The whole game is an ode to a women growing up, confronting manifestations of the worst posible kind of people that will end up gravitating towards you, smelling weakness and insecurity, with the obvious Silent Hill-esque tone. Im a fan of the series since i was a child, without the indoctrination given by schools and cultures alike today, I understood this undertone perfectly, a lovely game, and some fucked up facts from our society, I guess.
@Ric Perry her gender is very obviously important to her story. Hence why the fukaro film comnect to sh3. There are themes of the fear of pregnancy and fear of the male gaze.
@Ric Perry Gender plays a huge role in how someone goes through life. It makes sense that Silent Hill (a place that builds off of a person's experiences) would build off of this, as well as every other aspect of their mind.
Exactly, one would think that as a horror game, the monsters would be the scariest part of it. When in reality, humans and their flaws are the scariest element of the game. They are the reason why the monsters exist AND the reason why the protagonist suffer.
I would also say that because people are usually judgemental, to people Douglas would look like an old creepy pervert and Vincent looks more like a sophisticated man (when he talks calmly) but then when you get to know the two Douglas looks more like a father figure and Vincent is a snake. I guess like Ted Bundy in a way, women always trusted him because of his looks. Anyways I am going off haha I just finished this video and loved it great job
The Konami code really advances Douglas's "creepy old pervert" vibe. Why do you suppose they included the option to have the only SURVIVING person who helps Heather out of a concern for her well-being follow her around in his boxer shorts?
@@clubbasher32 sociopaths don't need extra practice. By adulthood they have perfected manipulation and faking emotions to seem human. Some girls like those kind of people and have a bunch of kids with them cuz only a tiny percentage have physically hurt people.
I totally got creeped out by Douglas, but he grew to be one of my favorite supporting characters. I like to think that he continued to look after her post SH3 as like a nice uncle.
@@morgandibello7795 According to the programmers, they said that Heather fancies Douglas and when the code is entered into the main menu, Heather moans seductively. I'm not sure how honest that is, but that's what they said.
Apparently, they made sure that there was always one of Vincent's eyes looking at the "player" at all time during the cinematic, to give a more predatory and unhinge feel to the character. It is subtil enough, but still there that it make you feel uneasy. (But if you pause it at the right moment, it make a pretty damn funny face)
Although Vincent was definitely aiming to cause Heather pain, I think he was telling the truth in the "They look like monsters to you?" Scene. Claudia's father was definitely beginning to look like a monster, it's possible that given enough time he would have lost the ability to speak, and become just like any other monster in the game.
I think it's canon that all sh monsters and what bot look different depending on who is viewing them. So for Vincent, they might not look like monsters
Vincent's power is his knowledge of the "rules" of Silent Hill. Of course he doesn't know everything. But he does have a good idea of how some things works. It gives him some advantage over Heather.
The first Silent Hill games used real-life esoteric symbols in their plot. That's why the Seal of Metatron was in this game, it is a known symbol to guard against evil. Alessa uses it in the first game to seal the nightmare. Being in the same cult, and being a priest of said cult, Vincent knew of the power of this symbol. However, as in every religion, if someone doesn't share those beliefs, the artifacts/demons/etc lose the supposed power they have. That's why the seal was of no significance to Claudia, she doesn't believe it has any real power and as such was not affected by it. Vincent was not "wrong", the seal would have worked if Claudia had believed it would, just like Alessa and even Dhalia did.
The most fascinating thing about Vincent's line "Monsters?...they look like monsters to you?" is that it reveals his manipulative and abusive behavior, but his character doesn't necessarily need to expose or manifest extreme sadism, desires to murder or behave aggressively and violent, because he represents a more subtle and silent horror that sometimes can be overlooked by many people including the victim itself, as you said, gaslighting. It is a common manifestation of manipulative behavior in toxic and abusive relationships of any type, romantic, laboral, fraternal, paternal, etc... Even though Heather and Vincent doesn't relate in any form, he uses her at expense of her safety or sanity (mainly because she feels more hatred towards Claudia and have more guts than him), is much more grave considering that Heather is still a teenager, but Vincent doesn't give two shits about it, and the most important point of all this, is that he managed to gaslight both Hearher and the player, including the fans of the series, it has more importance considering how around this brilliant line of dialogue, it has been form a theory that question the very sanity and morals of the protagonist, to believe that we, as player in control of the protagonist, are actually the murdeous monsters all along. But i don't actually believe in this theory because it would drop all the message behind the game, i just find it incredible that the implications of that horrible "joke" managed to pass through the screen into our minds.
OH MY GOD!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE STILL DOING SYMBOLISM VIDEOS I AM SO HAPPY!! i love your voice instead of the writings I hope you would update your older symbolism videos to voiced videos too!
Thanks so much! In fact, I am planning on updating them - and probably that will be the next one - back then I didn't have a microphone so I'd really like to update and re-record them. Thanks so much for watching!!! :D
It’s an extension of SH2 where the characters seem to see and experience the town very differently from the main character. Sadly it’s never built upon in later games to my knowledge.
13:03 everyone saw it, it's just that the Japanese are not SJW weirdos that like to "problematize" and "cancel" everyone and everything... + it was a long time ago. lol
I love this character, they did an amazing job designing someone who's so unpleasant and off-putting without being over the top. I wish there was more content about him, your video is amazing ❤
I view Vincent as this game's "non-important to the story but important for thematic character depth" angle that the original trilogy has. Silent Hill 1 has Lisa, Silent Hill 2 has Angela, Silent Hill 3 has Vincent. All three play an active role in the story, but for the actual plot of the game none of them really do anything to move it forward (Lisa says something off-hand to Harry of where to go once, but her saying that isn't really crucial). All three of these characters are maybe the most interesting of the supporting cast of characters, and I think part of that is each of them taps into very human things that fit within the themes of the individual games and uses those characters to explore them. It's also notable all three of these characters meet their demise right before the end of the game in the final location before the final boss battle. They're maybe not important for the actual plot of the story, but they do expand the themes. Lisa expands on the mystery and strangeness of the town and what happened to Cheryl, Angela expands on the "tortured souls" who end up in Silent Hill aspect, and Vincent expands on the The Order and the different sides and factions within it. In many ways these are the core "focuses" of each game, the mystery of the town and Cheryl for Silent Hill 1, personal hell for Silent Hill 2, and the Order and their beliefs in Silent Hill 3. All of them are essentially window dressing and used to show more personality and detail within the game world itself.
Vincent is my favorite character in Silent Hill. His role in SH3 is that he is Claudia's foil. Claudia is one of those old-testament dispensationalist types, while Vincent is a more modern preacher. He is a realist and wants to maintain the status quo. Sure he is corrupt, and he definitely is not a good guy, but he certainly does not want to fulfill prophecy. He is basically a caricature of your typical religious leader who preaches prophecy of change, but doesn't actually want to change. I like him as a character because he is extremely intelligent and knows exactly what is going on, but is also not blinded by zealous dogmatism like Claudia. Basically, Claudia and Vincent exist in SH3 to present the idea of what kind of people really populate The Order. I wouldn't be surprised if they also represent rival sects as well. There are other cult members throughout the series that seem to fall within one of those two types of membership: worshippers and enforcers. I also don't believe that Vincent was trying to gaslight Heather. The Missionary and Scraper enemies are actual cult members; they look like monsters, but it's just bags over their heads (check out their models and you can clearly see their faces). I think this is what Vincent was inferring, and he does seem surprised. I don't think he was overly concerned simply because those particular enemies were operating under direct orders from Claudia, and Vincent obviously wanted her and her followers to go away. He made those intentions clear to Heather, which is why he was working with her. The reason why Vincent's plan didn't work out was that he was, well, corrupt and lost the faith. The game wants you to consider who is ethical, Claudia or Vincent? Then it shows you that they both fucked up.
I'd often believed that Heather and his interactions were like a bad relationship. He uses and manipulates her like an abusive partner. He is perhaps the most interesting and disgusting character in that game.... At least I think so.
I'm surprised you didn't mention the other obvious parallel he shares with IRL, if the Cult of SH is akin to Scientology with actual supernatural abilities, then Vincent is a regular David Miscavige. Another good comparison to how he presents himself is like V.M. Varga in season 3 of Fargo played by David Thewlis, although he's way more obvious a slimy creep then even Vinvent, all that tight focus on his rotting teeth.
These Silent Hill videos of yours kick so much ass. I grew up with the series, so seeing a fellow fan so passionate about the game makes me very happy. You just earned yourself another sub. :D Keep up the good work, can’t wait for the updated videos. ^^
Your assertion that Vincent must have powers because he is not bloodsplattered like Heather is. One huge flaw in the logic there. Laura. Not everyone sees monsters. He refuses to dirty his hands, and so the darkness has no damnation to latch onto, to reflect any monsters to him.
