10 Terrifying Silent Hill Monsters (And Their Meaning)

The original Silent Hill's Grey Children may not be the most interesting monsters in the series from a psychological point of view, as they're simply school bullies who've been twisted into creepy childlike demonoids (although it's certainly to the series' credit that this description can apply to one of its least interesting monsters). However, they're worth discussing because they represent one of the few times the 2006 film actually improved on its source material.

In the original game, it's never actually explained why the Grey Children look the way they do. In Christophe Gans' movie adaptation, however, it's revealed that the Children's unnatural pallor is a result of the curse placed upon them by their former victim, Alessa Gillespie. 

In the movie, Alessa's bullying at school turned into a literal witch hunt that culminated in the residents of Silent Hill burning her at the stake for possessing supernatural powers. Alessa survived and cursed the entire town in revenge, choosing a grimly ironic fate for her former classmates - they would burn, internally and eternally, as a perpetual blaze raged inside their bodies and turned their skin to ash.

The revelation behind the Grey Children's appearance is a delightfully macabre addition to the series' lore, and an example of why the Silent Hill movie is still admired despite its flaws - it clearly understood the psychology behind the games, even if it's story and writing often failed to do them justice.

One thing the movie did have going for it, however, was another impeccable monster design...