The creator of the iconic Pyramid Head from Silent Hill 2 has revealed that the design was inspired by the movie Braveheart. The Silent Hill franchise only exists in revival rumors at the moment, but the early entries in the series are still lauded as some of the best horror games of all time.Silent Hill 2 is often considered the best entry in the series and its most memorable aspect is arguably the iconic Pyramid Head. Pyramid Head is a hulking humanoid with a massive metal pyramid-shaped helmet that stalks James Sunderland throughout Silent Hill 2, threatening to butcher him with a massive knife or spear. The Silent Hill franchise has many memorable monsters, but few captured the imagination of the fanbase as much as Pyramid Head, to the point where it has become the face of the franchise, appearing in crossovers with other games, such as the Dead By Daylight Silent Hill DLC. Pyramid Head (and the rest of the Silent Hill 2 monsters) were created by Masahiro Ito.Related: Silent Hill Is In Danger Of Developing A Resident Evil ProblemIn a surprise announcement, Masahiro Ito revealed on Twitter that Pyramid Head was actually inspired by the movie Braveheart, or rather, some background characters that appear in the movie. At the end of Braveheart, William Wallace is tortured and executed in front of a crowd, as he refuses to cry out for mercy. The people killing him are wearing face-obscuring hoods, which is what inspired Pyramid Head, according to Ito.
Silent Hill’s Most Iconic Monster Was Inspired By Braveheart Background Extras
Ito explains the concept of Pyramid Head was meant to evoke that of an executioner in an old town, so it makes sense that the executioners in Braveheart would inspire this design. Pyramid Head’s backwards knife design is supposed to be half of a pair of scissors, further adding to the executioner theme. The Pyramid Head concept is based on the executioners who put bags on their heads, which in real-life was to prevent reprisals against them from friends or relatives of those they killed.
It’s strange to think that such an iconic video game monster was inspired by background extras from a movie, even a popular one like Braveheart. The idea of Pyramid Head being a manifestation of an executioner from the distant past of Silent Hill makes sense, especially reimagined through James Sunderland’s own desire to be punished for the death of his wife. Pyramid Head’s creator has expressed regret over creating the character in the past, but his design is one so popular that has endured longer than the Silent Hill franchise itself.
