Silent Hill (city)
“If it’s difficult, please don’t,” said Berg. “I would really like it for Verushka.”“Oh, go to hell, all of you, to hell, to hell, to hell!” shouted the old count. - My head is spinning. - And he left the room.
The Countess began to cry.
- Yes, yes, mummy, very difficult times! - said Berg.
Natasha went out with her father and, as if having difficulty understanding something, first followed him, and then ran downstairs.
Petya stood on the porch, arming the people who were traveling from Moscow. Pawned carts still stood in the yard. Two of them were untied, and an officer, supported by an orderly, climbed onto one of them.
- Do you know why? - Petya asked Natasha (Natasha understood that Petya understood why his father and mother quarreled). She didn't answer.
“Because daddy wanted to give all the carts to the wounded,” said Petya. - Vasilich told me. In my opinion…
“In my opinion,” Natasha suddenly almost screamed, turning her embittered face to Petya, “in my opinion, this is such disgusting, such an abomination, such... I don’t know!” Are we some kind of Germans?.. - Her throat trembled with convulsive sobs, and she, afraid to weaken and release the charge of her anger in vain, turned and quickly rushed up the stairs. Berg sat next to the Countess and comforted her with kindred respect. The Count, pipe in hand, was walking around the room when Natasha, with a face disfigured by anger, burst into the room like a storm and quickly walked up to her mother.
- This is disgusting! This is an abomination! - she screamed. - It can’t be that you ordered.
Berg and the Countess looked at her in bewilderment and fear. The Count stopped at the window, listening.
- Mama, this is impossible; look what's in the yard! - she screamed. - They remain!..
- What happened to you? Who are they? What do you want?
- The wounded, that's who! This is impossible, mamma; this doesn’t look like anything... No, Mama, darling, this is not it, please forgive me, darling... Mama, what do we care about what we’re taking away, just look at what’s in the yard... Mama!.. This can’t be !..
The Count stood at the window and, without turning his face, listened to Natasha’s words. Suddenly he sniffed and brought his face closer to the window.
The Countess looked at her daughter, saw her face ashamed of her mother, saw her excitement, understood why her husband was now not looking back at her, and looked around her with a confused look.
- Oh, do as you want! Am I disturbing anyone? – she said, not yet suddenly giving up.
- Mama, my dear, forgive me!
But the countess pushed her daughter away and approached the count.
“Mon cher, you do the right thing... I don’t know that,” she said, lowering her eyes guiltily.
“Eggs... eggs teach a hen...” the count said through happy tears and hugged his wife, who was glad to hide her ashamed face on his chest.
- Daddy, mummy! Can I make arrangements? Is it possible?.. – Natasha asked. “We’ll still take everything we need…” Natasha said.
The Count nodded his head affirmatively at her, and Natasha, with the same quick run as she used to run into the burners, ran across the hall to the hallway and up the stairs to the courtyard.
People gathered around Natasha and until then could not believe the strange order that she conveyed, until the count himself, in the name of his wife, confirmed the order that all carts should be given to the wounded, and chests should be taken to storerooms. Having understood the order, people happily and busily set about the new task. Now not only did it not seem strange to the servants, but, on the contrary, it seemed that it could not be otherwise, just as a quarter of an hour before it not only did not seem strange to anyone that they were leaving the wounded and taking things, but it seemed that it couldn't be otherwise.
All the household, as if paying for the fact that they had not taken up this task earlier, busily began the new task of housing the wounded. The wounded crawled out of their rooms and surrounded the carts with joyful, pale faces. Rumors also spread in the neighboring houses that there were carts, and the wounded from other houses began to come to the Rostovs’ yard. Many of the wounded asked not to take off their things and only put them on top. But once the business of dumping things had begun, it could not stop. It didn't matter whether to leave everything or half. In the yard lay untidy chests with dishes, bronze, paintings, mirrors, which they had so carefully packed last night, and they kept looking for and finding an opportunity to put this and that and give away more and more carts.
“You can still take four,” said the manager, “I’m giving away my cart, otherwise where will they go?”
“Give me my dressing room,” said the countess. - Dunyasha will get into the carriage with me.
They also gave away a dressing cart and sent it to pick up the wounded two houses away. All the household and servants were cheerfully animated. Natasha was in an enthusiastically happy revival, which she had not experienced for a long time.
-Where should I tie him? - people said, adjusting the chest to the narrow back of the carriage, - we must leave at least one cart.
- What is he with? – Natasha asked.
- With the count's books.
- Leave it. Vasilich will clean it up. It is not necessary.
The chaise was full of people; doubted about where Pyotr Ilyich would sit.
- He's on the goat. Are you a jerk, Petya? – Natasha shouted.