Everything was good about this video, cept for how loud it got in the end. I was raising my volume to hear you, then all the sudden the jarring music you had on the end blasted my eardrums.
Valtiel may be a "Stalker" or observer but trust me when I say look at all the videos done on him and you will realize that he plays a WAY bigger role than the way you described him
The Valtiel is an angel of the Order. He is there to ensure that the birth of God happens. This is why he stalks Heather in the Otherworld, attacks nurses, (Heather's enemy that would prevent God's birth if she dies), and is even seen dragging Heather to the nearest Halo of the Sun to resurrect her to birth God later. To say he is a protector of Heather is arguable, as it is stated and implied he only cares about tending to God and sends Heather back on her way to death after resurrection. God also kills the host mother/incubator upon successful birth. He is also seen gingerly veiling God's face with the iconic blood-red Order veil. This helps prove that Valtiel is only protecting God.
Well, "powers" is a broad term. It could be that he's versed in spells that ward off evil. His supernatural might being limited to repelling the threats of Silent Hill, so he can walk around the place unscathed. Vincent doesn't need to be able to shoot lightning from his fingers to have power.
Still, I think just like Lisa was able to get around without being attacked by the creatures because, as she said, she is one of them, Vincent would most likely just go about his business, as the creatures seem to focus on attacking the player character in most silent hill, so I think Douglas gets around more like Cybil and Vincent more like Lisa, one interacts less or never with the creatures and the other isn't even threatening to them, as he is a part of the otherworld. So, in a way, Vincent would never win if the otherworld were to be destroyed, he was "fighting" to protect it so he wouldn't want to harm any of creatures, plus he is a masterful manipulator with a religious knowledge of the otherworld, I'm sure he could just be smart enough to not get himself into danger but I don't believe he is anymore powerful than that, no spells or anything, he seems weaker than Claudia, Dahlia, who were able to make rituals, while he hasn't shown to know enough of that, he seems more like a false believer with bad intentions. But that's just my take, in the end everybody sees silent hill differently.
Admittedly, there are aspects of this video I agree with... and some I don't. ;-; SH3 is definitely a coming-of-age story told from the female's perspective. We have the advent of BLOOD (period) that promises the death of adolescence (in this case, the death of Heather as she births God). We have the fear of motherhood (Heather taking the pill to abort her child). And we have the fear of men (with various male figures giving Heather little reason to trust them). However, the part I don't agree with is the video's overemphasis on masculine domination over women. It gives little consideration toward the perversions/corruption of femininity also present in the game. Perhaps it's because I played this game when it first came out, before the rise of PC culture and before feminism had warped into this 'all-men-are-pigs' view, that I saw this game as representing teenage female angst and not so much gender warfare or 'male violence'. If anything, SH3 has a lot in common with Carrie - we have the tale of a girl undergoing a traumatic bodily change who grows up fearing guys (thereby seeing them all as threats) while suffering the torment of female bullies. This is the type of story many of us women experienced (minus the supernatural elements, lol). Eventually, the female protagonist learns to let go of her fear, learns to make peace with men, and take control of her destiny. But unlike Carrie, who takes her destiny straight to hell, Heather succeeds and lives to tale the tell. The difference? Heather overcomes the Great Maternal Figure. Carrie does not. In SH3, many great feminine figures stand in Heather's way, including her past self. We have Claudia who, like any tyrant motherly figure, demands Heather to fulfill her role as a Woman via childbirth. We have the tall, deformed skirt-wearing Closers in the mall that first appear in a clothing store with bulky bag-like hands (representing our ties with the commercial/cosmetic world). We also got the female nurses (warped maternal figures that are supposed to 'care' for their patient) that try to shackle/suppress Heather. Then there's Heather facing her past self. And lastly, there's God - a creature with all the beauty and wrath of Woman. While it's true that a great number of males try to dominate Heather, her main opposition comes from femininity itself, all of which attempt to suppress her by forcing her to be the Mother of God, trapping her into this hellish world where walls bleed and Heather endures insufferable cramps. In trying to abort her child, however, Heather REJECTS this maternal predestined role (something many of today's modern women can relate to, yet consequently receive scrutiny from men AND women alike). Ironically enough, Heather is only able to reject her maternal predestined role with the help of men in her life: her Father (who provides the pill), Douglas (who tries to stop Claudia), and Vincent (who, while selfishly motivated, points her the way to Claudia). Additionally, it's love for FATHER that pushes Heather to confront her nightmares and her past. Harry's strong influence on Heather becomes her strength. Even when she learns the truth of her origins and how Harry felt after reading his diary, she focuses on his love. All of these male characters, both the self-righteous and selfish, allow Heather to forge her new destiny by overcoming the Great Maternal Figure (God). It's the meshing of the masculine and feminine forces that open up a new route for Heather. So overall, there are masculine AND feminine forces at play in SH3 - both positive and negative. Unfortunately, the video (like the Lisa Garland video) seem to focus squarely on masculine forces, often overemphasizing its negative impact and strictly focusing on 'male'violence'. Yet, the videos downplay strong feminine influence - all the good, the bad, AND the ugly. We have male violence but we ignore the feminine opposition and female violence ALSO attacking Heather's soul. At times, the videos stray dangerously close to SJW commentary than critical observations. In terms of Vincent himself, the topic of this video, I viewed him as a representative of religious corruption. During the time this game was released, there was a LOT of tension building between the public and the Church. Many stories came out, exposing corrupt priests and Church organizations. Not a day went by I didn't see a new story of child molestation within the Church on the news during the early 2000s. SH3 came out in a time when religion was being exposed and attacked on all fronts. Thus, Vincent's role wasn't so much a symbol of male domination, but rather, he served as the embodiment of spiritual corruption. He reminded us that simply being a 'religious man' does not make you a good human being. You can be both religious AND corrupt. Like a member of the Westboro Baptist Church, you can take that faith to the dark side. As the old saying goes, the road to hell is paved by good intentions. Keep in mind, SH3 is a straight-up sequel to SH1. Both games feature critical insight into religions and its practices. Both games demonstrate the DARK side of religion. Vincent, in his own queer way, WAS a religious man. He does not see monsters in Silent Hill and is able to survive that world because, like Laura from SH2, his mind reflects a twisted, yet strangely optimistic perspective. He sees only opportunity (for himself, of course... :P). His faith and selfish needs blind him. He does not enjoy seeing others in pain because he does not ACKNOWLEDGE their pain in the first place. He's so full of himself that he blinds himself from everyone's misery and lives in his happy place, which no doubt, Silent Hill becomes for him.
Thanks for this comment; great insight! I agree with a lot of the video's content but the fixation on "male violence" against Heather was disappointing since there is so much more going on. They seemed very willing to overlook Claudia's abuse of Heather and even absolve Claudia of responsibility by saying she was "twisted by male violence", which shunts the responsibility back onto men as though Claudia is not responsible for her own actions. I'm happy to see someone point out the positive male influences for Heather (namely her father Harry, who was murdered by the character who has been absolved in this video for some reason) and give a more unbiased analysis. The themes of abuse and domination by men is absolutely present in Silent Hill 3, but it's only part of the complex tapestry, not the driving force behind the network of symbolism present in the story.
Feminism never 'warped' into 'kill-all-men'. Have you ever studied feminist theory in your life? Third wave feminism is all about intersectionality and inclusiveness and reaches out to men to be part of the conversation. You're thinking of second wave. Also, acknowledging the prevalence of male violence against women isn't 'SJW commentary'?? It's literally a fact of life. There's nothing wrong with reading that in the game's narrative. The video never said anything about the entire game being ONLY about male violence to the exclusion of everything else. It's a focused video on a specific character and topic. Yall don't have to 'not-all-men' every damn thing. Lol.
RadiusZero The feminism focus was okay, it was something that not many people say. The fact that this was the first Silent Hill to have a woman protagonist had to show all of this dark side of the male violence in the world towards women. It's clear that the way the antagonists abuse of Heather is much more different than it would be to a man, because she's just a young girl that's vulnerable and still learning. Silent Hill doesn't focus on religion or political matters, it's main focus is the dark side of the human psyche, and it's not a coincidence that male violence towards women is one of the most important things in this game, because is the abuse of a father towards her daughter (Claudia) which ultimately leads to the creation of the main antagonist, and repercutes in her psychological development, believing that the world is only but suffering, so she must destroy it with God itself. She could have talked more about positive male influences, but her focus was on the Symbolism from Vincent
I know this is probably unintentional, but the lack of reverb in your recording really works for a video like this. It makes it sound very aged and intimate, like I’m listening to this through an old cassette tape in a niche.
