Silent Hill 2 (2001)

Silent Hill 2 delves into the depths of psychological horror as players assume the role of James Sunderland, a grieving widower who receives a mysterious letter from his deceased wife Mary, beckoning him to the fog-shrouded town of Silent Hill. As players guide James through the monster-infested streets, they must navigate eerie environments, solve puzzles, and confront their darkest fears. Special thanks to GamePhobias for pulling together a lot of the information below.

• Release date: 09-24-2001
• Developer: Team Silent
• Publisher: Konami
• Platforms: PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Windows PC, Xbox 360

Triggers for this game

Animals & Wildlife

• Dogs

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  ONE ENDING: In the joke UFO ending, a Shiba Inu dog has been controlling the town. The dog is not aggressive and will not attack you.

  • Is avoidable

• Insects

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  Creepers resemble large beetles, roughly the size of a foot. These appear in both the main game and the Born From A Wish DLC.

  • Can't be avoided

Crime

• Being Held Against Will

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  A woman, tied up, has a spear thrust into her back (the wound is not seen onscreen) and is killed in front of James.

  • Can't be avoided

• Guns & Shooting

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  You can use guns in combat. Eddie also uses guns. Guns also appear in the Born From A Wish DLC.

  • Can't be avoided

• Murder

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Eddie is revealed to have murdered someone prior to the game and is implied to have murdered others during the course of the game. Angela murdered her father (in self-defense) prior to the game Maria is murdered multiple times throughout the game. END GAME SPOILERS: James is revealed to have murdered his wife, Mary.

  • Can't be avoided

• Torture

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  Treatments in Brookhaven Hospital

  • Can't be avoided

Death & Loss

• Death of Friend

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  Maria, Eddie, and Angela all die within the course of the game

  • Can't be avoided

• Death of Parent

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  Laura's parents died and she also saw Mary as a mother.

  • Can't be avoided

• Death of Sibling

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  Angela's brothers are dead.

  • Can't be avoided

• Death of Spouse or Partner

  Wife (Mary)

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  Mary dies before the game starts due to an unnamed illness

  • Can't be avoided

• Drowning

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  ONE ENDING In one of multiple endings, James drives his car into the lake and drowns

  • Is avoidable

• Suicide

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  A character walks up the stairs of a burning staircase and commits suicide

  • Can't be avoided

Disturbing Sounds & Sound Design

• Clicking Sounds

  • Can't be avoided

• Distorted Voices

  • Can't be avoided

• Misc. Eerie Noises

  • Can't be avoided

• Screams

  • Can't be avoided

• Wet Sounds

  • Can't be avoided

Drugs & Alcohol

• Alcoholism

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  Alcohol abuse is not shown on-screen, but there is optional text that suggests the main character used to abuse alcohol.

  • Is avoidable

• Misc. Drugs & Alcohol Content

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  James visits a bar at one point near the end of the game

  • Can't be avoided

Gore

• Animal Violence

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  Eddie references killing a dog out of spite.

  • Can't be avoided

• Blood

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  In addition to appearing during fights, blood may be found smeared in locations and occasionally used to write messages. This is true of both the main game and the Born From A Wish DLC.

  • Can't be avoided

• Body Horror

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  All the monsters are somehow twisted physically. This is true of both the main game and the Born From A Wish DLC.

  • Can't be avoided

Hate & Discrimination

• Appearance Discrimination

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  A character explains how he had been bullied due to his weight throughout his life. He is also insulted by a child about it - namely the sentence, "You're just a gutless fatso." when you first meet him.

  • Can't be avoided

• Dehumanization & Objectification

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  James is a womanizer

  • Can't be avoided

• Misogyny

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  James is a womanizer

  • Can't be avoided

• Sexism

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  James is a womanizer

  • Can't be avoided

Horror Themes

• Ghosts & Hauntings

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  Some may interpret Maria or Mary as ghosts, although they are not traditional ghosts

  • Can't be avoided

• Jump Scares

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  You will be in very dark spaces with only a small flashlight to guide you. This means you often will not see enemies until you are right next to them.

