Dahlia Gillespie

Dahlia in the fog world

Gender

Female

Age

33 (in flashbacks)
63

Status

Alive

Hair color

Grey
Red (in flashbacks)

Eye color

Blue

Occupation

None

Appearance(s)

Silent Hill film
Silent Hill: Revelation

Actor

Deborah Kara Unger

The name Dahlia may refer to multiple subjects. Please see Dahlia for other uses of the term.

Dahlia Gillespie is the biological mother of Alessa Gillespie, first appearing in the Silent Hill film. She is played by Deborah Kara Unger.

Biography

Dahlia was a member of a religious cult led by Christabella, which appears to worship a female deity. A small shrine to this deity can be seen in Dahlia's apartment, which overlooks Nathan Drugs.

When Dahlia was 24, she gave birth to an illegitimate child named Alessa, whose father she refused to name. Because of this, Alessa was ostracized by the townspeople and was considered to be a witch and "sin incarnate". This weighed heavily on Dahlia, who loved her child, but was unable to stop the machinations of the Brethren.

In November of 1974, Alessa was sexually assaulted by the school janitor and Dahlia was called to the school to take her home. When she arrived, Christabella tried to convince Dahlia that Alessa was "filth" that must be "purified". Dahlia agreed and Alessa was taken to the sacrificial chamber located in the Grand Hotel. In the hotel, Christabella asked Dahlia to leave, saying "We fight the sin, not the sinner", and dragged a screaming Alessa through the secret doorway.

Dahlia realized her error and ran to get the police, returning sometime later, only to find Alessa shackled onto a large iron seal, still alive with third degree burns over her body. Dahlia screamed at the sight and was dragged away by the police, while officer Thomas Gucci removed Alessa from her shackles and carried her to Brookhaven Hospital.

Later on, Dahlia was brought into Alessa's Otherworld and was forced to live with the horrific monsters conjured by her daughter's rage. She was cast out of the cult, which comprised the sole remaining people living in the Fog World and was looked on with disdain by their members. 30 years later, Dahlia appears to be very haggard and unclean, wearing old rags, with matted, unwashed hair and long, dirty toenails and fingernails.

Silent Hill

Rose Da Silva, the film's protagonist, first comes into contact with Dahlia when she finds herself at a steep drop-off which signals the end of the Fog World. Dahlia tells Rose about the child she lost, and then becomes upset when she sees a picture of Rose's daughter Sharon in her locket. She tells Rose that Sharon is her child, and tries to take the locket from her. Rose becomes frightened and knocks Dahlia to the ground before running off.

Dahlia is later seen in the hotel, trying to avoid rocks being thrown at her by a young cult member named Anna. Anna tries to attack Dahlia with a knife, but Rose and officer Cybil Bennett stop her. Dahlia reminds Anna that the current situation of Silent Hill is the cult's doing and runs off before Rose can question her. Anna informs Rose and Cybil that Dahlia was cast out by the cult and that "not even the darkness wants her". After the air raid sirens sound again, the three women arrive at the church to find Dahlia on the steps, trying to talk to the cult members. Dahlia grabs Cybil and warns her not to go into the church, telling her the cult members are "damned". Rose then confronts Dahlia, demanding to know why Sharon is identical to Alessa and if Alessa is dead. Dahlia cryptically tells her "Evil wakes in vengeance, be careful what you choose." The Darkness then overtakes the town, and Anna is slain by Pyramid Head after she tries to throw another rock at Dahlia.

The missing Sharon is found hiding in Dahlia's apartment towards the end of the film and is kidnapped by cult members as Dahlia tries to defend her. Both of them are taken to the church, where Dahlia is knocked unconscious by a cult member with a wooden log. She awakens as Alessa's tainted essence bleeds out of Rose and looks on in terror as Alessa and Dark Alessa (Alessa's dark side) rise into the church to take their final revenge. As the killing continues, Dahlia confronts Alessa, sadly asking her what has she become.

Once Alessa's revenge is completed, Dahlia is left alive on the church steps. She asks Rose why Alessa didn't take her with the others, to which Rose reminds her that she is still Alessa's mother, and "Mother is God in the eyes of a child". Dahlia then realizes that Sharon is now Alessa, and watches in shock as her child leaves the church with another mother.

Silent Hill: Revelation

Dahlia appears in Silent Hill: Revelation, the 2012 sequel to Silent Hill. Dahlia appears to have adapted her physical personality from the original game, rather than the ragged being she was in the first film.

Heather Mason, an older, renamed version of Sharon, meets Dahlia and accuses her of letting the Order burn Alessa. Dahlia sorrowfully denies this, stating that she loved her daughter dearly, but was tricked by the cult into giving her up. Heather asks about why the Order wants her. Dahlia explains that the Order wants to recombine Alessa's soul so they can force her to give birth to their god. The Otherworld then takes over, and Dahlia tells Heather to run and find shelter inside, where it is slightly safer.

Relation to the Wolfs

According to the canon of the first movie, Dahlia is the sister of Christabella. In Revelation, Claudia Wolf states that she is Christabella's sister, which makes Claudia also Dahlia's sister, and Vincent Cooper Dahlia's nephew. It is possible that Claudia does not mention being related to Dahlia due to the shame of Alessa's "evil" and Dahlia's split from the cult.

Actor's comments

Deborah Kara Unger

Trivia

• Unlike the game, Dahlia is incorporated in the film as a sympathetic character, not the villain.

• Both director Christophe Gans and Deborah Kara Unger refer to Dahlia as "Cassandra Dahlia". This is likely a reference to the Greek story of Cassandra, who had the gift of foresight, but was cursed to be believed by no one.

• Dahlia speaks extremely softly throughout the film and is sometimes very hard to hear. This was to show that Dahlia wasn't able to be strong and speak for herself.

• It is notable that Dahlia is immune to the dangers of the Fog World and the Otherworld. This is because Dahlia is the mother of Alessa, who controls these worlds, and is still loved by her, or as Rose says, "Mother is God in the eyes of a child."

• Dahlia is holding Rose's pendant in Revelation.

Gallery

Young Dahlia.

Young Dahlia.

Ragged Dahlia.

Dahlia and Heather.

Dahlia and Rose

Dahlia telling Heather that the darkness is coming

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