Grey Children are child-like, knife wielding monsters that inhabit Midwich Elementary School in Silent Hill and its film adaptation. They are exclusive to the North American version of the game, and do not appear in the European or Japanese version. They are instead replaced by Mumblers in these versions.

Contents 1 Character 2 Symbolism 3 Silent Hill film 4 Trivia

Character

These creatures (similar in stature to Mumblers) haunt the schools and alley ways of Silent Hill's Otherworld. They can walk quickly, and generally attack in pairs or groups of three. They are slender, with long arms and each wields a long knife. As they approach a target, they leap at their victim, grabbing it by the legs and pinning it while they attack and laugh. A ghost form of these monsters, called Stalkers, later appear in Nowhere. Unlike the non-aggressive Larval Stalker, these ghost forms are just as deadly as their grotesque counterpart.

The Grey Children are the first creatures to be encountered in the town by Harry Mason. After a transition into the Otherworld, Harry is cornered and overcome by Grey Children in an alley, but wakes up at the Cafe 5to2 diner, apparently rescued by officer Cybil Bennett. Grey Children reappear prominently later on in Midwich Elementary School.

Symbolism

Grey Children are the distorted, disturbed perception of Alessa Gillespie's classmates as seen through her eyes, from the torment and ridicule they abused her with.  This is supported by the Grey Childrens' childish laughter whenever they attack Harry, and they also resemble children in how they hug his legs as young ones occasionally do.  Lastly, the fact that they first appear at Midwich Elementery School (Alessa's former school) feeds the evidence.

Silent Hill film

The Grey Children appear in the beginning of the film, swarming Rose Da Silva in the Otherworld version of an alleyway. They look like small children; however, their faces are twisted on the sides of their heads (director Christophe Gans has said this is because their skull is separated from their bottom jaw and twisted to the side of their faces) and they continuously burn from the inside out, screaming the scream of a child in immense pain. The Grey Children reach out and try to grab Rose, ripping off her jacket in the process. They disintegrate as the Otherworld lifts and the Fog World is reinstated.

While Rose runs away from them, the Grey Children do not particularly seem to want to harm Rose on purpose, acting instead like a child in pain who is trying to get their mother's attention. The first one Rose sees reaches its arms out to her, acting as though it wants to be held, and only when Rose starts running away and tries to kick them off do they start to act with more aggression. They would most likely burn Rose if they held her any longer than the ones who held her ankles did. The monsters may not realize they would burn or injure Rose, and instead only feel the pain of the burning and a longing for a mother to comfort them. It is possible they are attracted to flame, as Rose is holding a lighter at the appearance of the first one. It also seems likely they are attracted to loud noises, as by the time Rose really starts screaming, there are a swarm of them, although this is likely just a coincidence or Alessa's influence.

The Grey Children are played by a dancer named Yvonne Ng in a costume with CGI burning effects added. Several shots of Yvonne were made and then superimposed onto each other to make it appear as though there were several Grey Children attacking Rose. Yvonne and Gans came up with the idea for the monster to walk with its toes in and arms out, since small children just learning to walk will often stick out their arms to help balance themselves.

According to director Christophe Gans, the Grey Children are the classmates of Alessa, who used to bully her in school. After being burned alive as a witch, Alessa dragged her classmates into the Otherworld and turned them into monsters who were constantly tortured by the same pain she felt while being burned by the cult.

Trivia

• In the PAL and NTSC-J version of the game, these creatures were replaced by Mumblers, as their appearance was deemed too similar to that of a child by censors. However, their Stalker form still appears in the Sewers and in Nowhere.
• It is possible that the Grey Children in the film could possibly have served as inspiration for the Smog featured in Silent Hill: Homecoming. Both beasts appear to be victims of horrendous fires.

v · e · d Silent Hill
Characters
Major Characters
Harry Mason - Cheryl Mason - Alessa Gillespie - Dahlia Gillespie - Lisa Garland - Cybil Bennett - Michael Kaufmann
Other Characters
Jodie Mason - Heather Mason - K. Gordon - Greys
Monsters
Air Screamer - Bloodsucker - Creeper - Floatstinger - Grey Child - Groaner - Hanged Scratcher - Incubator - Incubus - Larval Stalker - Mumbler - Night Flutter - Parasite - Puppet Cybil Bennett - Puppet Doctor - Puppet Nurse - Romper - Split Head - Stalker - Twinfeeler - Wormhead
Weapons
Chainsaw - Handgun - Hyper Blaster - Katana - Knife - Pipe - Rifle - Rock Drill - Shotgun - Hammer - Axe
Locations
Alchemilla Hospital - Annie's Bar - Balkan Church - Cafe 5to2 - Central Silent Hill - Gillespie House - Green Lion Antiques - Indian Runner - Lakeside Amusement Park - Levin Street - Lighthouse - Midwich Elementary School - Norman's Motel - Nowhere - Queen Burger - Resort Area - Sewers - Silent Hill Police Station - Silent Hill Town Center - Toluca Lake - Old Silent Hill
Terms
Flashlight - Fog World - God - Map - Metatron - Monster - Otherworld - Paradise - PTV - Radio - Real World - Siren - The Order - Manifestation - Seal of Metatron - UFO Ending
Archives
Items - Keys - Puzzles - Soundtrack - Secrets and Unlockables

v · e · d Silent Hill film
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 - Colin - Lisa Garland - Order Soldier - Jennifer Carroll
Monsters
Pyramid Head - Creeper - Armless Man - Colin - Nurse - Grey Child
Locations
Bowling Alley - Brahms - Brookhaven Hospital - Church - Da Silva House - Gans County - Grand Hotel - Midwich Elementary School - Nathan Drugs - Sacrificial Chamber - Silent Hill, West Virginia - Toluca County Archives - Toluca County Mining Museum - Toluca County Orphanage - Toluca Lake - Smitty's
Terms
The Brethren - Monster - Flashlight - Manifestation - Otherworld - Fog World - Real World - Siren - Great Knife - Welcome Sign - Brethren Symbol
Archives
Soundtrack

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