The Nurses are a recurring type of monster and a staple of the Silent Hill series, making appearances of one sort or another in all of the titles. They are visually similar across the series and share many common traits, with only the original Silent Hill as an exception due to then-unestablished continuity that becomes more defined in Silent Hill 2. Along with Pyramid Head, they are one of the most well known and important monsters in the franchise.

Contents 1 Character 2 Silent Hill 2.1 Symbolism 3 Silent Hill 2 3.1 Symbolism 4 Silent Hill 3 4.1 Symbolism 5 Silent Hill 4: The Room 5.1 Symbolism 6 Silent Hill: Origins 6.1 Symbolism 7 Silent Hill: Downpour 8 Silent Hill: The Arcade 9 Silent Hill: Homecoming 9.1 Symbolism 10 Silent Hill: The Escape 11 Silent Hill: Shattered Memories 12 Silent Hill film 12.1 Symbolism 13 Silent Hill: Revelation 14 Comics 15 Trivia 16 Gallery

Character Edit

In the Silent Hill franchise, monsters are manifested by the town of Silent Hill, which acts as a mirror of an individual's anxieties and fears. Due to the recurring themes of hospitalization, insanity, and death, each game features (at some point) a trip to one of Silent Hill's two hospitals: Alchemilla Hospital (which houses the town's emergency room) in Old Silent Hill and/or Brookhaven Hospital (which houses long-term patients and the mentally ill) in South Vale. Invariably, once inside the hospital, the player will encounter monsters manifested by the town which resemble malformed, disfigured nurses.

The Nurses share many common traits across the entire series, with alterations both large and small that reflect the mentality and personality traits of the game's protagonist (and in some cases, such as the original Silent Hill, the antagonist). Generally these monsters wear uniforms that reflect those of contemporary nurses, though in the first Silent Hill game the Nurses wear a much older form of attire, including cardigans, rather than modern-day nurse scrubs.

Silent Hill Edit

Main article: Puppet Nurse

In the original Silent Hill game they are called the Puppet Nurses. They are dark or blond-haired women, and are seen wearing blue or green cardigans and white blouses with matching skirts. They are the nurses who worked at Alchemilla Hospital, but became controlled by parasites (the same parasite that later attacks Cybil Bennett) due to Alessa Gillespie's powers, giving them a humpbacked appearance. They carry scalpels which they use to attack the player. They do exhibit some intelligent behaviour; when there are 2 or more, one will hold Harry still so that the other nurse may stab him. They also have a male counterpart, Puppet Doctors, who appear in this game only. [1]

Symbolism Edit

These monsters are created from Alessa's memories of her hospitalization and of the nurses who worked there, including Lisa Garland. Although they weren't necessarily members themselves, they were acting as puppets of the Order by keeping her alive.

Silent Hill 2 Edit

Main article: Bubble Head Nurse

The nurses of Silent Hill 2 are called Bubble Head Nurses, and are manifested from the mind of protagonist James Sunderland, combining his anxieties surrounding Mary's terminal illness and his sexual deprivation that came with it. Here, the nurses wear low-cut blouses with the first several buttons undone to display their cleavage; their heads face downward and are swollen and covered in gauze, and they twitch and convulse violently, as if about to burst. Their only visible facial feature are their bloody, exposed jaws and teeth[2]. They attack with steel pipes, and will swarm James if he finds himself trapped in an area with several of them, however, on the Hard difficulty level, there ar few nurses armed with revolver handgun. It is here that the Nurses obtain their trademark character designs and establish the continuity of the Nurse enemy design for the Silent Hill series.

There is also another, darker version of the nurse, which appears in the hospital and later, the streets. These nurses lack the bloody mouths; instead having what looks like a transparent film over the nose and mouth[3]. They also have thin black spines coming out of the head and parasites on their backs[4], similar to the puppet nurses in the first game.

Symbolism Edit

The Bubble Head Nurse is a result of severe anxiety in James over Mary's terminal illness, along with the sexual deprivation that resulted and James' difficulty in dealing with both. The highly sexualized figures of the nurses are created to further James' anxiety.

