Nurse

Template:Infobox SH monster 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 the 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.

Character

Monsters are manifested by the town of Silent Hill, which acts as a mirror of anxieties and fears. Due to the recurring themes of hospitalization, insanity, and death, each game usually features 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, other characters). 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.

In three cases (James, Alex and Travis), they may be related to sexual frustration.

Silent Hill

The Puppet Nurse from Silent Hill.

Main article: Puppet Nurse

In the original Silent Hill game, they are called the Puppet Nurses. They are brunette 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 exhibit some intelligent behavior; when there are two or more, one will hold Harry Mason still so that the other nurse may stab him. They also have a male counterpart, Puppet Doctors, who appear in this game only.

Symbolism

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

The Bubble Head Nurse from Silent Hill 2.

Main article: Bubble Head Nurse

The nurses of Silent Hill 2 in Brookhaven Hospital are called Bubble Head Nurses, and are manifested from the mind of protagonist James Sunderland, combining his anxieties surrounding his wife'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. They attack with steel pipes, and will swarm James if he finds himself trapped in an area with several of them.

There is also another, darker version of the nurses, 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. They also have thin black spines coming out of the head and parasites on their backs, similar to the Puppet Nurses of the first game.

Symbolism

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 his difficulty in dealing with both. The highly sexualized figures of the nurses are created to further James's anxiety.

Silent Hill 3

Nurse from Silent Hill 3.

Main article: Nurse (Silent Hill 3)

Unlike in Silent Hill 2, the nurse creatures in Silent Hill 3 have a more "human"-like appearance. 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, utter bloodcurdling screams. They carry weapons as well, either the steel pipe or a revolver. If the perfume is equipped while in the hospital, 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

In Silent Hill 3, the nurses are manifested from the mind of the protagonist, Heather, who is actually the reincarnation of 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 the Fukuro Lady.

Silent Hill 4: The Room

Patient from Silent Hill 4.

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. 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.

Symbolism

The Patients are manifestations of Walter Sullivan's aversion to hospitals and the like, finding them terrifying as the Patients themselves are imposing. 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. In the Hospital World, Walter is seen disemboweling one by a horrified Henry, supporting the idea that Walter hates them.

Silent Hill: Origins

A Faceless Nurse from Origins.

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 appear in two colors; a red/flesh-like version in Alchemilla Hospital and a green version in Cedar Grove Sanitarium, but there is otherwise no known difference between them. They attack with syringes and scalpels.

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.

Symbolism

The nurses may represent Travis Grady's possible sexual anxiety and his discomfort around women.

Silent Hill: Homecoming

The Nurse from Homecoming.

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".

Symbolism

In this game, they represent Alex's institutionalization in a mental hospital and his suppressed libido. More than this, however, they seem to be a nod to the film 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).

As well, when the nurses are near an alternate source of light, upon close examination a fetus can be seen in their abdomens, suggesting that they're pregnant. This is likely a reference to the rebirth of Alex's brother and the overall theme of Homecoming.

Silent Hill: Downpour

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

Silent Hill: The Arcade

A Nurse from The Arcade.

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: The Escape

Nurse from The Escape.

The nurses that appear in Silent Hill: The Escape try to kill the player before they can escape. 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. However, they also have traits from the Bubble Head Nurse, as they wear gloves that show their apparently fused fingers.

Silent Hill: Book of Memories

A group of nurses in Silent Hill: Book of Memories.

Bubble Head Nurses appear in large quantities in the spin-off game Silent Hill: Book of Memories. Here, they have a similar appearance to that of the films' nurses, with low cut blouses and twisted faces. They are one of the most common and prolific enemies in the game.

Silent Hill film

File:SH Movie Nurses.jpg

Dark Nurses in the Silent Hill film.

The nurses, known here as Dark Nurses, make an appearance in the Silent Hill film towards the ending. As nurses of Brookhaven Hospital, they 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.

Silent Hill - Nurse's scene

Rose encountering the Dark Nurses in the basement.

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 in between 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 but striking with murderous precision the other nurses around her. Rose, in the ensuing havoc, takes the chance to escape, leaving her light switched on upon the ground: maybe she did this out of pity, diverting the creatures' attention to stop that horrible rampage.

Symbolism

The film nurses likely represent Alessa Gillespie's twisted view of her own nurse, Lisa Garland. They could also symbolize envy, since Alessa would eventually realized she would never grow up into a "beautiful" woman, due to her extremely burned and charred skin and disfigured body, which remained as such even 30 years later. This could be why the nurses appear somewhat sexualized, showing off a little cleavage. Their lack of faces could mean that Alessa never became close to any of the nurses at the hospital and that they were essentially "faceless" to her.

Silent Hill: Revelation

File:Sh revelation photo 20121018 02.jpg

The Nurses from Revelation.

The nurses appear in the film's sequel Silent Hill: Revelation, in a room of Brookhaven Asylum where Vincent Cooper is being held captive by two members of the Order. They appear identical to the Dark Nurses in the prequel. They only move when there are sounds, and make orgasmic noises as they move. They will only stop moving when there are no more sounds and will freeze in place.

When the Order Soldiers enter the room, they use stun rods to keep the nurses away, however, they are overwhelmed and killed anyway. Heather Mason appears and frees Vincent, and the two manage to escape the nurses.

Symbolism

The nurses are likely a representation of Alessa growing up in the form of Heather, who has now discovered that she is attracted to a man for the first time.

It is also possible that, because Heather is attracted to Vincent, the nurses could represent Heather being possessive of him. The nurses have attractive bodies but lack faces, and thus no personality and identity. This could allude to Heather's possible fear of losing him to other women she may perceive as "all looks and no personality".

Comics

Troy's wife dressed as a nurse.

Ike Isaacs's painting of a nurse.

Many of the game-based monsters that appear in IDW Publishing'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 over 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 seen being shot at by the police force of Silent Hill, with an Insane Cancer backing them up. 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. These 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.

Gallery

For a complete list of Nurse images, please visit our Nurse images category.

Bubble Head Nurse concept art.

A pre-release image of a nurse from Silent Hill 2.

The Bubble Head Nurse.

Travis fighting a Faceless Nurse.

Alex Shepherd fighting several nurses in Silent Hill: Homecoming.

Pregnant nurse from Silent Hill: Homecoming.

A nurse from Homecoming poised to stab at Alex.

Nurses attacking in The Arcade.

The Arcade nurses.

Jillian Conway redeeming herself.

Sara Linwood, with nurses.

Artwork of a nurse.

A limited edition statue of a nurse with James Sunderland.

Screenworn outfit from one of the nurses in the Silent Hill film.

Silent Hill film nurse outfit.

Nursemask.jpg

A nurse mask used in the first film.

The Nurses at Brookhaven.

Nurses in the film.

Nurses respond to light.

Nurses in the film.

NurseAttack2.gif

Nurses in the film.

Nurses in the film.

Nurses poster.

Nurses in Revelation.

Nurses in Revelation.

Nurses in Revelation.

Nurses in Revelation.

Nurses in Revelation.

A Nurse pushing Heather.

Concept art.

A Nurse waves.

v · e · d Paint It Black
Characters
Ike Isaacs - Cheryl - Chrissy and Missy - Joe
Monsters
Pyramid Head - Air Screamer - Insane Cancer - Nurse - Pendulum
Locations
Silent Hill
Terms
Fog World - Monster - Otherworld - Real World - Siren
Creators
Scott Ciencin - Shaun Thomas - IDW Publishing