Silent Hill is an iconic survival horror series and one that transcends the genre even with its missteps. Each entry in this series brings about incredible depth and lore that flesh out its characters, world, and narrative arcs. Many players are familiar with the exploits of James Sunderland or Heather Mason but may have missed the finer details throughout the series.

RELATED: Silent Hill: The Scariest Moments In The Games

Each Silent Hill game, no matter how divisive, has brought with it some nuanced or hidden lore that only the most eager of players will uncover. These pieces of lore are not necessarily common knowledge, but instead, offer up a more detailed take on the story running through each game. Of course, be prepared for spoilers ahead.

10 What The Monsters Actually Represent

Silent Hill 2 Pyramid Head

Silent Hill features some of the most creepy and disturbing monsters in any horror game, full stop. From pyramid head to the nurses to everything in the otherworld, this series is known for its macabre monster style and dark overtones.

Each monster in Silent Hill is a literal representation and manifestation of one of the characters' guilt. Characters such as James and Heather are dealing with harrowing ramifications to past events and thus bear the scars of their memories. The next time you play a Silent Hill game, just remember that the monster you are fleeing from is a true nightmare.

9 James' Darker Side

Silent Hill 2 Characters

While this lore detail may be more well-known than many, it still bears to be shared. The protagonist of Silent Hill 2, James Sunderland, isn't quite as innocent as players first assume during the run of the game. James always comes across as sullen, guilt-ridden, and broken.

Well, most of this actually comes down to the fact that he killed his wife. She didn't just randomly die from her illness, no, James suffocated her with a pillow since he couldn't deal with the situation any longer. It's a terribly dark piece of lore to uncover and changes the entire perspective of that game on subsequent playthroughs.

8 The Iconic Mirror Shot In Silent Hill 2

Silent Hill 2 James Staring Into The Mirror

The now-iconic mirror shot where James looks back at himself in the mirror in Silent Hill 2 is not quite as reflective as players actually thought. Images and gameplay of this section purposely darken James' face, specifically around his eyes.

RELATED: Silent Hill: Every Game In The Franchise Ranked By How Scary It Is

The reason for this is because he is actually looking directly at the player, completely breaking the fourth wall in a terrifying twist of events. Of course, players didn't stumble across this detail until many years later, ultimately being revealed with new technology able to brighten and clean up the image enough to see this.

7 The "Real" Silent Hill

silent hill town film 2006

The town of Silent Hill, West Virginia is actually based on Centralia, Pennsylvania. While that may not sound like an interesting detail, dig a bit deeper and you learn why. The town of Centralia is quite literally burning underground, so much so that almost all residents have to leave this area of Pennsylvania.

The ominous fog that Silent Hill is known for is taken from the steam and smoke that rises from cracks and holes in the ground in and around the town. It's very strange to know that there is a real-world location with similar creepy vibes to the Silent Hill series.

6 Cheeky Horror References

Silent Hill 2 Characters

One of the more interesting hard-to-spot details within Silent Hill is the plethora of references to other horror franchises to random product placement to storefronts within the game world. Most of these are easy to miss but keen-eyed players will notice some of them.

One of the most unique references that seem to tie multiple worlds together is from Stephen King's The Shining. In the original Silent Hill, there is a hidden garage door that has "redrum" painted on it. While simple in premise, this cheeky reference ups the spooky factor.

5 He Is Not Who He Says He Is

alex with a teddy bear in silent hill homecoming

Alex Sheperd, the protagonist of the divisive Silent Hill: Homecoming isn't exactly who he says he is in the game. At the start of his journey, players learn that Alex was discharged from military service, ending up in a derelict hospital bed. All of this makes sense given his backstory and uniform.

In an interesting and creepy narrative twist, players learn that Alex was never actually in the military but instead was condemned to an insane asylum where this image of himself fabricated into his mind. Most of this comes down to his childhood trauma, especially relating to his brother, Josh.

4 The Otherworld Has Been There All Along

Silent Hill

Easily one of the scariest areas to explore in any Silent Hill game is the otherworld. The otherworld is a hellish location brimming with grungy aesthetics and disturbing monsters. The otherworld has always been seen as a location that players travel to, but in reality, it's omnipresent.

RELATED: The PS2 Still Has The Best Horror Game Library

It's no surprise that each game features its own take on the otherworld, with one of the most iconic versions being in Silent Hill 2. This otherworld is where the cult operates, literally hiding in the shadows, able to pull strings in the real world as they see fit. Once this realization hits you, the stories become that much creepier.

3 Room 302 Tells A Creepy Story

Silent Hill 4 The Door

Silent Hill 4: The Room was an interesting and creative departure for the series. One of the most iconic aspects of the game is the apartment, namely apartment 302, that Henry Tonwshend finds himself living in. This apartment acts as a hub area of sorts as Henry navigates the different otherworld realms.

This is a haunting location in the game, specifically, because Walter Sullivan, the notorious serial killer who carves numbers into his victims, was actually born in apartment 302. This in and of itself is spooky enough but Walter ended up being abandoned and raised in an orphanage where he was taught all sorts of occult rituals for The Order.

2 Is This Truly Paradise?

Silent Hill promo art

The cult that lies at the heart of much of Silent Hill brainwashes its followers into thinking they are the way to "paradise." Essentially this doomsday cult operates as the main antagonist throughout the entirety of the series, to some extent. The Order, or "the cult," believes they offer the real and actual truth.

The paradise they speak of is of course only brought about by pain, suffering, and misery, and is no paradise at all. Seemingly sold on these lies, its members commit all sorts of heinous deeds all in the name of their female sun god.

1 The Interwoven Cult

Silent Hill Pyramid Head

The antagonistic cult, The Order, has managed to sink its hooks into the majority of the Silent Hill series, that is, up until Homecoming where the cult is seemingly destroyed. While the game isn't overly forthcoming about this info, players are led to think the cult is gone and done with.

However, many in the game world believe there are still some who will uphold and adhere to its ritualistic ways, thus ensuring it never truly ends. It's a creepy detail that many fans of the series could miss due to the game being lackluster at best and divisive for both fans and critics alike.

NEXT: Silent Hill Film Celebrates Its 15th Anniversary