  • Can't be avoided

• Monsters

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  All the monsters are somehow twisted physically. This is true of both the main game and the Born From A Wish DLC.

  • Can't be avoided

• Psychological Horror

  • Can't be avoided

• Zombies & Undead

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  Some monsters may be interpreted as zombies or undead

  • Can't be avoided

Law Enforcement

• Prison & Incarceration

  There is a stage taking place in a prison

  • Can't be avoided

Mental Health

• Grief

  Grief, guilt

  • Can't be avoided

• Hallucinations

  Multiple interactions with hallucinations and unreality

  • Can't be avoided

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

  From CSA

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Angela very clearly suffers from PTSD due to being sexually abused by her father and brother when she was young. She is afraid of people suddenly approaching her and is implied to be having a flashback during a boss fight in which she pleads with her father (who is not in the room) to not harm her

  • Can't be avoided

• Psych Ward

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  You must explore Brookhaven Hospital (a mental institution) to progress. The treatment of the patients was extremely abusive, as revealed through items and scenes throughout the level.

  • Can't be avoided

• Suicidal Ideation

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  In the Born From A Wish DLC, Maria briefly contemplates suicide

  • Can't be avoided

Non-Sexual Abuse & Violence

• Emotional Abuse

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  After Mary got sick, she became verbally & emotionally abusive. Eddie and Angela have experienced emotional abuse as well.

  • Can't be avoided

• Harassment

  Multiple instances of name calling and insults

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  After Mary got sick, she became verbally & emotionally abusive

  • Can't be avoided

Phobias

• Acrophobia

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  In both the main game and the Born From A Wish DLC, you have to jump down several seemingly bottomless pits

  • Can't be avoided

• Agliophobia

  • Can't be avoided

• Agoraphobia

  • Can't be avoided

• Automatonophobia

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Mannequin enemies consisting of two mannequin bottoms stuck together show up in the game, starting with the hotel

  • Can't be avoided

• Claustrophobia

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  You will need to navigate narrow hallways and hide from monsters, including hiding in a closer in at least one instance.

  • Can't be avoided

• Emetophobia

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  When the player first meets Eddie in the Hotel level, he is shown vomiting in a toilet. Retching noises are heard in the room immediately before the player finds Eddie. If the player chooses to look inside toilets found throughout the Otherworld, most of them will have some sort of vomit or blood inside them.

  • Can't be avoided

• Hemophobia

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  In addition to appearing during fights, blood may be found smeared in locations and occasionally used to write messages. This is true of both the main game and the Born From A Wish DLC.

  • Can't be avoided

• Merinthophobia

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  A woman, tied up, has a spear thrust into her back (the wound is not seen onscreen) and is killed in front of James.

  • Can't be avoided

• Necrophobia

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  Dead bodies are plentiful. Also, James must jump into an open grave in a graveyard to progress.

  • Can't be avoided

• Nyctophobia

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  You will be in very dark spaces with only a small flashlight to guide you. This means you often will not see enemies until you are right next to them.

  • Can't be avoided

• Trypanophobia

  • Can't be avoided

Sex & Erotica (Consensual)

• Implied Sex

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  Looking closely at the Abstract Daddy/Doorman monster will reveal that it is actually two people having sex on a bed.

  • Can't be avoided

Sexual Abuse

• Child Sexual Assault

  Implied

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  Angela is implied to have been raped and sexually abused by her father.

  • Can't be avoided

• Misc. Sexual Abuse

  'Deserved it'

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  Angela's mother said that she 'deserved' to be sexually assaulted by her father

  • Can't be avoided

Traumatic Events

• Structure Fire

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  James encounters Angela on a burning staircase in the last level. Angela willingly walks into the fire at the end of the cutscene.

  • Can't be avoided

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