Watched this whole video 🙏😊 I loved it 👍 I never played a silent hill game but the lore seems so fascinating it became a major inspiration on my own art . Thank you for this video 🙏 I Liked and Sub and keep up the amazing work
This is great. But I'm thrown that when Vincent is mortally wounded, he does not beg for his life or plead for Heather to help him. His last breath is used to call on Heather to use the seal, to save the world, even if he is not long for it.
This makes me think he is the most human in this silent hill, he knows he is flawed but at the same time he doesn't want to be flawless. Meanwhile Heather over there killing "monsters"
Im so upset. My stalkers name was Stanley. He was disgusting and persistent and felt like a floating black cloud ready to invade my life. He was 35. I was 14. He harassed me for years.
Oh my god ! And there are still people who say games and movies are useless to our lives ?! It's official, fiction is nothing more but the reflection of reality, and most people can't see that. By the way, i wished having Vincent turned into the monster he was, for so we got to make him suffer even more and then kill him.
All throughout this video, I was thinking of Draco and Lucius Malfoy, two other (male) characters who fall into the self-obsessed, "all show, no substance" bully/elitist character type. They are abusive and manipulative towards anyone else who does not share their ideas, which is to say everyone, but when faced with true evil and conflict, any Malfoy will show their true colors: cowards who are not nearly as talented as they say, hiding behind meat-headed cronies until the weather turns fair again.
Shame that good guy harry did not survives the ordeal undermined some of the last bit of your message. Also Stanley Coleman isn't entirely narcissistic like Vincent, The worst he/it did to Heather was objectifying her, an object of his obsession. He did warned her of Leonard Wolf which is now a boss monster out of his twisted notion of love.
Harry died to remove the only purely positive and protective male figure out of Heather's life. And Stanley is very much dangerous. He is a stalker. And his kind usually ends up murdering or trying to murder whoever they are stalking
7min few secs, one my favourite lines in SH. That ominous out look that he brings to heather, terrifying her, while we see that he is probobly a bad guy. A beautiful masterpiece of horror indeed.
Vincent is no different than the majority of people who seek an easy life and give into temptation. Attributing more malice to the character is uncharitable. Also, he's better voiced in the original release of the game, remake paints him out to be more of a wolf rather than a weasel.
As a man who enjoyed SH3 a couple of times years ago, I have to say that I didn't focus on the genders of the enemies/antagonists in this game, maybe because men are generally not taught to watch out for specifically male predators, but for persons who behave menacingly and want to cause harm in general. Vincent being untrustworthy, Claudia deranged, Leonard aggressive were just all lumped in the "beware" and then "danger" category later in the game by me. Douglas never gave me that creep feeling, just the straight-up, messy detective vibe. Thank you for the vids!
He's an incredibly enigmatic character. And while he doesn't take any direct actions, what he says and how he says it shows how manipulative he is and that he's a sadist. For someone "on my side" he scares me the most out of the characters in game
I'm incredibly late to comment but I've been watching your videos for years and I've never been able to find the introduction music to this video, it's so mechanical and visceral. Thank you for the amazing content, it has helped me through some very traumatic times and it inspires me in my art and life even today. You are an amazing person and I wish you all the best!
Your review was very smart! It's a very refreshing point of view and explains many things. I like how Silent Hill is all about the dark side of the human psyche, and truly the male abuse towards women in the world creates a lot of psychological trauma and negative effects, much more different than with the other male protagonists in Silent Hill. It's no coincidence that the main antagonist became like that because of the abuse of her father, creating her view about the suffering on the world, and that it should be destroyed by god itself to create the paradise. I would have never thought that women should actually know more about this game, is very mature and makes you reflex a lot
I love all your videos, but the audio conversations & music switches from a higher to low unexpectedly. As for the psychology & symbolism, you absolutely hit the nail on each SH Character & I love that.
When dealing with sociopaths you must try to limit your own empathy towards them, lessen your expectations for their capacity for good. I wasn't angered by him because I knew who he was, I also didn't feel bad when he was murdered (more shocked).. Ironically it was Claudia I ended up feeling sorry for and felt anger towards because I could expect more from her. Vincent was fun in the context of the story, a nightmare in reality.
The "they look like monsters" thing is fascinating considering how Silent Hill uniquely manifests depending on the person's consciousness. This could tie in with the Book of the Dead, where the same deity may appear as either wrathful vs peaceful (I.e. like the SH "god") depending on their karma. It's been argued that Pyramid Head is James' guardian angel there to point him the right way and beaten by not resisting him, this is referenced in the movie.
This makes me believe Vincent is the most human, he accepts he is flawed and accepts the world that he lives in is flawed (hence many of the crimes he is "shown") he doesn't see any monsters. To me he doesn't seem all that sinful in comparison to other people who have done much worse.
Perhaps Vincent isn't exactly looking out to hurt Heather. To him, Heather was just his pawn. It doesn't seem like Vincent is holding any grudges towards Heather so doesn't seem like has much interest to hurt her. In a way they both seem to have a common goal ( The both want to get at Claudia, for Heather it was revenge against the death of her father and for Vincent it was stop the new order) although it is definitely obvious that Vincent is manipulating Heather by not telling the full story of what is actually going on. When we look at it from the hero's journey point of view, Heather is actually confronting Alessa which is a darker aspect of her personality (Driven by resentment). The death doesn't mean that Heather dies but rather she is letting that hatred inside her die instead of her actual physical self. She successfully integrates the darker side of her personality into her self, becoming more whole as a person. Asides from that since the world of Silent Hill is often shaped according to the main character (The world and its characters represents the unconscious part of the character's self) it would make sense that there are themes of abuse towards women since the main character is a woman. However I feel that the video becomes a bit too cynical about men because you seem to paint a character that has never had positive relationship with men and lives in fear or the very least is overly cautious of them. Hence a character that is afraid and paints the world as a dark place. I say this because it seems like everything is analysed through the lens of harm against the woman. So I feel that there is something missing which is that Heather bravely confronts the dangers, her deepest fears as she travels throughout Silent hill (uncovering more and more as she goes deeper) and becomes wiser after it. In a sense, yes she is a victim but she is also someone who manages to overcome the challenges even after Douglas gets hurt near the end. Douglas seems to indicate that men are not necessarily predators but can also become protectors. I believe this is a holistic take on the story of Silent Hill 3.
I love the meaning rooted inside this game. I was too young to really understand the symbolism but now I can see the concept of it being surrounded around violence of men and abuse and I totally did not catch
Vincent by far is one of my favorite characters due to his despicable nature. He really is a conundrum. I remember the making of SH3 video describing Vincent as a "hypocrite behind nice clothes and a neat appearance". Vincent is a real hypocrite, he'll claim to stand for something only to turn soon after to suit himself. He's definitely not a good guy in this story. Interesting that you mentioned Heather viewing Douglas suspiciously at first, seeing as there was a thing put in by Konami where Douglas appears in his boxer shorts. According to the programmers it's meant to imply that Heather possibly fancies Douglas and has a thing for older guys, when the code is entered in on the menu screen, Heather makes a seductive moaning sound so that is what lead to this impression........but I think the image may represent what Heather imagines when she first meets him. Not in a positive way, she views him as a possible predator and her anxiety gives this image.
I always viewed Vincent more of a "devil's advocate" if you will. If you knew what Heather was doing to these "monsters" would you just act like she is just an innocent person? No one in the third silent hill is flawless. Douglass himself wants to be ignorant in his past and his crimes. Vincent while not a nice person still has good intentions deep down like everyone else, just that he is more okay with being the "devil's advocate", like he said "it's okay to believe in the same god and disagree" and also mocks Claudia in what she has done to his church that he has helped create to help boosts in believers (that and gain money to maybe create more believers that way). To me I find that Vincent is the most human.
Wow just found this channel. I love Silent Hill almost more than anything and these videos are amazing. Glad to have found you, and thank you for making these.
You seem to push too many 'personal' traumas in male characters, it reflects the dominant and forced opinion of the current time rather than an objective analysis.
I disagree. These games were designed by very intelligent people in an effort not just to create something frightening, but as a cultural critique of America. That's confirmed in multiple scenes - most famously, the gun in the shopping cart representing gun violence in america - it's not far fetched to draw conclusions about Vincent and his behavior, too. Try watching the Behind the Scenes of SH3 - the cast makes some comments about Vincent and his behavior that are in line with an abusive character who only serves himself.
Something very interesting about him is how he sounds in the casette tape that you find in the church. He sounds kind, harmless and concerned for others wellbeing. Of course, because he's playing his role as a "kind preacher", but since we know his true colors, it sounds like a completely different person. This kind of manipulation is why loved ones of abusers (family and friends that haven't been victimized by them), refuse to believe their dangerous and deranged nature. They've only seen the facade, the charming missleading side. Otherwise they wouldn't have power over others.
