Pyramid Head

Overview

Pyramid Head is the nickname of the fictional monster character in the Silent Hill franchise, and was created by Masahiro Ito, the monster designer for Silent Hill 2. Although it is known as a number of different names such as Triangle Head, Red Pyramid or even as the Boogeyman, Pyramid Head remains the most known, and the only name that is maintained as canon. He is arguably --or not--one of the most, if not the most, creepy and disturbing characters in the history of the videogame industry. His immense popularity in Silent Hill 2 lead to him becoming a recurring character in the franchise, which is unfortunate, as he was designed to be a manifestation of SH2's protagonist's inner thoughts and fears, and thus makes absolutely no sense in any game not featuring James Sunderland.

Characteristics

Pyramid Head is unlike most of the enemy character's in Silent Hill 2. He has a more masculine feature then any of the other enemy characters (excluding the Abstract Daddy/Doormen enemies). Pyramid Head is very pale, and wears a blood-soaked butcher's smock. His most outstanding feature, and what gives him his name, is a large, red, triangular helmet that completely covers his head. He also wears white gloves, which feature the same "melted fingers" feature the Nurse enemies have. Pyramid Head is known to wield a very lightweight spear, or his most famous weapon, the Great Knife. Pyramid Head has also been known to grunt and moan, and violently rapes and kills, other monsters in the games, as well as humans.

Silent Hill 2

Pyramid Head was once the executioner in the old cult of Silent Hill. James' subconscious used the image of him to punish him for what he had done. He is seen throughout Silent Hill, stalking James.

Pyramid Head first appears in Silent Hill 2 in the Wood Side Apartments, behind a metal grate after finding the handgun. The next encounter is in room 307, where James walks in to see Pyramid Head raping a mannequin creature. James rushes into the closet at the sight of this. Soon after Pyramid Head leaves the apartment.

His next appearance is at the Blue Creek Apartments, raping another creature past the door, leading to the emergency staircase. Pyramid Head sees James, and a boss battle ensues. The battle goes on until a siren rings out, and Pyramid Head makes his way down the stairs.

Pyramid Head makes another appearance when he attacks James at the top of Brookhaven Hospital, knocking him off the side of the building. He leaves him injured, but does not pursue him afterwards.

Afterwards, Pyramid Head starts to torment Maria as well in the hospital. In a narrow corridor, James and Maria are being chased by Pyramid Head, and attempt to make it to the elevator. James makes it to the elevator, but Maria doesn't. As James tries to open the door, Maria is impaled by Pyramid Head, and screams in agony as the elevator door closes.

Pyramid Head makes another appearance in the Labyrinth of the Toluca prison. He chases you with a spear. James can enter a room where Pyramid Head lives, where the player can take Pyramid Head's great knife and use it as a weapon for the rest of the game. The weapon itself is awkward and has little use other than one hit kills and in the fight with Eddie. At one point in the prison, you run into Maria on the other side of a prison cell. By the time you go around the building and find the door that leads to her, she is dead on the cell's bed. It is inferred that Pyramid Head is the cause of this.

Pyramid Head makes his final appearance just before the final boss, where two Pyramid Heads (a 'red' one, for new blood, and a 'brown' one, for old blood) take part in the encounter. They kill Maria a third time, and then attack James. After relentlessly pursuing James around the room for a while, eventually both Pyramid Heads commit suicide, by impaling themselves on their spears.

The peculiar thing about Pyramid Head, even though he is considered a boss, one never has to actually engage him in battle. The first battle, he leaves on his own free will, and the one in the labyrinth, and corridor must never be engaged in battle. The last battle with both of the pyramid heads ends after they kill themselves. Attacking them only speed the process up, according to the difficulty.

Pyramid Head acts as a metaphor for James, as he murders Maria, a manifestation of James' lust towards his dead wife, multiple times in the game. He is also forced to lug James' guilt everywhere he goes, depicted through the Pyramid. A new Pyramid Head also appears when James kills another human character, Eddie Dombrowski. The scene where Pyramid Head rapes the mannequin displays James' sexual desire, as many of the enemies in the game represent his or another inhabitant of Silent Hill's psyche; the mannequin and nurses symbolizing his sexual deprivation (the Doorman is Angela's father, the straight-jacket enemies being James' knowledge of his insanity, etc). And finally, James' greatest fear and enemy within the game is Pyramid Head, symbolizing his terror of the guilt he's blocked from his mind.

Other Appearances

• Silent Hill Movie

In the 2006 film adaptation, the Pyramid Head is known as "Red Triangle" and is portrayed by Roberto Campanella.

• Silent Hill: Homecoming

Pyramid Head also appears in Silent Hill: Homecoming, once again reprising his role as the executioner and manifestation of guilt over murder. His design is borrowed from the one made famous by the Silent Hill film, but this time around he only makes appearances in non-interactive cutscenes and is refereed to as being the Bogeyman. Many fans were disappointed by the addition of Pyramid Head in the game, and dismissed it as failed fan-service.

• New International Track & Field

A Chibi version of Pyramid Head would appear as a playable character in Konami's 2008 release New International Track & Field. Unlike his Silent Hill representations, Pyramid Head's biography for the game depicts him as being a demon from hell.

Film Appearances

The Pyramid Head made its way into the movie industry in the Silent Hill titular movie adaptation, which premiered in 2006 and was directed by Christophe Gans. He is the film's most noticeable, threatening and dangerous enemy and its revamped movie design was later imported into Silent Hill: Homecoming.

Pyramid Head has also been confirmed to make an appearance of the upcoming film 'Silent Hill: Revelation.'