Closer

A Closer from Silent Hill 3

Other names

None

Debut

Silent Hill 3

Other appearances

None

Health

Medium-high

Locations

Central Square Shopping Center
Hazel Street Station
Brookhaven Hospital
Lakeside Amusement Park
Chapel

Weapons

None

Attack method(s)

Strikes with arms

The Closer is a common monster found in Silent Hill 3.

Appearance

Its body seems to mock the female form, as its entire face resembles a pair of lips; it seems to be wearing a mini-skirt. The Closer is a tall, menacing creature, with thick, all-encompassing arms. Some sections of the creature's arms seem to be stitched together and bandaged up. Excluding Heather Mason's dream sequence, this is the first type of monster she encounters. It is seen in a clothing store as it feeds on a corpse. Soon after, Heather shoots it to death as it approaches her.

Character

Closers move slowly, but their massive size and reach make them somewhat dangerous, as is their tendency to appear in tight spaces. They attack by hitting Heather with their club-like arms or extending a blade-like bone fragment from the tips of their arms. They emit a series of grunts and groans when Heather is nearby. Following Brookhaven Hospital, the Closers become significantly more dangerous; if the player gets too close in an attempt to attack them, they will defend themselves by swinging their arms in a circle around them, knocking Heather back. In the cult chapel, they become even more monstrous in appearance and attack.

Symbolism

The Closer is a manifestation of Alessa Gillespie's memories of her mother's abuse, hence the enlarged arms. Its name is derived from its ability to obstruct a path with its huge body. It is also similar to one of the monsters Alessa used to draw when she was young. It looks almost identical to the Mandarin from Silent Hill 2 (along with a possible similar symbolism of overwhelming, inescapable fear), and also very similar to Silent Hill: Homecoming's Siam. The face of the Closer is almost the same as the image on the arms of the Mandarin, further demonstrating possible connections. It is interesting to note that the Closer's arms seem to resemble punching bags, further alluding to Heather's repressed memories of being abused.

It could be a distorted interpretation of real people: mall shoppers. It is reminiscent of a figure holding a shopping bag in each hand. This is supported by the fact that it first appears in the Central Square Shopping Center. Its mouth is the most prominent feature on the face, possibly reflecting the idea that mall shoppers talk too much.

There is a running theme of maternity and femininity in Silent Hill 3 and many of its monsters due to the central conflict of the game centering on impregnation in the cult's attempts to force Heather to birth their god. The Closer's face can be thought of to look like labia (vaginal lips), which correlates with this theme. Also connecting the Closer to the theme of impregnation or maternity is the sounds it will emit when fallen; the Closer will make very loud moaning noises, all the while writhing about on the floor. This can be seen as reminiscent of sexual intercourse.

Trivia

• If the game code is hacked, and the gore is removed from the corpse that the first Closer is eating, the corpse is revealed to be a modified model of Angela Orosco.
• Akira Yamaoka, the sound director for the series, took the sounds of a rhinoceros and digitally altered them to create the sounds of the Closer.
• The "outfit" the Closer wears is similar to the dress that Alessa Gillespie wore in Silent Hill.
• A drawing of the Closer is in a corner of Alessa's room, near the locked door leading to the final boss fight.
• The message "南無妙法蓮華経" is written on the top of the Closer's head which literally translates as "like Lotus Sutra" [1]
• The Closer has unused animations showing it to be able to climb to higher areas with the nail-like extensions that protrude from its arms.

Gallery

Concept sketch.

Concept sketch.

A Closer in Heather's nightmare.

The first (real-life) encounter with a Closer.

A Closer confronting Heather.

Two Closers approaching Heather.

A Closer in Lakeside Amusement Park.

"南無妙法蓮華経" is written on the Closer's head

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