Lying Figure
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Patient Demon
Armless Man
Labyrinth
Apartments
Lakeview Hotel
Streets of Silent Hill
Charging at James's legs
Lying Figures are skulking, humanoid creatures appearing in Silent Hill 2. The creature had been nicknamed Straightjacket and Patient Demon prior to the release of The Book of Lost Memories, which confirmed the official name.
The Lying Figure should not be confused with the Straight-Jacket in Silent Hill: Origins which shares many similarities, as the latter has some significant changes.
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Character
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Trapped in what appears to be straitjackets made from their own flesh, they attack by spewing a spray of poisonous mist from an opening in their face. They are slow while standing upright; however, when knocked down, they can easily hit James Sunderland by skittering very quickly along the ground, easily outrunning the player. When moving along the ground they make a high-pitched noise that sounds like the scraping of metal against cement. They also appear to have platform shoes hidden underneath their flesh.
The Lying Figure is the first monster James encounters, after following trails of blood through town. He confronts it in a closed tunnel after retrieving the radio, where it is seen feeding on a corpse, and kills it with a wooden plank.
SymbolismEdit
The Lying Figure symbolizes a hospital and/or mental patient squirming in agony, thus it is a manifestation of James Sunderland's internal suffering. The creature's curvy body and feet reminiscent of high heels may resemble Mary Shepherd-Sunderland in agony. It also shares Mary's gray, mottled skin during the last days of her illness. Its main means of attack is spitting an acid-like liquid at James Sunderland; this is suggestive of vomiting, alluding further to the theme of illness. The way it sprays acid from its chest is suggestive of how Mary spat hateful words at James during her illness. The fact that the acid comes from the chest is also symbolic. The cavity is closest to the lungs, where Mary's disease ran rampant, and closest to the heart-the people you love the most are also the ones that can hurt you the most. As the creature appears to have its arms restricted, it can be assumed that it represents James' frustration from being unable to touch or hold Mary during her illness. The way that it skitters along the ground and screeches like grating metal also likens it to a pest. This could point to Mary being burdensome and disgusting to James.
The prevalent theme of sexual frustration ties in, as this beast is practically unclothed, writhing, and spews a spray from its chest, mirroring male ejaculation. In extension, the Lying Figure could also represent James' disgust with his own growing sexual yearning in the face of Mary's illness, and the figure symbolises this by having both of its hands thrust down its underwear (easily noticeable in the creature's concept art).
AreaEdit
- Streets of Silent Hill
- Wood Side Apartments and Blue Creek Apartments
- Toluca Prison
- Labyrinth
- Lakeview Hotel
FilmEdit
- Main article: Armless Man
Added by AlessaGillespieAn incarnation of the Lying Figure also makes an appearance in the Silent Hill film, credited as Armless Man. It is played by dancer Michael Cota, with some changes, but its walk and purpose are similar to that of Silent Hill 2. Actors auditioning for the role were asked to put their hands behind their back and walk in a distorted, exaggerated way. The costume had a hose in the chest area to spray the acid and a mask and tube running from his mouth and out of the back of the costume so Michael Cota could breathe. This design and its physical mannerisms inspired the Smog in Silent Hill: Homecoming.
In the film, the monster may serve to represent Alessa Gillespie's hospitalization.
TriviaEdit
- In the making of Silent Hill 2 video, monster designer Masahiro Ito revealed that his inspiration for the Lying Figure came from watching a programmer friend walk into the office. Masahiro states that his friend was wearing a hooded sweater with his hands in his pockets, and was walking "in a cool way" as he was listening to his walkman.
GalleryEdit