Silent Hill 3 Edit

Main article: Nurse (Silent Hill 3)

Unlike in Silent Hill 2, the nurse creatures in Silent Hill 3 have a more "human"-like appearance, despite the fact that their faces are still rather distorted and deformed. It appears as though they have either coughed up blood or have been feeding on a bloody carcass, as blood is visibly splattered all around their mouths. Their hair is all uniformly cut into black bob cuts and they share the Bubble Head Nurses' busty appearance. They make heavy panting noises and when injured, they utter bloodcurdling screams. They carry weapons as well, either the steel pipe or a revolver. If the Perfume is equipped while in the hospital, then they will attack in much greater numbers.

They are generally more dangerous than other creatures at the time, particularly those with the handgun. Those armed with pipes swing away at Heather Mason when she comes close enough, limping towards her until they're in range. Those with revolvers should be dealt with immediately, as they can attack from quite a ways away and deal a large amount of damage.

Symbolism Edit

In Silent Hill 3, the nurses are manifested from the mind of the protagonist, Heather, who is in actuality the now-grown Alessa Gillespie; as such, like the first Silent Hill, the nurses' appearance here comes from Heather's hatred of hospitals and her memories of her painful hospitalization. These nurses also heavily resemble Lisa Garland's reincarnation, Fukuro Lady.

Silent Hill 4: The RoomEdit

Main article: Patient

The Patient is a type of enemy found in Silent Hill 4: The Room. They are large, humanoid, nurse-like creatures, standing well over six feet in height and towering over Henry Townshend. They have mottled grey skin with chunks missing from their bodies and wear bloody grey hospital gowns as well. They move very fluidly and lack the twitching movements common to nurses in previous game installments. Although they are not technically nurses, they adopt the role that nurses would otherwise fill.

Patients always wield pipes in their hands, which they use to attack victims. Normally they make low-pitched breathing and growling noises, and when struck they make grunts that sound very much like belching.

They are large, menacing opponents that attack relentlessly but slowly. They deal large amounts of damage and take an impressive amount of punishment as well. They are easily interrupted and can be defeated without much effort (but plenty of time) by a constant flurry of blows. They often appear in groups of two or more, making it much more difficult to defeat them. The rusty axe is the recommended method of dealing with them.

SymbolismEdit

The Patients are manifestations of Walter Sullivan's aversion to hospitals and the like, finding them terrifying as the Patients themselves are imposing. Also the bloodstains on their hospital gowns makes it seems as though they are bleeding from where their wombs should be, suggesting that they are a manifestation of Walter's hatred for his biological mother; their belching upon being hit could allude to Walter's disgust of these representations. In the hospital world, Walter is seen disemboweling one by a horrified Henry, supporting the idea that Walter hates them.

Silent Hill: OriginsEdit

Main article: Faceless Nurse

The Nurses found in Silent Hill: Origins are nearly identical to the Bubble Head Nurses, although their heads face the right way and do not twitch; additionally, they wear surgical gloves, and appear to have surgical masks made of flesh fused to their faces. They vary in two colors; a red/flesh-like version in the Hospital and a green version in the Sanitarium, but there is otherwise no known difference between them. They attack with Syringes and Scalpels

SymbolismEdit

The Nurses represent Travis Grady's sexual anxiety and his discomfort around women. They are the most common victim of The Butcher, with Travis witnessing one being gutted in the butcher store and finding another one completely split open outside the entrance of the store on his second visit.

Silent Hill: DownpourEdit

Nurses only appear in the "Surprise!" ending, attending to Murphy's surprise birthday party, along with James, Mary, Laura, Heather and all the other characters from Silent Hill: Downpour.

Silent Hill: The Arcade Edit

The nurses in Silent Hill: The Arcade have an appearance similar to those found in Silent Hill 3, but their faces are bandaged up completely and they now have well-groomed shoulder-length hair. They seem to carry either a steel pipe or a pistol, and they move in odd, bounding strides.

Silent Hill: Homecoming Edit

Main article: Nurse (Homecoming)

In Silent Hill: Homecoming, nurses feature in a number of different locations. They are identical to the nurses found in the film adaptation, both in appearance and in their movements, and react similarly to Alex Shepherd's flashlight and loud noises, being instantly drawn to them. They are commonly encountered in groups and attack with much ferocity by using long knives. Killing a Nurse for the first time will award the player with the achievement "Alchemilla's Finest".

SymbolismEdit

In this game, they represent Alex's institutionalization in the hospital and his suppressed libido. More than this, however, they seem to be a nod to the films or Silent Hill 2. In the game, there are hints that Alex believed that the nurses in the military were overly sexualized to comfort the wounded soldiers (Alex also states this in his diary).