Well considering in recent RL actions recently *COUGH COUGH* Vincent to me is the most human and is totally okay with being flawed and doesn't like the idea of things being flawless.
I mean, when Walter sullivan was abused, we didn't care about the gender of his abusers. Plus Heather's father was a virtuous man that step into the depths of hell in search of his daughter just to end up raising and defending a random baby which was given to him after losing his own daughter.
This video and analysis ended with myopic interpretation of the game, since it is focused solely on Vincent and men trying to assert their dominance. While I still believe that male violence/dominance is part of the story, the video seems to be too focused on the male violence/dominance aspect. The game criticizes abuse of religious power from authority figures like Vincent and zealotry of people like Claudia. Since the game is actually about Heather, it's a tale of her coming of age and becoming her own person, not the self that others are trying to dictate to/ force on her. The main character is a child growing into a young adult, and the adults are trying to control her life, like happens in real life. It's pretty much running the gamut of a young person's life. You obviously have predators, you also have manipulators, both male AND female who try to dictate Heather's decisions. Even Heather's father had, by trying to protect her, inadvertantly stunted her own growth. Yet it's her father, Harry, who has been trying to protect her from these corrupting forces. Harry's death may have been a blessing in disguise, as he would have kept her from growing. In the end she finds her own voice and conquers her demons, and she comes into her own, to a grown ass woman.
I've wondered before whether the "they look like monsters to you?" line was meant to hint at Vincent being immune to the Otherworld, though I'm sure he meant to upset Heather too. Perhaps he enjoys the fact that it torments people other while he is able to pass through it unscathed. If he is such a sick horrible person maybe he sees it as a beautiful place, kind of like how Laura's innocence protected her from the town in SH2.
The last area in the game is the cult's lair, which they created in the Otherworld, so that is where the cult hangs out. The Missionary/Scraper enemies are all cult members with bags over their faces (if you look at models, you can see their faces). Everything else shouldn't be hostile, or possibly not even exist, to cult members. Personally, I believe that the true plot to Silent Hill is that there is a town that has some strange ability to physically manifest psychic energy, so some people with old testament religion went there centuries ago and ended up inadvertently creating physical manifestations of their religious beliefs, and then they carried on creating their own little world thinking that they were seeing something that has always existed. Somebody like Vincent knows that this Otherworld is what they make it, so he doesn't ascribe to Claudia's vision of purgatory. I also think it's a story about how small towns live in their own bubbles that are often detached from the outside world in many ways (I grew up in a small town).
Nothing wrong with having a bias :) to me Vincent in the third silent hill is the most human! Accepting that everyone have different ways in thinking "people can believe in the same god and one can disagree"
Looking at someone with one eye and looking away with the other eye is called "false attention" - this further proves Vincents' untrustworthy character.
Great i like your review, Vincent is a very interesting character for me, and i dindnt like the vincent snow from the movie, that was the first thing why i didnt like that movie. Btw im making inspired songs of silent hill if you are interested, would be great to see an opinion from you of my tribute :)
whoa, it's really awesome to hear the words "male violence" being used, since a lot of people are afraid to use it or talk about gendered issues. i found your videos only recently and i thought i'd seen pretty much everything about silent hill but your vids put me right back there, when i first played the games, and your analysis of the symbolism is really fresh and interesting to me even years after my first obsession with them. thank u for indulging us SH fans!
Hell, not only was he wrong about the whole mettaton thing, he's also completely wrong when he tells Heather to kill Claudia, since if she DOES, it ends up being the exact catalyst for the birth of the God.
You are confusing terribly gender violence with the act of sex, that last is actually present on almost every SH game, it's not about male violence, it's about the horrors of rape and pregnancy, specially because it's related to the supernatural way god is birthed into the world of SH 1 and 3. Also, I as a woman don't live in constant fear of male strangers, if you do that's your problem sweetie, one meets mostly polite and kind men everyday, teachers, drivers, doctors, janitors..., but maybe the fear is not letting you notice, so speak for yourself, because this series has been very well done on past videos, but on this one I dare to assure that you stopped talking about Silent Hill 3 and started projecting instead.
EXACTLY. There is barely any symbolism discussion, and the whole video took a sharp turn from being vaguely analytical and a little biased, to personal, emotional, biased and heavily projected. I came to get a different perspective on silent hill 3, definitely not this crap.
To me, men and women are equally capable of manipulation and inflicting pain on others, just as they are capable of expressing support and kindness. I'm not sure how the topic of symbolism evolved to a stand of male violence towards women, because... that's just not fair. I'm a male, and I've never treated women with any more, or less respect, than a man. I simply treat everyone I meet with respect, unless they don't respect me, in which case... I just don't talk to them?
Also, you often reference to sexism in video games and real life, but does his (not to mention many other cases) gender actually have anything to do with his actions or has it not? I've watched the 10 videos and they give this heartbreaking feel when you (otherwise really good) fall for this whole "male=rapist dominant pig" theme from time to time. Anyway, this is a very interesting series to watch.
All these comments saying you have a feminist agenda... this game is focused on growing up as a young girl in a world full of men who can harm you, intentionally or not. Many of the men in this game are targeting heather because they believe that because shes a young girl she will give into them easily, this is gender related violence, and I don't understand how others interpret it as anything else.
@@blood_n_jazz4477 I would take back every thumbs up I ever gave & give them all to this comment if I could. I started binge watching her vids in no particular order & her less than subtle personal views were ridiculously emphasized in this one.
R.I.P SCOTT MCCULOCH (ORIGINAL VOICE OF CHRIS REDFIELD DIED IN CAR CRASH IN 2000) ALSO WE LOST PAUL HADDAD ON APRIL 11TH (ORIGINAL VOICE OF LEON DUE TO THROAT CANCER) The detective in Sh3 Richard Grosse died a month before Sh3 release (2003)
I love your videos, I'm a big fan of silent hill and I have learning disability and its hard for me understand the game so I have play multiple times to get it but you teaching me something new every video 🙂... Thank you,
I noticed that there is mention of nurses being abused by doctors in the first and third Silent Hill games. Is this coming from true events? Since these games were made in Japan, I'm wondering if nurses in Japan have been abused by the doctors they work for? Just wondering.
The whole game is an ode to a women growing up, confronting manifestations of the worst posible kind of people that will end up gravitating towards you, smelling weakness and insecurity, with the obvious Silent Hill-esque tone.
Im a fan of the series since i was a child, without the indoctrination given by schools and cultures alike today, I understood this undertone perfectly, a lovely game, and some fucked up facts from our society, I guess.
@Ric Perry her gender is very obviously important to her story. Hence why the fukaro film comnect to sh3. There are themes of the fear of pregnancy and fear of the male gaze.
@Ric Perry Gender plays a huge role in how someone goes through life. It makes sense that Silent Hill (a place that builds off of a person's experiences) would build off of this, as well as every other aspect of their mind.
Exactly, one would think that as a horror game, the monsters would be the scariest part of it. When in reality, humans and their flaws are the scariest element of the game. They are the reason why the monsters exist AND the reason why the protagonist suffer.
melisa caceres
That’s a good point.
that’s legit.
I would also say that because people are usually judgemental, to people Douglas would look like an old creepy pervert and Vincent looks more like a sophisticated man (when he talks calmly) but then when you get to know the two Douglas looks more like a father figure and Vincent is a snake. I guess like Ted Bundy in a way, women always trusted him because of his looks. Anyways I am going off haha I just finished this video and loved it great job
Adrianna George this happens with men in real life. real predators have better masking techniques so they can appear different to others.
The Konami code really advances Douglas's "creepy old pervert" vibe. Why do you suppose they included the option to have the only SURVIVING person who helps Heather out of a concern for her well-being follow her around in his boxer shorts?
@@clubbasher32 sociopaths don't need extra practice. By adulthood they have perfected manipulation and faking emotions to seem human. Some girls like those kind of people and have a bunch of kids with them cuz only a tiny percentage have physically hurt people.
I totally got creeped out by Douglas, but he grew to be one of my favorite supporting characters. I like to think that he continued to look after her post SH3 as like a nice uncle.
@@morgandibello7795 According to the programmers, they said that Heather fancies Douglas and when the code is entered into the main menu, Heather moans seductively.
I'm not sure how honest that is, but that's what they said.
Apparently, they made sure that there was always one of Vincent's eyes looking at the "player" at all time during the cinematic, to give a more predatory and unhinge feel to the character. It is subtil enough, but still there that it make you feel uneasy. (But if you pause it at the right moment, it make a pretty damn funny face)
Although Vincent was definitely aiming to cause Heather pain, I think he was telling the truth in the "They look like monsters to you?" Scene. Claudia's father was definitely beginning to look like a monster, it's possible that given enough time he would have lost the ability to speak, and become just like any other monster in the game.