Sonya kept busy too; but the goal of her efforts was the opposite of Natasha’s goal. She put away those things that were supposed to remain; I wrote them down, at the countess’s request, and tried to take with me as many as possible.
In the second hour, the four Rostov carriages, loaded and stowed, stood at the entrance. The carts with the wounded rolled out of the yard one after another.
The carriage in which Prince Andrei was carried, passing by the porch, attracted the attention of Sonya, who, together with the girl, was arranging seats for the countess in her huge tall carriage, which stood at the entrance.
– Whose stroller is this? – Sonya asked, leaning out of the carriage window.
“Didn’t you know, young lady?” - answered the maid. - The prince is wounded: he spent the night with us and is also coming with us.
- Who is this? What's the last name?
– Our very former groom, Prince Bolkonsky! – sighing, answered the maid. - They say he is dying.
Sonya jumped out of the carriage and ran to the Countess. The countess, already dressed for travel, in a shawl and hat, tired, walked around the living room, waiting for her family to sit with her. closed doors and pray before leaving. Natasha was not in the room.
“Maman,” said Sonya, “Prince Andrei is here, wounded, near death.” He's coming with us.
The Countess opened her eyes in fear and, grabbing Sonya’s hand, looked around.
- Natasha? - she said.
For both Sonya and the Countess, this news had only one meaning at first. They knew their Natasha, and the horror of what would happen to her at this news drowned out for them all sympathy for the person they both loved.
– Natasha doesn’t know yet; but he’s coming with us,” said Sonya.
- Are you talking about death?
Sonya nodded her head.
The Countess hugged Sonya and began to cry.
"God works in mysterious ways!" - she thought, feeling that in everything that was done now, an omnipotent hand, previously hidden from people’s view, began to appear.
- Well, mom, everything is ready. What are you talking about?.. – Natasha asked with a lively face, running into the room.
“Nothing,” said the Countess. - It's ready, let's go. – And the countess bent down to her reticule to hide her upset face. Sonya hugged Natasha and kissed her.
Natasha looked at her questioningly.
- What you? What happened?
- There is nothing…
- Very bad for me?.. What is it? – asked the sensitive Natasha.
Sonya sighed and did not answer. The Count, Petya, m me Schoss, Mavra Kuzminishna, Vasilich entered the living room, and, having closed the doors, they all sat down and sat silently, without looking at each other, for several seconds.
The count was the first to stand up and, sighing loudly, began to make the sign of the cross. Everyone did the same. Then the count began to hug Mavra Kuzminishna and Vasilich, who remained in Moscow, and, while they caught his hand and kissed his shoulder, he lightly patted them on the back, saying something vague, affectionately soothing. The Countess went into the imagery, and Sonya found her there on her knees in front of the images that remained scattered along the wall. (According to family legends, the most expensive images were taken with them.)
On the porch and in the courtyard, people leaving with daggers and sabers with which Petya had armed them, with their trousers tucked into their boots and tightly belted with belts and sashes, said goodbye to those who remained.
As always during departures, much was forgotten and not properly packed, and for quite a long time two guides stood on both sides of the open door and steps of the carriage, preparing to give the Countess a ride, while girls with pillows, bundles, and carriages were running from home to the carriages. , and the chaise, and back.
- Everyone will forget their time! - said the countess. “You know that I can’t sit like that.” - And Dunyasha, gritting her teeth and not answering, with an expression of reproach on her face, rushed into the carriage to redo the seat.
- Oh, these people! - said the count, shaking his head.
The old coachman Yefim, with whom the countess was the only one who decided to ride, sitting high on his box, did not even look back at what was happening behind him. With thirty years of experience, he knew that it wouldn’t be long before they told him “God bless!” and that when they say, they will stop him two more times and send him for forgotten things, and after that they will stop him again, and the countess herself will lean out of his window and ask him, by Christ God, to drive more carefully on the slopes. He knew this and therefore more patiently than his horses (especially the left red one - Falcon, who kicked and, chewing, fingered the bit) waited for what would happen. Finally everyone sat down; the steps gathered and they threw themselves into the carriage, the door slammed, they sent for the box, the countess leaned out and said what she had to do. Then Yefim slowly took off his hat from his head and began to cross himself. The postilion and all the people did the same.
- With God blessing! - said Yefim, putting on his hat. - Pull it out! - The postilion touched. The right drawbar fell into the clamp, the high springs crunched, and the body swayed. The footman jumped onto the box as he walked. The carriage shook as it left the yard onto the shaking pavement, the other carriages also shook, and the train moved up the street. In the carriages, carriages and chaises, everyone was baptized at the church that was opposite. The people remaining in Moscow walked on both sides of the carriages, seeing them off.
