26 years later, the best Silent Hill monsters are still haunting my nightmares – and I couldn't be happier about it

The best Silent Hill monsters aren't just about pure creature design aesthetics – though working with some fantastic artists means this horror series does have some of the best in that area. No, the psychological terror that Silent Hill is all about means that mechanically, all of these foes elicit something deeper in the player with how they react to them, whether that's a spike of adrenaline as you try to escape, or even feelings of remorse and pity as you unravel a twisted nightmare to realize what it actually represents for the protagonist in question.

I've been playing Silent Hill for years, which makes it easy to say these are some of the best horror games when it comes to balancing frightening designs with that deeper meaning. That's what makes the difference between great horror gaming and the best horror movies (and other mediums) – leaning into that interactivity. Silent Hill's brand of psychological horror is deeply immersive and deeply personal as a result. Which means my picks below might not be the same as everyone but boy do these still give me the chills even today. Join me as I welcome you to my dark, twisted mind as I run down the greatest Silent Hill monsters across the best Silent Hill games to date as, ahem, best I can.

The best Silent Hill monsters, starting with...

12. Raw Shock (Silent Hill: Shattered Memories)

The only real enemy in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is a bit of a cheeky pick for this list as it doesn't have any one set design. Instead, based on the answers Harry gives in therapy sequences that break up the game, they change to reflect his psychological state (as will other sequences in Shattered Memories). For instance, they can go from blank slates to representing Harry's fear of women, or, perhaps, representing his substance abuse instead. It's all up to your actions. It's a concept that fascinated me while playing, and feels about as 'Silent Hill' a design as you can get while also feeling very original to this day – though ultimately I think more could have been done with the idea. Perhaps Raw Shocks were ahead of their time.

11. Twin Victim (Silent Hill 4)

When I first saw a Twin Victim in Silent Hill 4, I genuinely froze up, completely unsure what I'd stumbled upon as I navigated the circular halls of Waterworld. When I next saw them, I did the same – out of fear for the tank-like pummelling I was about to receive. They're meant to evoke this reaction, too. Striking though their design is, with a double baby head, dark cloak, arm-legs, and large frame, they are also frozen in place for a time when you encounter them. One hand up, they simply point at Henry – a recurring theme throughout Silent Hill 4. Only when you get closer do they go aggro and attack, a small touch that really adds to how unsettling these Silent Hill monsters are.

10. Ghosts (Silent Hill 4)

To a point, the literal nature of the main ghosts that haunt each 'world' in Silent Hill 4 feels a bit at odds with the more supernatural designs for the rest of the monsters, but that almost makes the violence that was enacted upon each recognizably human ghost enemy all the more disturbing. Floating about, they can truly pursue Henry as he tries to progress through each area. I love that this gives rise to a risk-reward gameplay consideration, as, once you take them out, they'll be temporarily inactive. Use a limited Sword of Obedience, though, and you pin them for good, meaning they can no longer haunt you in that area. To top it off, they're all victims of the serial killer you're hot on the heels of, making it feel like his influence is spreading over the strange supernatural worlds that Henry must battle through to escape his apartment.

9. The God (Silent Hill 3)

Everything Heather was put through in Silent Hill 3 was for this – the resurrection of a god under the ancient twisting stone of a place of worship. Just as gnarly and fleshy as the rest of the monsters in Silent Hill 3, I love that The God still evokes something different; there's something even more otherworldly about this just-birthed monstrous being that goes even beyond the, well, actual Otherworld. Incomplete, the creature's form is still skeletal in places, with a veilled face. There's almost something pitiable about what's been forced to come into this world, and what it says about the ideas in which it has been molded into the image of. Heather's answer to this crisis of faith made manifest? Two handgun shots between the eyes and a whole load of shotgun shells.

8. Scarlet (Silent Hill: Homecoming)

Even the more divisive entries in this horror series have reasons to love them. Scarlet is a real standout in Silent Hill: Homecoming, the boss that lies in wait at the very bottom of the Hell Descent level – itself one of the best areas in the series with its twisting metal walkways and constant sense of scorching heat. Scarlet herself is a possessed ceramic doll that morphs into a spindly terror. A manifestation of child abuse expressed through understandable rage, this encounter gives the impression that Scarlet is one of the most intelligent and lucid foes in the series. Alex's encounter with her has him cracking bits off her porcelain shell with high-impact melee strikes, revealing a beating heart within and leaving her face in chunks. Hell's Descent through to this fight (that is, if it doesn't bug out to give Scarlet infinite health, as the game often does) is a real highlight of Homecoming that almost makes it worth playing on its own.