I think it's canon that all sh monsters and what bot look different depending on who is viewing them.
So for Vincent, they might not look like monsters
yup, similar to the little girl from silent hill 2 @@sudanemamimikiki1527
Vincent's power is his knowledge of the "rules" of Silent Hill. Of course he doesn't know everything. But he does have a good idea of how some things works. It gives him some advantage over Heather.
The first Silent Hill games used real-life esoteric symbols in their plot. That's why the Seal of Metatron was in this game, it is a known symbol to guard against evil. Alessa uses it in the first game to seal the nightmare. Being in the same cult, and being a priest of said cult, Vincent knew of the power of this symbol. However, as in every religion, if someone doesn't share those beliefs, the artifacts/demons/etc lose the supposed power they have. That's why the seal was of no significance to Claudia, she doesn't believe it has any real power and as such was not affected by it.
Vincent was not "wrong", the seal would have worked if Claudia had believed it would, just like Alessa and even Dhalia did.
The most fascinating thing about Vincent's line "Monsters?...they look like monsters to you?" is that it reveals his manipulative and abusive behavior, but his character doesn't necessarily need to expose or manifest extreme sadism, desires to murder or behave aggressively and violent, because he represents a more subtle and silent horror that sometimes can be overlooked by many people including the victim itself, as you said, gaslighting. It is a common manifestation of manipulative behavior in toxic and abusive relationships of any type, romantic, laboral, fraternal, paternal, etc...
Even though Heather and Vincent doesn't relate in any form, he uses her at expense of her safety or sanity (mainly because she feels more hatred towards Claudia and have more guts than him), is much more grave considering that Heather is still a teenager, but Vincent doesn't give two shits about it, and the most important point of all this, is that he managed to gaslight both Hearher and the player, including the fans of the series, it has more importance considering how around this brilliant line of dialogue, it has been form a theory that question the very sanity and morals of the protagonist, to believe that we, as player in control of the protagonist, are actually the murdeous monsters all along. But i don't actually believe in this theory because it would drop all the message behind the game, i just find it incredible that the implications of that horrible "joke" managed to pass through the screen into our minds.
OH MY GOD!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE STILL DOING SYMBOLISM VIDEOS I AM SO HAPPY!! i love your voice instead of the writings I hope you would update your older symbolism videos to voiced videos too!
Thanks so much! In fact, I am planning on updating them - and probably that will be the next one - back then I didn't have a microphone so I'd really like to update and re-record them. Thanks so much for watching!!! :D
... This is cute.
I couldn't agree more !! u are so amazing and I love ur videos , best luck
I love that part when he says they look like monsters to heather.
It’s an extension of SH2 where the characters seem to see and experience the town very differently from the main character. Sadly it’s never built upon in later games to my knowledge.
Yes, he Also sait that its a joke.... But are we sure about that?
13:03 everyone saw it, it's just that the Japanese are not SJW weirdos that like to "problematize" and "cancel" everyone and everything... + it was a long time ago. lol
@@DemonMaldito1 Ok weeaboo
@@shadows1062 I always thought he was talking to alessa and not Heather. Alessa killed many humans. Alessa and Heather are sorta the same person.
I love this character, they did an amazing job designing someone who's so unpleasant and off-putting without being over the top. I wish there was more content about him, your video is amazing ❤
Vincent to me is the most human in the third silent hill.
Monsters dont call or see themselves or other fellow monsters as 'monsters', maybe thats why hes surprised that she addresses them as such
Vincent shows all the symptoms for antisocial disorder/sociopathy. That may explain why he acts like that and uses people...
I view Vincent as this game's "non-important to the story but important for thematic character depth" angle that the original trilogy has. Silent Hill 1 has Lisa, Silent Hill 2 has Angela, Silent Hill 3 has Vincent. All three play an active role in the story, but for the actual plot of the game none of them really do anything to move it forward (Lisa says something off-hand to Harry of where to go once, but her saying that isn't really crucial). All three of these characters are maybe the most interesting of the supporting cast of characters, and I think part of that is each of them taps into very human things that fit within the themes of the individual games and uses those characters to explore them. It's also notable all three of these characters meet their demise right before the end of the game in the final location before the final boss battle. They're maybe not important for the actual plot of the story, but they do expand the themes. Lisa expands on the mystery and strangeness of the town and what happened to Cheryl, Angela expands on the "tortured souls" who end up in Silent Hill aspect, and Vincent expands on the The Order and the different sides and factions within it. In many ways these are the core "focuses" of each game, the mystery of the town and Cheryl for Silent Hill 1, personal hell for Silent Hill 2, and the Order and their beliefs in Silent Hill 3. All of them are essentially window dressing and used to show more personality and detail within the game world itself.
Vincent is my favorite character in Silent Hill. His role in SH3 is that he is Claudia's foil. Claudia is one of those old-testament dispensationalist types, while Vincent is a more modern preacher. He is a realist and wants to maintain the status quo. Sure he is corrupt, and he definitely is not a good guy, but he certainly does not want to fulfill prophecy. He is basically a caricature of your typical religious leader who preaches prophecy of change, but doesn't actually want to change. I like him as a character because he is extremely intelligent and knows exactly what is going on, but is also not blinded by zealous dogmatism like Claudia. Basically, Claudia and Vincent exist in SH3 to present the idea of what kind of people really populate The Order. I wouldn't be surprised if they also represent rival sects as well. There are other cult members throughout the series that seem to fall within one of those two types of membership: worshippers and enforcers.
I also don't believe that Vincent was trying to gaslight Heather. The Missionary and Scraper enemies are actual cult members; they look like monsters, but it's just bags over their heads (check out their models and you can clearly see their faces). I think this is what Vincent was inferring, and he does seem surprised. I don't think he was overly concerned simply because those particular enemies were operating under direct orders from Claudia, and Vincent obviously wanted her and her followers to go away. He made those intentions clear to Heather, which is why he was working with her. The reason why Vincent's plan didn't work out was that he was, well, corrupt and lost the faith. The game wants you to consider who is ethical, Claudia or Vincent? Then it shows you that they both fucked up.
I'd often believed that Heather and his interactions were like a bad relationship. He uses and manipulates her like an abusive partner. He is perhaps the most interesting and disgusting character in that game.... At least I think so.
Interesting
I'm surprised you didn't mention the other obvious parallel he shares with IRL, if the Cult of SH is akin to Scientology with actual supernatural abilities, then Vincent is a regular David Miscavige. Another good comparison to how he presents himself is like V.M. Varga in season 3 of Fargo played by David Thewlis, although he's way more obvious a slimy creep then even Vinvent, all that tight focus on his rotting teeth.
These Silent Hill videos of yours kick so much ass. I grew up with the series, so seeing a fellow fan so passionate about the game makes me very happy. You just earned yourself another sub. :D
Keep up the good work, can’t wait for the updated videos. ^^
Played it years ago with my friend as a kid beat the game now i as aldut bought it the HD remaster too scared to beat it 😌
It's great to see you doing videos again, keep at it!
Your assertion that Vincent must have powers because he is not bloodsplattered like Heather is. One huge flaw in the logic there. Laura.
Not everyone sees monsters. He refuses to dirty his hands, and so the darkness has no damnation to latch onto, to reflect any monsters to him.
Everything was good about this video, cept for how loud it got in the end. I was raising my volume to hear you, then all the sudden the jarring music you had on the end blasted my eardrums.
Valtiel may be a "Stalker" or observer but trust me when I say look at all the videos done on him and you will realize that he plays a WAY bigger role than the way you described him
I thought Vatiel was supposed to be a guide and protector of sorts
That's the gist of his motivations
Yeah he literally drags Heather back to the beginning (your most recent save) when she dies.
The Valtiel is an angel of the Order. He is there to ensure that the birth of God happens. This is why he stalks Heather in the Otherworld, attacks nurses, (Heather's enemy that would prevent God's birth if she dies), and is even seen dragging Heather to the nearest Halo of the Sun to resurrect her to birth God later. To say he is a protector of Heather is arguable, as it is stated and implied he only cares about tending to God and sends Heather back on her way to death after resurrection. God also kills the host mother/incubator upon successful birth. He is also seen gingerly veiling God's face with the iconic blood-red Order veil. This helps prove that Valtiel is only protecting God.
My boyo Valtiel is the red god bruvs check it out
Just like Douglas, I don't think Vincent has powers.
Well, "powers" is a broad term. It could be that he's versed in spells that ward off evil. His supernatural might being limited to repelling the threats of Silent Hill, so he can walk around the place unscathed. Vincent doesn't need to be able to shoot lightning from his fingers to have power.
