Also, because these things made me squee when I realized them.
Intro (during the credits on the screen, after Travis emerges from his truck): Play the game with headphones on and listen close--you can hear Alessa calling to him, twice. Her voice is faint enough where you don't properly hear it if you don't have headphones on, but it can distinctly be heard in a creepy, raspy voice, when he passes the two billboards.
The Gillespie house:
Drewfus wrote:A painting very similar to Misty Day - Remains Of The Judgment is found on the second floor of the Gillespie house.
In town: A dumpster near the "play field" (or something similar to that title) rattles each time you walk near it.versatile soup spoon wrote:There is a picture of Dahlia and Alessa standing in front of their house. It can be found on the top floor.
Drewfus wrote:The fire exit leading to the rooftop where you fight the Moth in SH1 is roped off, with "Pest Control" on the sign.
Alchemilla Hospital: Posters adorn the wall which say "DON'T PLAY WITH MATCHES." A cheap reference, perhaps, to the dread fire?Mockingbird wrote:The Post Office's roof also has a door with large cocoons on it. When Travis examines it, he says "Moths."
The drawer in room 205 [Otherside] with the plastic lungs has the words BREATHE written on.
Sanitarium: Posters regarding PTSD, labeled "PTSD: Fact or Fiction?" PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) is a trauma-induced disorder that has an interesting history: it was actually removed from the DSM-II, which lead to Vietnam vets unable to receive benefits from their blatant trauma. Chaim F. Shatan, a Polish-Canadian psychologist who advocated Vietnam veterans' rights and psychological welfare, had a part in PTSD being included in the DSM-III by strongly pursuing its inclusion in this new addition.
The reason it always intrigues me to see the posters, as well as the "fact or fiction?" bit, is because during the time period of SH0 (1976?), PTSD was undoubtedly under scrutiny.
The Jocasta Artifact: Jocasta, in the Sophocles play regarding Oedipus, was the mother and (unbeknowst to her) wife of King Oedipus. Upon discovering the truth of her second-husband's identity, Jocasta kills herself. Could this have any connection to a possible under-handed and rather horrific abuse between Mrs. O'Grady and son?just a dead boy wrote:When doing the Iron Lung puzzle in the Sanitarium, there are a set of rules (3) on a note in the top right of the screen. Some person has written "4. Have fun!" underneath those rules
Artaud Theatre: The production the theatre advertises, "The Tempest," which is one of Shakespeare's plays. Indeed, the theatre seems to specialize exclusively in showing the Bard's work as evidenced by several posters arounnd the theatre (Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, etc.)
The theatre itself contains an Otherside which seems to hold ancient text pertaining to Silent Hill's native religion, paranormal activity, and a memo we should all be familiar with, as a very similar one containing poltergeists was found in SH1. Now this is my theory but personally I believe this weird Otherside has much to do with the cult and the ancient texts upon which their faith was founded: Travis remarks that the books "aren't even made of paper," and that they're written in a language he can't understand.
I'm going to take my time analyzing "The Tempest," as I really think there can be a lot learned from comparing the play to Silent Hill: Origins. I hope to get into this some time over the vacation, when I'll actually have free time... Just know for now that the creatures called Ariels in the game are actually named after a character from "The Tempest."
I know the list isn't big right now, but I'm willing to expand upon this initial post with anything you guys have discovered. I'm hoping to make it into something a compilation of sorts. PLEASE MARK ANY MASSIVE SPOILERS (such as the ending/plot twists/deaths/etc.) WITH THE SPOILER TAG. This goes for ALL games and ALL sections: I haven't gotten that far into the game and I don't want someone to ruin it for me...
Thanks to Mockingbird, Drewfus, Krysta, just a dead boy and versatile soup spoon for their contributions!