Isn’t it wonderful how inspiration can come from unexpected places? Who would have thought that the menacing Pyramid Head from the Silent Hill franchise was inspired by some minor characters in the 1995 movie Braveheart? That’s what the artist behind the fictional executioners, Masahiro Ito, shared with the world via Twitter though!
Pyramid Head, originally called Red Pyramid Thing or Red Pyramid, may be one of the most memorable characters in Silent Hill. Its menacing presence is always pulse-raising when it shows up in the games or movies, and it’s usually covered in blood. The character made its debut in Silent Hill 2 in 2001 as it seemed to stalk the main character of the game, James Sunderland. With its face hidden by the pyramid-shaped helmet, no voice, and a giant butchering knife as a weapon, Pyramid Head became known as a symbol of James Sunderland’s psyche and then an iconic villain of the series. Its appearance is so similar to the old-school executioners that it shouldn’t be surprising that Ito drew inspiration from them.
Braveheart is a completely different vibe though. The movie starred Mel Gibson as the Scottish Warrior, William Wallace, as he attempted to lead his people in a fight back against England’s Edward the First. Sadly, he was unsuccessful, and then he was led into town to be beheaded. Apparently, this scene was very memorable for Masahiro Ito. The men who were to execute Gibson wore bags over their heads that really do hold a striking resemblance to Pyramid Head’s helmet. One of the men is even wearing a leather apron, which Pyramid Head’s own garments are reminiscent of.
In Ito’s Tweets above, he shares a picture of the Braveheart moment that captured his imagination. He added, “After I designed P-Head based on the 1st image in this tweet, I started thinking [in] the background. I remembered the film/that [had] ppl who put a bag on their heads & then I looked the ppl up in books. I finally came up w/ the idea of an executioner of the old town.”
First, “P-Head” is such a cute way to refer to the creepy butcher. Second, the sensation of “thinking in the background” is such a creative mentality. We can interpret that he saw that scene and his subconscious got to work on picking out the creepiest parts and reconfiguring them. From just one scene, the executioner of Silent Hill was born. Though it hasn’t been around much lately. Since its 2001 debut, it also appeared in the 2006 Silent Hill as Red Pyramid, and most recently, it has been a playable character in the game Dead by Daylight. That happened in 2020, so there has been a bit of a lull. Hopefully, one or more of the “several games in development” will have the return of the executioner!