The Silent Hill franchise loves to play homage to its predecessors. Since the first game's release in 1999, every single installment in the Silent Hill series has included a variety of references to other media, including books, films, fairy tales, and, in one particularly chilling case, a Madonna music video.
While the franchise honors artists of all kinds, Silent Hill pays particular tribute to the writers behind its influences. From the Stephen King poster in the café to the Shakespeare puzzle in Silent Hill 3, the franchise honors the creators whose influence proliferates the series. Nowhere is this more apparent than the games' street names, every one of which references a notable writer of horror, mystery, or science fiction.
With so many staying at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many are looking for an opportunity to put down their devices and escape the never-ending barrage of Zoom calls. Those in search of a spooky read to close out the Halloween season need look no further than the street names in Silent Hill to find their next favorite author. Here are the inspirations behind each of the street names in the Silent Hill series.
1. Finney Street
Finney Street is named for American author Jack Finney. Finney wrote numerous thrillers and sci-fi stories, most notably The Body Snatchers, the inspiration for the 1956 classic horror film Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
2. Bloch Street
Bloch Street is the namesake of author Robert Bloch. A prolific writer, Bloch is best known as the author of Psycho, the novel that served as inspiration for the monumental Alfred Hitchcock film of the same name. Bloch was also a protégé of H.P. Lovecraft, another notable horror author and frequent source of inspiration for video games.
3. Matheson Street
Matheson Street takes its name from author and screenwriter Richard Matheson. Matheson was the mastermind behind the frequently adapted I Am Legend, a monumental work of post-apocalyptic horror fiction that has influenced countless vampire and zombie stories over the last few decades.
Matheson also wrote multiple episodes of The Twilight Zone, and several adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe’s works. The street name is also a reference to Matheson’s son, Richard Christian Matheson, who has followed in his father’s footsteps and written multiple horror stories for the page and screen.
4. Bachman Road
Richard Bachman may not be a name immediately familiar to casual horror fans, but many will recognize the author by his regular moniker – Stephen King. Bachman Road takes its name from King’s own pseudonym, Richard Bachman, under which he published The Running Man and several other titles. The concept of split identities is integral to Silent Hill, making Bachman Road a particularly apt reference.
5. Bradbury Street
Bradbury Street is named after Ray Bradbury, one of the most celebrated authors of American fiction. Bradbury’s bibliography spans multiple works of science fiction, dystopia, and horror, including Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, and the film It Came From Outer Space, for which he wrote the story.
6. Levin Street
Levin Street takes its name from American author and playwright Ira Levin. Levin is best known to horror fans as the author of Rosemary’s Baby, a monumental work of horror fiction that was adapted into the famous 1968 film and a miniseries in 2014. The novel’s strong themes of occultism and exploration of the demonic child trope tie perfectly into the story of Silent Hill.
7. Ellroy Street
Ellroy Street is named after crime fiction author James Ellroy. Ellroy is perhaps best known to horror fans as the author of The Black Dahlia, a novel based on a real and particularly gruesome 1947 murder – and likely the inspiration for the name of the first game’s antagonist.
8. Sagan Street
Sagan Street is, of course, named after renowned scientist Carl Sagan. Outside of his invaluable work in astronomy, Sagan’s influence on the worlds of horror and science fiction is far-reaching, as his writings made a variety of complex scientific concepts accessible to a wider audience.
Sagan also wrote his own science fiction novel, , which was later adapted into the Robert Zemeckis-directed film of the same name.
9. Koontz Street
Koontz Street takes its name from master of suspense Dean Koontz. Koontz’s bibliography boasts over a hundred novels that span horror, sci-fi, and thrillers, making him a household name and one of America’s most popular contemporary authors.
10. Crichton Street
Crichton Street is the namesake of celebrated science fiction author Michael Crichton, best known for his monumental work Jurassic Park, the novel that spawned the popular film franchise and its many spin-off works including comic books and video games. Crichton wrote more than twenty-five novels in his lifetime, and also wrote and directed the 1973 science fiction film Westworld, which served as the inspiration for HBO’s critically acclaimed series of the same name.