Still, I think just like Lisa was able to get around without being attacked by the creatures because, as she said, she is one of them, Vincent would most likely just go about his business, as the creatures seem to focus on attacking the player character in most silent hill, so I think Douglas gets around more like Cybil and Vincent more like Lisa, one interacts less or never with the creatures and the other isn't even threatening to them, as he is a part of the otherworld. So, in a way, Vincent would never win if the otherworld were to be destroyed, he was "fighting" to protect it so he wouldn't want to harm any of creatures, plus he is a masterful manipulator with a religious knowledge of the otherworld, I'm sure he could just be smart enough to not get himself into danger but I don't believe he is anymore powerful than that, no spells or anything, he seems weaker than Claudia, Dahlia, who were able to make rituals, while he hasn't shown to know enough of that, he seems more like a false believer with bad intentions. But that's just my take, in the end everybody sees silent hill differently.
Admittedly, there are aspects of this video I agree with... and some I don't. ;-; SH3 is definitely a coming-of-age story told from the female's perspective. We have the advent of BLOOD (period) that promises the death of adolescence (in this case, the death of Heather as she births God). We have the fear of motherhood (Heather taking the pill to abort her child). And we have the fear of men (with various male figures giving Heather little reason to trust them). However, the part I don't agree with is the video's overemphasis on masculine domination over women. It gives little consideration toward the perversions/corruption of femininity also present in the game.
Perhaps it's because I played this game when it first came out, before the rise of PC culture and before feminism had warped into this 'all-men-are-pigs' view, that I saw this game as representing teenage female angst and not so much gender warfare or 'male violence'. If anything, SH3 has a lot in common with Carrie - we have the tale of a girl undergoing a traumatic bodily change who grows up fearing guys (thereby seeing them all as threats) while suffering the torment of female bullies. This is the type of story many of us women experienced (minus the supernatural elements, lol). Eventually, the female protagonist learns to let go of her fear, learns to make peace with men, and take control of her destiny. But unlike Carrie, who takes her destiny straight to hell, Heather succeeds and lives to tale the tell. The difference?
Heather overcomes the Great Maternal Figure. Carrie does not.
In SH3, many great feminine figures stand in Heather's way, including her past self. We have Claudia who, like any tyrant motherly figure, demands Heather to fulfill her role as a Woman via childbirth. We have the tall, deformed skirt-wearing Closers in the mall that first appear in a clothing store with bulky bag-like hands (representing our ties with the commercial/cosmetic world). We also got the female nurses (warped maternal figures that are supposed to 'care' for their patient) that try to shackle/suppress Heather. Then there's Heather facing her past self. And lastly, there's God - a creature with all the beauty and wrath of Woman.
While it's true that a great number of males try to dominate Heather, her main opposition comes from femininity itself, all of which attempt to suppress her by forcing her to be the Mother of God, trapping her into this hellish world where walls bleed and Heather endures insufferable cramps. In trying to abort her child, however, Heather REJECTS this maternal predestined role (something many of today's modern women can relate to, yet consequently receive scrutiny from men AND women alike). Ironically enough, Heather is only able to reject her maternal predestined role with the help of men in her life: her Father (who provides the pill), Douglas (who tries to stop Claudia), and Vincent (who, while selfishly motivated, points her the way to Claudia). Additionally, it's love for FATHER that pushes Heather to confront her nightmares and her past. Harry's strong influence on Heather becomes her strength. Even when she learns the truth of her origins and how Harry felt after reading his diary, she focuses on his love. All of these male characters, both the self-righteous and selfish, allow Heather to forge her new destiny by overcoming the Great Maternal Figure (God). It's the meshing of the masculine and feminine forces that open up a new route for Heather.
So overall, there are masculine AND feminine forces at play in SH3 - both positive and negative. Unfortunately, the video (like the Lisa Garland video) seem to focus squarely on masculine forces, often overemphasizing its negative impact and strictly focusing on 'male'violence'. Yet, the videos downplay strong feminine influence - all the good, the bad, AND the ugly. We have male violence but we ignore the feminine opposition and female violence ALSO attacking Heather's soul. At times, the videos stray dangerously close to SJW commentary than critical observations.
In terms of Vincent himself, the topic of this video, I viewed him as a representative of religious corruption. During the time this game was released, there was a LOT of tension building between the public and the Church. Many stories came out, exposing corrupt priests and Church organizations. Not a day went by I didn't see a new story of child molestation within the Church on the news during the early 2000s. SH3 came out in a time when religion was being exposed and attacked on all fronts. Thus, Vincent's role wasn't so much a symbol of male domination, but rather, he served as the embodiment of spiritual corruption. He reminded us that simply being a 'religious man' does not make you a good human being. You can be both religious AND corrupt. Like a member of the Westboro Baptist Church, you can take that faith to the dark side.
As the old saying goes, the road to hell is paved by good intentions.
Keep in mind, SH3 is a straight-up sequel to SH1. Both games feature critical insight into religions and its practices. Both games demonstrate the DARK side of religion. Vincent, in his own queer way, WAS a religious man. He does not see monsters in Silent Hill and is able to survive that world because, like Laura from SH2, his mind reflects a twisted, yet strangely optimistic perspective. He sees only opportunity (for himself, of course... :P). His faith and selfish needs blind him. He does not enjoy seeing others in pain because he does not ACKNOWLEDGE their pain in the first place. He's so full of himself that he blinds himself from everyone's misery and lives in his happy place, which no doubt, Silent Hill becomes for him.
Thanks for this comment; great insight! I agree with a lot of the video's content but the fixation on "male violence" against Heather was disappointing since there is so much more going on. They seemed very willing to overlook Claudia's abuse of Heather and even absolve Claudia of responsibility by saying she was "twisted by male violence", which shunts the responsibility back onto men as though Claudia is not responsible for her own actions. I'm happy to see someone point out the positive male influences for Heather (namely her father Harry, who was murdered by the character who has been absolved in this video for some reason) and give a more unbiased analysis. The themes of abuse and domination by men is absolutely present in Silent Hill 3, but it's only part of the complex tapestry, not the driving force behind the network of symbolism present in the story.
......the only reason that this video talks more about 'male violence' is because its a video about Vincent. Lol
Feminism never 'warped' into 'kill-all-men'. Have you ever studied feminist theory in your life? Third wave feminism is all about intersectionality and inclusiveness and reaches out to men to be part of the conversation. You're thinking of second wave. Also, acknowledging the prevalence of male violence against women isn't 'SJW commentary'?? It's literally a fact of life. There's nothing wrong with reading that in the game's narrative. The video never said anything about the entire game being ONLY about male violence to the exclusion of everything else. It's a focused video on a specific character and topic. Yall don't have to 'not-all-men' every damn thing. Lol.
Candy P for real smh 🙄
RadiusZero The feminism focus was okay, it was something that not many people say. The fact that this was the first Silent Hill to have a woman protagonist had to show all of this dark side of the male violence in the world towards women. It's clear that the way the antagonists abuse of Heather is much more different than it would be to a man, because she's just a young girl that's vulnerable and still learning. Silent Hill doesn't focus on religion or political matters, it's main focus is the dark side of the human psyche, and it's not a coincidence that male violence towards women is one of the most important things in this game, because is the abuse of a father towards her daughter (Claudia) which ultimately leads to the creation of the main antagonist, and repercutes in her psychological development, believing that the world is only but suffering, so she must destroy it with God itself. She could have talked more about positive male influences, but her focus was on the Symbolism from Vincent
I do love when you speak. It's so captivating! I hope to see and hear more of your symbolism videos. SH series deserves you.
I know this is probably unintentional, but the lack of reverb in your recording really works for a video like this. It makes it sound very aged and intimate, like I’m listening to this through an old cassette tape in a niche.
"They looked like monsters to you?"
I am so happy you are still doing these videos I was watching all of them because recently I have been wanting to play the third one again.
Watched this whole video 🙏😊 I loved it 👍 I never played a silent hill game but the lore seems so fascinating it became a major inspiration on my own art . Thank you for this video 🙏 I Liked and Sub and keep up the amazing work
I'm so glad you made a new one!
I like your analysis. I would say Vincent could have narcissistic personality disorder
I was wearing headphones while listening to this... that ending with the zoom and loud sounds scared the crap out of me lol.
This is great. But I'm thrown that when Vincent is mortally wounded, he does not beg for his life or plead for Heather to help him. His last breath is used to call on Heather to use the seal, to save the world, even if he is not long for it.
This makes me think he is the most human in this silent hill, he knows he is flawed but at the same time he doesn't want to be flawless. Meanwhile Heather over there killing "monsters"
Vincent does not want to "save the world". Just like Michael Kaufman, he just wants to ruin the deluded cultist's plan and get out of the Otherworld.