Another interesting aspect becomes apparent when these nurses are near an alternate source of light and the outline of a fetus can be seen in their abdomens, suggesting that they're pregnant. This is likely a reference to the re-birthing of Alex's brother.

Silent Hill: The Escape Edit

The nurses that appear in Silent Hill: The Escape try to kill the player before he/she escapes. They carry no weapons, as one touch kills the player. They can be killed if shot in their weak spot. Appearance-wise, they seem to be based on the film and/or Homecoming nurse, as they are extremely busty and sexualized. However, they also have traits from the Bubble Head Nurse, as they wear gloves that show their apparently fused fingers.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories Edit

Although there are no nurse-like monsters present in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, there is the character, Lisa Garland, with the occupation of a nurse. Harry Mason meets her when he enters the hospital and discovers her in distress, having crashed her vehicle into the building. He then assists her by taking her home. Later, when he returns to her, he finds her dead on the couch, having suddenly died.

In addition to this, the Raw Shocks (the only monsters in the game) adopt certain traits depending on the player's actions, one of these being the feminine version, whereupon Raw Shocks mutate into distinctively feminine creatures with ample curves and an overall body reminiscent of the sexually-appealing Nurses from past games.

Silent Hill film Edit

The nurses, known here as Dark Nurses, make an appearance in the Silent Hill film towards the ending. These nurses take a similar appearance to the Bubble Head Nurse, appearing in low-cut tops and short skirts, their faces deformed and twisted. In Brookhaven's basement, they are huddled in a group, frozen in place in bent and strange positions, each clutching a weapon, such as a pipe or knife.

Rose Da Silva shines her light toward them, causing them to twitch and stomp in suit, forming rows facing her, as if in an army. They begin to shuffle toward her, bending backwards and sideways, making sickly crackling sounds as they move. Their movements are rigid and almost mechanical, with short, sharp intervals inbetween each movement. Rose then turns off her light, realizing that is what attracts them, causing them to freeze in place yet again. She creeps toward them, sneaking through the group of creatures, but is found out. One blade-wielding nurse lashes out, missing Rose and cutting the throat of a nurse nearby. The nurse continues to turn in circles, slashing blindly and violently, taking out other nurses around her. Rose, in the ensuing havoc, then takes the chance to escape, leaving her light switched on upon the ground to divert the creature's attention.

SymbolismEdit

The film nurses likely represent Alessa Gillespie's twisted view of her own nurse.

Silent Hill: Revelation Edit

The nurses are confirmed to appear in Silent Hill: Revelation, though their meaning is as yet unknown.

ComicsEdit

Many of the game-based monsters that appear in IDW's Silent Hill comics are generally used as background filler. The Nurses tend to be an exception, most likely due to their notoriety in the Silent Hill series. Nurses appear in one capacity or another, in the following comics:

• Dying Inside - Though they are not monsters in this comic, Troy Abernathy finds his dead wife dressed as a nurse with a scalpel jabbed into her neck, and her head has grown like that of a Bubble Head nurse. She states that he "used to love it when I put this thing on" while approaching him. She symbolizes Troy's repressed sexual urges and his pain through his wife's suicide.

• Paint It Black - Ike Isaacs uses a nurse as a subject for a painting. The design appears to be original, though based on the Bubble Headed Nurse of Silent Hill 2.

• Hunger - A few nurses are being shot at by the police force of Silent Hill, with an Insane Cancer behind the nurses. In addition to this small appearance, a deceased nurse (formerly employed by Dr. Aickmann) attempts to attack Douglas Brenneman as he interviews the doctor, but is dispatched by Brenneman. The nurses are based upon those of Silent Hill 3.

• Dead/Alive - A pair of nurses are given the task of preparing Connie Mills as a vessel to hold the essence of Samael. A nurse can also be seen in a jazz club owned by Troy Abernathy. The Nurses appear to be based on the Faceless Nurse of Silent Hill: Origins.

• Sinner's Reward - A group of nurses kill Jillian Conway, who chose her fate as an act of redemption for a life of sin. The nurses are identical to those seen in the film and Silent Hill: Homecoming.

TriviaEdit

• Instead of Nurses, the Doll takes the Nurse's place in Silent Hill: Downpour.
• According to screenshots of Silent Hill: Book of Memories, Nurses will reappear in the game in the form of Bubble Head Nurses.

Gallery Edit