The Creeper is an insectoid monster appearing in Silent Hill and Silent Hill 2. A manifestation of Alessa Gillespie's dislike of insects, they were encountered by Harry Mason when Silent Hill, Maine was transfigured by her psychic powers. They are hostile to humans, moving with great speed and reacting strongly to light.
After the collapse of Alessa's Otherworld, the power of the town intensified to the point of manifesting the unconscious minds of ordinary people. By the time James Sunderland came to Silent Hill in search of his wife, the Creepers could still be seen throughout the town.
The Creepers were adapted into Silent Hill: The Arcade and the 2006 film adaptation.
History[]
In Silent Hill, Maine, Dahlia Gillespie thought she could use her psychic daughter Alessa to birth the god of her religion into the material world. She performed a summoning ritual to impregnate her with the deity, which was successful, but Alessa sustained significant burns that left her hospitalized. To prevent the god's birth, Alessa divided her soul in half, allowing a part of herself to manifest as a child in another part of town, who was eventually adopted and taken to live elsewhere. To retrieve Alessa's other half and complete the birthing process, Dahlia cast a spell to draw the child back to Silent Hill.
Over the next seven years, Alessa remained comatose in the hospital. As nourishment, the god fetus in her womb amplified and fed on her negative emotions, forcing her to experience a constant nightmare in her sleep. When the other half of her soul finally returned to Silent Hill, her nightmare was projected onto the town through her psychic abilities, transfiguring it into a world of her subconscious thoughts manifested into physical form.[1][2]
As Harry Mason traversed the town, he fought through monsters from Alessa's nightmares, including the Creepers in several locations. When Alessa died and was reborn as Heather, her Otherworld collapsed.[3] As a result of what happened, the latent supernatural powers of the town intensified greatly, reaching the point that the unconscious minds of ordinary people were manifested.[2][4]
James Sunderland experienced this phenomenon when he traveled to Silent Hill to investigate a letter. By the time he arrived, the Creepers were still present throughout the town, including the streets and buildings. He escaped a swarm of them in a room underneath the Silent Hill Historical Society.[5]
Appearance[]
In Silent Hill, the Creeper appears as a large, cockroach-like insect with three pairs of legs and two long "antenna" from the back.
In Silent Hill 2, the Creeper is slightly smaller with a stronger green tinge to its body and the two antenna-like tails on its back are absent. It makes both a low chirp and a sound like the squeaking of a small wheel.
Symbolism[]
The Creeper is a manifestation of Alessa Gillespie's obsession and dislike of insects.[6][1]
According to Lost Memories: Silent Hill Chronicle, the Creepers in Silent Hill 2 are potentially derived from the power of the town itself, possibly a lingering residue leftover from the events of the first game.[7] The Creepers are not among the nine monsters manifested from James Sunderland's psyche (symbolized by the nine red squares), but were instead included by Masahiro Ito as an homage to the first game.[8][9]
Gameplay[]
In Silent Hill and Silent Hill 2, they attack Harry Mason, James Sunderland and Maria by nipping at their ankles. Their small size and flat bodies make them difficult targets, however, the protagonists can stomp on the creatures in order to kill them.
In other media[]
Film universe (2006-2012)[]
The Creepers appear in the 2006-2012 film universe. They are created by Alessa Gillespie in the Otherworld and appear from the decay wrought by the hands of the janitor Colin in Midwich Elementary School's bathroom. Hundreds of them are seen swarming the school, following Red Pyramid and devouring anything in their path. They chase Rose Da Silva and Cybil Bennett and disintegrate when the Otherworld lifts.
The Creepers have tiny human faces underneath their heads, rather than the mandibles they have in the game. They appear in very large swarms, which can completely cover and consume a person within a short time. According to director Christophe Gans, the Creepers are the memories of people killed by Alessa, who are trapped in monstrous insect bodies to punish them for their sins.[10]
Silent Hill: The Arcade[]
In Silent Hill: The Arcade, Creepers are plentiful. They do not do much damage, but can swarm the player and block their view, requiring them to be shot off the screen. When Pyramid Head appears, he is surrounded by a swarm of hundreds of Creepers. The boss monster Mama spits out Creepers as an attack.
Trivia[]
- It has been speculated that there were insects lurking in the basement of Alchemilla Hospital. In her diary, Lisa Garland states that she has been seeing insects, a possible drug (PTV) withdrawal symptom.
- The Creepers are the only creature to appear in both Silent Hill and Silent Hill 2.
Gallery[]
Silent Hill[]
Silent Hill 2[]
Silent Hill: The Arcade[]
Silent Hill film[]
Merchandise[]
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://silenthillchronicle.net/shkgb.htm
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://www.silenthillmemories.net/lost_memories/guide/008-009_en.htm
- ↑ Silent Hill (1999); Konami Digital Entertainment
- ↑ https://www.silenthillmemories.net/lost_memories/guide/094_en.htm
- ↑ Silent Hill 2 (2001); Konami Digital Entertainment
- ↑ https://www.silenthillmemories.net/lost_memories/guide/026-027_en.htm
- ↑ https://www.silenthillmemories.net/lost_memories/guide/048-049_en.htm
- ↑ https://twitter.com/adsk4/status/1525266524285829121
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20220514002431/https://twitter.com/adsk4/status/1525270716916314113
- ↑ https://www.silenthillmemories.net/shm/director_notes_en.htm
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Characters |
Eric - Tina - Bill - Jessie - Ryan - George - Emilie Anderson - Frank Anderson - Michelle Anderson Hanna - Lorraine - Captain - Scott Fairbanks - Greys |
Monsters |
Creeper - Double Head - Greedy Worm - Gum Head - Hummer - Insane Cancer - Mama - Numb Body - Nurse - Phantom - Pyramid Head - Robbie the Rabbit - Scraper - Split Worm - Toadstool - Tremer - Tuberculosis |
Locations |
Brookhaven Hospital - Central Square Shopping Center - Jacks Inn - Labyrinth - Lakeside Amusement Park - Silent Hill Historical Society - Spiral Staircase - Toluca Lake - Toluca Prison |
Terms |
Flashlight - Fog World - Little Baroness - Monster - Otherworld - Radio - Real World - Siren - Welcome Sign |
v · e · d |
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Characters |
Major Characters |
Rose Da Silva - Christopher Da Silva - Cybil Bennett - Dahlia Gillespie - Thomas Gucci - Anna - Christabella - Sharon Da Silva - Alessa Gillespie - Dark Alessa |
Other Characters |
Sister Margaret - Eleanor - Adam - Colin - Lisa Garland - Jennifer Carroll |
Monsters |
Armless Man - Colin - Creeper - Dark Nurse - Grey Child - Red Pyramid |
Locations |
Brahms - Brookhaven Hospital - Church - Da Silva House - Gans County - Grand Hotel - Midwich Elementary School - Nathan Drugs - Pete's Bowl-O-Rama - Sacrificial Chamber - Silent Hill, West Virginia - Smitty's - Toluca County Archives - Toluca County Mining Museum - Toluca County Orphanage - Toluca Lake |
Terms |
The Brethren - Monster - Flashlight - Manifestation - Otherworld - Fog World - Real World - Siren - Great Knife - Welcome Sign - Brethren Symbol |
Archives |
Soundtrack |