Im so upset. My stalkers name was Stanley. He was disgusting and persistent and felt like a floating black cloud ready to invade my life. He was 35. I was 14. He harassed me for years.
Rachel Marie-Pfeifer omg that's terrible. What a creep
Cool story
I’m late but i am really sorry for what happened to you
Oh my god ! And there are still people who say games and movies are useless to our lives ?! It's official, fiction is nothing more but the reflection of reality, and most people can't see that. By the way, i wished having Vincent turned into the monster he was, for so we got to make him suffer even more and then kill him.
All throughout this video, I was thinking of Draco and Lucius Malfoy, two other (male) characters who fall into the self-obsessed, "all show, no substance" bully/elitist character type. They are abusive and manipulative towards anyone else who does not share their ideas, which is to say everyone, but when faced with true evil and conflict, any Malfoy will show their true colors: cowards who are not nearly as talented as they say, hiding behind meat-headed cronies until the weather turns fair again.
Shame that good guy harry did not survives the ordeal undermined some of the last bit of your message. Also Stanley Coleman isn't entirely narcissistic like Vincent, The worst he/it did to Heather was objectifying her, an object of his obsession. He did warned her of Leonard Wolf which is now a boss monster out of his twisted notion of love.
Harry died to remove the only purely positive and protective male figure out of Heather's life.
And Stanley is very much dangerous. He is a stalker. And his kind usually ends up murdering or trying to murder whoever they are stalking
7min few secs, one my favourite lines in SH. That ominous out look that he brings to heather, terrifying her, while we see that he is probobly a bad guy. A beautiful masterpiece of horror indeed.
Vincent is no different than the majority of people who seek an easy life and give into temptation. Attributing more malice to the character is uncharitable. Also, he's better voiced in the original release of the game, remake paints him out to be more of a wolf rather than a weasel.
As a man who enjoyed SH3 a couple of times years ago, I have to say that I didn't focus on the genders of the enemies/antagonists in this game, maybe because men are generally not taught to watch out for specifically male predators, but for persons who behave menacingly and want to cause harm in general. Vincent being untrustworthy, Claudia deranged, Leonard aggressive were just all lumped in the "beware" and then "danger" category later in the game by me. Douglas never gave me that creep feeling, just the straight-up, messy detective vibe. Thank you for the vids!
He's an incredibly enigmatic character. And while he doesn't take any direct actions, what he says and how he says it shows how manipulative he is and that he's a sadist. For someone "on my side" he scares me the most out of the characters in game
I'm incredibly late to comment but I've been watching your videos for years and I've never been able to find the introduction music to this video, it's so mechanical and visceral.
Thank you for the amazing content, it has helped me through some very traumatic times and it inspires me in my art and life even today. You are an amazing person and I wish you all the best!
Oddly enough, I had just found out about your videos a few days ago. I feel super lucky that you're making more again.
Your review was very smart! It's a very refreshing point of view and explains many things. I like how Silent Hill is all about the dark side of the human psyche, and truly the male abuse towards women in the world creates a lot of psychological trauma and negative effects, much more different than with the other male protagonists in Silent Hill. It's no coincidence that the main antagonist became like that because of the abuse of her father, creating her view about the suffering on the world, and that it should be destroyed by god itself to create the paradise. I would have never thought that women should actually know more about this game, is very mature and makes you reflex a lot
Please do Silent Hill Symbolism: Alessa
I love all your videos, but the audio conversations & music switches from a higher to low unexpectedly. As for the psychology & symbolism, you absolutely hit the nail on each SH Character & I love that.
When dealing with sociopaths you must try to limit your own empathy towards them, lessen your expectations for their capacity for good. I wasn't angered by him because I knew who he was, I also didn't feel bad when he was murdered (more shocked).. Ironically it was Claudia I ended up feeling sorry for and felt anger towards because I could expect more from her. Vincent was fun in the context of the story, a nightmare in reality.
The "they look like monsters" thing is fascinating considering how Silent Hill uniquely manifests depending on the person's consciousness. This could tie in with the Book of the Dead, where the same deity may appear as either wrathful vs peaceful (I.e. like the SH "god") depending on their karma. It's been argued that Pyramid Head is James' guardian angel there to point him the right way and beaten by not resisting him, this is referenced in the movie.
This makes me believe Vincent is the most human, he accepts he is flawed and accepts the world that he lives in is flawed (hence many of the crimes he is "shown") he doesn't see any monsters. To me he doesn't seem all that sinful in comparison to other people who have done much worse.
Perhaps Vincent isn't exactly looking out to hurt Heather. To him, Heather was just his pawn. It doesn't seem like Vincent is holding any grudges towards Heather so doesn't seem like has much interest to hurt her. In a way they both seem to have a common goal ( The both want to get at Claudia, for Heather it was revenge against the death of her father and for Vincent it was stop the new order) although it is definitely obvious that Vincent is manipulating Heather by not telling the full story of what is actually going on. When we look at it from the hero's journey point of view, Heather is actually confronting Alessa which is a darker aspect of her personality (Driven by resentment). The death doesn't mean that Heather dies but rather she is letting that hatred inside her die instead of her actual physical self. She successfully integrates the darker side of her personality into her self, becoming more whole as a person. Asides from that since the world of Silent Hill is often shaped according to the main character (The world and its characters represents the unconscious part of the character's self) it would make sense that there are themes of abuse towards women since the main character is a woman. However I feel that the video becomes a bit too cynical about men because you seem to paint a character that has never had positive relationship with men and lives in fear or the very least is overly cautious of them. Hence a character that is afraid and paints the world as a dark place. I say this because it seems like everything is analysed through the lens of harm against the woman. So I feel that there is something missing which is that Heather bravely confronts the dangers, her deepest fears as she travels throughout Silent hill (uncovering more and more as she goes deeper) and becomes wiser after it. In a sense, yes she is a victim but she is also someone who manages to overcome the challenges even after Douglas gets hurt near the end. Douglas seems to indicate that men are not necessarily predators but can also become protectors. I believe this is a holistic take on the story of Silent Hill 3.
So pleased you are back! I can't wait to see what is next!
Thank you for the character analyses. They really make me want to replay the games, as I have not done so since undergrad.
Welcome back, I love what you have built for us so far!
I love the meaning rooted inside this game. I was too young to really understand the symbolism but now I can see the concept of it being surrounded around violence of men and abuse and I totally did not catch
Vincent by far is one of my favorite characters due to his despicable nature. He really is a conundrum. I remember the making of SH3 video describing Vincent as a "hypocrite behind nice clothes and a neat appearance". Vincent is a real hypocrite, he'll claim to stand for something only to turn soon after to suit himself. He's definitely not a good guy in this story.
Interesting that you mentioned Heather viewing Douglas suspiciously at first, seeing as there was a thing put in by Konami where Douglas appears in his boxer shorts. According to the programmers it's meant to imply that Heather possibly fancies Douglas and has a thing for older guys, when the code is entered in on the menu screen, Heather makes a seductive moaning sound so that is what lead to this impression........but I think the image may represent what Heather imagines when she first meets him. Not in a positive way, she views him as a possible predator and her anxiety gives this image.
I always viewed Vincent more of a "devil's advocate" if you will. If you knew what Heather was doing to these "monsters" would you just act like she is just an innocent person? No one in the third silent hill is flawless. Douglass himself wants to be ignorant in his past and his crimes. Vincent while not a nice person still has good intentions deep down like everyone else, just that he is more okay with being the "devil's advocate", like he said "it's okay to believe in the same god and disagree" and also mocks Claudia in what she has done to his church that he has helped create to help boosts in believers (that and gain money to maybe create more believers that way).
To me I find that Vincent is the most human.
"There's no profit in the end of the world"
Wow just found this channel. I love Silent Hill almost more than anything and these videos are amazing. Glad to have found you, and thank you for making these.
Awesome vid! Digging into these characters' purpose and symbolism is fascinating to me, and you are very thorough!
Having a choice to save Vincent or something would have added more
Wujuuuu is awesome! And even better, you are back!!
ITS BACK 💞
Vincent is my favorite character in SH3. Its very interesting.
He also looks like David Koresh
athfcoz I think he kinda looks like a Baldwin
You seem to push too many 'personal' traumas in male characters, it reflects the dominant and forced opinion of the current time rather than an objective analysis.
I disagree. These games were designed by very intelligent people in an effort not just to create something frightening, but as a cultural critique of America. That's confirmed in multiple scenes - most famously, the gun in the shopping cart representing gun violence in america - it's not far fetched to draw conclusions about Vincent and his behavior, too. Try watching the Behind the Scenes of SH3 - the cast makes some comments about Vincent and his behavior that are in line with an abusive character who only serves himself.
