XIV : Temperance

Keys and Doors

Items that open doors and the design of the places where they are hidden

   Doors that stand in the player's path, and keys for opening them. When it comes to keys in particular, there is a curious trend in the places where they are kept, and one can feel that a deep meaning is concealed even in the strange ways that they are hidden. Couldn't it be that keys are not items merely for opening doors and that there is a major significance to the places where they are found? Let's explore the intentions of the creators.

The irrationality of such an improbable thing happening bewilders the player.
C r e a t o r ' s    C o m m e n t a r y

Concerning the places where keys are put, they are often chosen not so much because of the scenario as for production reasons. The "cooked key" for example-- the weirdness of how the dog swallowed the key and was cooked like that. The key that comes out of the soft drink can from the vending machine plays off of a fear of machines that perform functions outside of their predetermined roles. The key that is stuck to the wall in the hospital depicts the incoherent thought processes of someone who is not of sound mind. If anything, I'd say there are more cases in which meaning is entrusted to doors, don't you think?
(Hiroyuki Owaku)
The significance given to doors themselves

   In the Silent Hill series, like religious key items, keys with motifs pertaining to literary works and the like, the presence of the doors that obstruct the path of the player is also full of profound underlying suggestions.
   Looking back at some representative doors that have appeared up to this point in the series, let's reaffirm the important significance that each of them holds.
 from [SILENT HILL]  
Keys for eclipse

The word "eclipse" comes from astronomy. For example, a solar eclipse occurs as a result of an overlap of the positions of the sun and moon. This can also be interpreted as signifying the overlap of Alessa and Cheryl.

Upon opening the door, in an instant the town is enveloped by darkness and light around Harry is literally blocked off.
 from [SILENT HILL 2]  
Doors on the floor

The strangeness of vertical corridors and opening doors on the floor is evidence that the world James sees is not reality. Of course even for the player, these things cause strong feelings of uneasiness and tension.

James, who accepts the strangeness of the vertical corridors, is not of a normal state of mind.
 from [SILENT HILL 3]  
The moon door

The message on the door that reads "piling up the 300th day and night" followed by "cries of pain are heard" is a metaphor for the sequence of events from conception to childbirth. It suggests the harsh fate that awaits Heather, who has become pregnant with God.

Since it's the "moon door," a moonstone was chosen as the item that opens it.

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