7. Ayakakashi (Silent Hill f)

At this point, I'm still shifting through the terrific Silent Hill f creature designs (from artist kera), and there are some so spoilery foes that I'm hesitant to include in lists for a while. Still, Ayakakashi – the scarecrow versions of protagonist Hinako's school friends – well represents what makes this entry's approach to creatures so good. It's in how lore combines with game mechanics. Two-faced (subtle), and with blades, they're not even all hostile monsters, sometimes appearing in environments just to unsettle. At others, you can hear them clomping towards you when you're not looking, before they properly activate. In my Silent Hill f review I don't always love the combat loop, but each monster design is a constant delight.

6. Valtiel (Silent Hill 3)

This may be a controversial pick, as though Valtiel is always just behind Heather, just as Pyramid Head is for James, the way the player interacts with Valtiel, or rather doesn't, is completely different. Within rusty Otherworlds, Valtiel can often be seen up to some nefarious activities, tightening valves and torturing other supernatural creatures. Die, and sometimes Valtiel will appear on screen to drag Heather's corpse away. But his presence is never explicitly explained, nor resolved, and you never actually face off against him. For me, that makes him all the more terrifying – especially when I first played the game. He alone is a strong reason to me why Silent Hill 3 is one of the best Japanese horror games, period.

5. Mannequin (Silent Hill 2 remake)

Though Silent Hill 2 features many times in my list, here I want to explicitly nod towards the Silent Hill 2 remake version of these classic many-limbed foes. Without heads, these plasticky foes' spindly strikes were creepy enough in the original. But, here, they can crawl in spider-like fashion across walls, and, wonderfully, scuttle away from James to hide just out of his flashlight's range in the darkness. Contorting themselves into shapes they can tuck away in corners, press against walls just around corners, or even resemble small tables in order to jump you and take you by surprise makes these monsters almost like mimics.

4. Bubble Head Nurse (Silent Hill 2)

Nobody would forgive me if a nurse design didn't make it onto this list. A recurring Silent Hill monster archetype, a medal needs to be given for their long service at the very least. While I need to tip my metal head to the 1999 original's Parasite Nurses who hassle Harry's path, they shuffled so that Silent Hill 2's Bubble Head Nurses could, well, also shuffle. These overly sexualized, twitchy monsters can give James a hard time, and their featureless faces become a feature unto themselves thanks to their large blank heads. They have been de-personified by James' psyche, whether he likes it or not, making what could be a fairly basic repeating enemy into a true icon of thematic terror.

3. Lisa (PT)

Yes, though you can no longer download PT – the 'Playable Teaser' of Hideo Kojima's cancelled Silent Hills – it still deserves a spot on this list as a genuine part of the Silent Hill mythos. If anything, the lack of availability only adds to the mystery of this strange, looping house and just why Lisa haunts its long hallways. Similar to Valtiel, a large part of what makes Lisa scary is that I don't fully understand how she works, and also don't want to. All I know is that moving through repeated environments, it always feels like she's breathing down the back of my neck as I play, leaving me constantly on edge that at any point she's going to grab my shoulder and it'll be over. Because Silent Hills was cancelled, we never got any real answers – chilling.

2. Abstract Daddy (Silent Hill 2)

In a series full of truly upsetting psychological horror, the so-called Abstract Daddy is a bit of a misnomer – this tanky boss enemy is the physical manifestation of horrific sexual violence. Disturbingly shaped – at least, from James' perspective – to resemble twisting bodies on a bed, a tight, fleshy outer casing acts like shrink wrap around the form beneath. This is the kind of horror you've been saving those shotgun shells for. In the Silent Hill 2 remake, the power and weight of this creature is enhanced as it crashes after James through an evolving landscape of nightmarish, inescapable domesticity.

1. Pyramid Head (Silent Hill 2)

Or, indeed, The Executioner, or Red Pyramid Thing. No matter the AKA, this shape-wearing menace is A-OK with giving you a bad time. Primarily pursuing James Sunderland throughout Silent Hill 2, he's also made appearances in other games and media (including go-karting). Considering how iconic he is, his appearances are actually sparse, even in Silent Hill 2.

Undefeatable, his presence – whether that's observed peeking out from a cupboard Blue Velvet style, being thrown off a roof, or running for dear life down a narrow hallway – always brings the game's tensest moments. Even when you do 'beat' them later in the game (when there's two), it's more of a case of forcing them to end it themselves rather than any pure show of force on James' part. Packing symbolism, and wisely never overexplained, James' stalker might have a striking design, but it's what he evokes and makes you feel that's truly memorable.