Did you ever notice that Vincent disappears in the final confrontation, in the church, between Claudia and heather?
Any theories where they went? ;)
He’s a coward of course he’s going to leave sorry I don’t know were he went tho
He was absorbed by the ground just like Resident Evil 4 enemies when they die lol
The monsters are humans.
Something very interesting about him is how he sounds in the casette tape that you find in the church. He sounds kind, harmless and concerned for others wellbeing. Of course, because he's playing his role as a "kind preacher", but since we know his true colors, it sounds like a completely different person.
This kind of manipulation is why loved ones of abusers (family and friends that haven't been victimized by them), refuse to believe their dangerous and deranged nature. They've only seen the facade, the charming missleading side. Otherwise they wouldn't have power over others.
Well considering in recent RL actions recently *COUGH COUGH* Vincent to me is the most human and is totally okay with being flawed and doesn't like the idea of things being flawless.
@@maximnikolaev6627 I completely agree, he's my fave character of SH3.
I mean, when Walter sullivan was abused, we didn't care about the gender of his abusers. Plus Heather's father was a virtuous man that step into the depths of hell in search of his daughter just to end up raising and defending a random baby which was given to him after losing his own daughter.
Exactly, this feminist is on a men bashing mission with her amateur interpretations of Silent Hill
Amazing character analysis really glad to see your back
Thank you so much for this video. Great job on doing those analysis.
This video and analysis ended with myopic interpretation of the game, since it is focused solely on Vincent and men trying to assert their dominance. While I still believe that male violence/dominance is part of the story, the video seems to be too focused on the male violence/dominance aspect. The game criticizes abuse of religious power from authority figures like Vincent and zealotry of people like Claudia. Since the game is actually about Heather, it's a tale of her coming of age and becoming her own person, not the self that others are trying to dictate to/ force on her. The main character is a child growing into a young adult, and the adults are trying to control her life, like happens in real life. It's pretty much running the gamut of a young person's life. You obviously have predators, you also have manipulators, both male AND female who try to dictate Heather's decisions. Even Heather's father had, by trying to protect her, inadvertantly stunted her own growth. Yet it's her father, Harry, who has been trying to protect her from these corrupting forces. Harry's death may have been a blessing in disguise, as he would have kept her from growing. In the end she finds her own voice and conquers her demons, and she comes into her own, to a grown ass woman.
These videos are always good
These are so cool, glad one appeared in my suggestions bar. :)
Awesome video as always ! Thank you for more symbolism in SH ~!
I've wondered before whether the "they look like monsters to you?" line was meant to hint at Vincent being immune to the Otherworld, though I'm sure he meant to upset Heather too. Perhaps he enjoys the fact that it torments people other while he is able to pass through it unscathed. If he is such a sick horrible person maybe he sees it as a beautiful place, kind of like how Laura's innocence protected her from the town in SH2.
The last area in the game is the cult's lair, which they created in the Otherworld, so that is where the cult hangs out. The Missionary/Scraper enemies are all cult members with bags over their faces (if you look at models, you can see their faces). Everything else shouldn't be hostile, or possibly not even exist, to cult members.
Personally, I believe that the true plot to Silent Hill is that there is a town that has some strange ability to physically manifest psychic energy, so some people with old testament religion went there centuries ago and ended up inadvertently creating physical manifestations of their religious beliefs, and then they carried on creating their own little world thinking that they were seeing something that has always existed. Somebody like Vincent knows that this Otherworld is what they make it, so he doesn't ascribe to Claudia's vision of purgatory. I also think it's a story about how small towns live in their own bubbles that are often detached from the outside world in many ways (I grew up in a small town).
My name is Vincent. I already have a bias.
Nothing wrong with having a bias :) to me Vincent in the third silent hill is the most human! Accepting that everyone have different ways in thinking "people can believe in the same god and one can disagree"
Wonderful video! Thank you Muse.
Looking at someone with one eye and looking away with the other eye is called "false attention" - this further proves Vincents' untrustworthy character.
The Douglas guy is the legend, Who agree?
yep he is I wonder what happened to him after the event of silent hill 3
Great i like your review, Vincent is a very interesting character for me, and i dindnt like the vincent snow from the movie, that was the first thing why i didnt like that movie. Btw im making inspired songs of silent hill if you are interested, would be great to see an opinion from you of my tribute :)
whoa, it's really awesome to hear the words "male violence" being used, since a lot of people are afraid to use it or talk about gendered issues. i found your videos only recently and i thought i'd seen pretty much everything about silent hill but your vids put me right back there, when i first played the games, and your analysis of the symbolism is really fresh and interesting to me even years after my first obsession with them. thank u for indulging us SH fans!
YAAAY you're back!!
Nice video as usual 😁
Hell, not only was he wrong about the whole mettaton thing, he's also completely wrong when he tells Heather to kill Claudia, since if she DOES, it ends up being the exact catalyst for the birth of the God.
CHEESUS CRASSUS thanks for the heart attack at 17:23!
HOLY SHIT I just freaked out when I saw a new one of these. AHHHHHH.
You are confusing terribly gender violence with the act of sex, that last is actually present on almost every SH game, it's not about male violence, it's about the horrors of rape and pregnancy, specially because it's related to the supernatural way god is birthed into the world of SH 1 and 3. Also, I as a woman don't live in constant fear of male strangers, if you do that's your problem sweetie, one meets mostly polite and kind men everyday, teachers, drivers, doctors, janitors..., but maybe the fear is not letting you notice, so speak for yourself, because this series has been very well done on past videos, but on this one I dare to assure that you stopped talking about Silent Hill 3 and started projecting instead.
EXACTLY. There is barely any symbolism discussion, and the whole video took a sharp turn from being vaguely analytical and a little biased, to personal, emotional, biased and heavily projected. I came to get a different perspective on silent hill 3, definitely not this crap.
To me, men and women are equally capable of manipulation and inflicting pain on others, just as they are capable of expressing support and kindness. I'm not sure how the topic of symbolism evolved to a stand of male violence towards women, because... that's just not fair. I'm a male, and I've never treated women with any more, or less respect, than a man. I simply treat everyone I meet with respect, unless they don't respect me, in which case... I just don't talk to them?
Love your videos!
Your videos are the best SH source from all TH-cam!!!
Also, you often reference to sexism in video games and real life, but does his (not to mention many other cases) gender actually have anything to do with his actions or has it not?
I've watched the 10 videos and they give this heartbreaking feel when you (otherwise really good) fall for this whole "male=rapist dominant pig" theme from time to time.
Anyway, this is a very interesting series to watch.
She clearly suggests Harry and Douglas are good men? Which they are. (Harry is awesome AF).
Maybe I'm wrong? I dunno.
All these comments saying you have a feminist agenda... this game is focused on growing up as a young girl in a world full of men who can harm you, intentionally or not. Many of the men in this game are targeting heather because they believe that because shes a young girl she will give into them easily, this is gender related violence, and I don't understand how others interpret it as anything else.
Blood_N_ Jazz Claudia could be seen as how 'modern feminism' is actually bad
@@blood_n_jazz4477 Yeah , you have a point
@@blood_n_jazz4477 I would take back every thumbs up I ever gave & give them all to this comment if I could. I started binge watching her vids in no particular order & her less than subtle personal views were ridiculously emphasized in this one.
R.I.P SCOTT MCCULOCH (ORIGINAL VOICE OF CHRIS REDFIELD DIED IN CAR CRASH IN 2000) ALSO WE LOST PAUL HADDAD ON APRIL 11TH (ORIGINAL VOICE OF LEON DUE TO THROAT CANCER)
The detective in Sh3 Richard Grosse died a month before Sh3 release (2003)
I love your videos, I'm a big fan of silent hill and I have learning disability and its hard for me understand the game so I have play multiple times to get it but you teaching me something new every video 🙂... Thank you,
It's just a joke! *Adjusts glasses*
Gamingmuse, what did you think of downpour?
ITS BACK! I REPEAT! ITS BACK!
yeah, i love silent hill and that you can find new theorie videos :D
Tahnk you very much^^ i enjoy it^^
Oooh you ve made it !! So glad that you havent stoped.. Im Brasilian, please do videos with legends ... Thx|!! Love your analisys...
I noticed that there is mention of nurses being abused by doctors in the first and third Silent Hill games. Is this coming from true events? Since these games were made in Japan, I'm wondering if nurses in Japan have been abused by the doctors they work for? Just wondering.
Love your channel only just found it
Great video
One thing you can compare this game to is Alice in Wonderland. Vincent is like the Cheshire Cat.
Totally agree with you. Vincent is a psychological creature you can't penetrate mentally, only physically
#knivesftw