10 Horror Video Games That Brutally Punish You

5. Silent Hill 2

House Of Velez
Konami

For horror gamers, the mere whiff of a new Silent Hill game even being a possibility is enough to get them giddy with twisted excitement. It may be approaching ten years since the last proper Silent Hill offering, but fans are just as hungry now, if not more so, for this franchise to rear its head once more.

When pondering just why Silent Hill remains such a lauded IP to this day, you need look no further than Silent Hill 2. To some, this is the absolute pinnacle of the franchise, encapsulating so much of what makes the Silent Hill name and concept so special.

As is par for the course with Silent Hill offerings, SH2's ending is impacted by variables that the player is initially unaware of. When it comes to brutal, shocking finales, one scenario in this sequel release sees lead protagonist James Sunderland commit suicide.

Known as the "In Water" ending, this finale for Silent Hill 2 'rewards' players by having James drive his car into Toluca Lake, resulting in suicide via drowning.

It's a startling, jarring conclusion to the game, and it's one that's brought about by, amongst other things, allowing for James' health to be low for large period of times, for reading Mary's letter and for looking at Angela's knife.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.