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{{Quote|''Now the dream of this life must end and so too must the dreamers within it... But now is the end of days, and I am the reaper.''
{{Quote|''Now the dream of this life must end and so too must the dreamers within it... But now is the end of days, and I am the reaper.''
:—Dark Alessa to Rose Da Silva}}
:—Dark Alessa to Rose Da Silva}}
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'''Dark Alessa''' is a character in the [[Silent Hill (film)|''Silent Hill'' film]] and ''[[Silent Hill: Revelation]]''. She is a supernatural [[Manifestation|manifestation]] containing the dark part of [[Alessa Gillespie (film)|Alessa Gillespie's]] soul, an embodiment born from Alessa's pain and suffering.<ref name="Double">"This is where, I think, the film gets a bit complicated for those who only want to decipher it from a Judaeo-Christian conception of good and evil. In this scene you can understand that Alessa, in her martyrdom, is visited by the devil, who offers her the chance of vengeance. In fact, from what I know of Japanese folk traditions, which I believe inspired the game to a large extent, I think that what’s really happening in this scene is that Alessa is visited by her double. In her pain she’s been split into several Alessas. There’s the real Alessa, suffering, there’s the evil Alessa, her dark side, who’s just visited her, and there’s a good Alessa, who’s made safe in the real world in the shape of Sharon, the little girl adopted by Sean Bean and Radha Mitchell. I think that’s the explanation for how she becomes a multi-faceted character, with different faces and different ages. It’s something that’s in the game, which intrigues players: why Alessa exists in different guises, at different ages… Both evil guises and guises that are… “human”. I think that’s the explanation. In Far-Eastern religions, good and evil aren’t exterior to us. We contain our own good and our own evil. We are our own god and our own devil. I think this is the explanation for what’s happening here in the film. Alessa splits into several Alessas. That was a very Japanese idea." Gans, Christophe (2009). ''Silent Hill: Metropolitan Édition Haute Définition'' [Blu-Ray; Disc 1/2].</ref><ref name="Italian">"In this scene, Radha Mitchell is confronted with an incarnation of Alessa, who takes the appearance of a little “Italian-style” ghost, with this baroque aspect, the rotting uniform, the strange face and so on." Gans, Christophe (2009). ''Silent Hill: Metropolitan Édition Haute Définition'' [Blu-Ray; Disc 1/2].</ref><ref name="Architect">"Here we see the first encounter between Radha Mitchell and… the Alessa character, who’s the double, the original, of her daughter, and therefore the brains behind the mystery of Silent Hill. In fact, we’re in her head. She’s drawing what we can see happening. The idea is that she wildly scribbles a drawing in the same way as she tortures the décor. It’s a massacre with crayons. So the idea, at this point, is that we not only see the décor, but its architect too." Gans, Christophe (2009). ''Silent Hill: Metropolitan Édition Haute Définition'' [Blu-Ray; Disc 1/2].</ref><ref name="Merge">"One moment that was important to get right was when Alessa confronts Sharon, when the dark Alessa, her evil side, meets her good side, Sharon, and the two fuse together again." Gans, Christophe (2009). ''Silent Hill: Metropolitan Édition Haute Définition'' [Blu-Ray; Disc 1/2].</ref><ref>[http://www.jodelle-ferland.net/media/reads/int_silenthill02.php Jodelle Ferland speaks to Bloody Disgusting]</ref><ref name="Audio">[http://jodelle-ferland.net/media/sounds/wb41b.mp3 Jodelle Ferland radio interview]</ref> Alessa and Dark Alessa likely share the same entity and are spiritually connected and linked, and it is possible Alessa uses Dark Alessa as an avatar for herself.
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'''Dark Alessa''' is a character in the [[Silent Hill (film)|''Silent Hill'' film]] and ''[[Silent Hill: Revelation]]''. She is the dark part of [[Alessa Gillespie (film)|Alessa Gillespie's]] soul, an embodiment born from her pain and suffering.<ref name="Double">"This is where, I think, the film gets a bit complicated for those who only want to decipher it from a Judaeo-Christian conception of good and evil. In this scene you can understand that Alessa, in her martyrdom, is visited by the devil, who offers her the chance of vengeance. In fact, from what I know of Japanese folk traditions, which I believe inspired the game to a large extent, I think that what’s really happening in this scene is that Alessa is visited by her double. In her pain she’s been split into several Alessas. There’s the real Alessa, suffering, there’s the evil Alessa, her dark side, who’s just visited her, and there’s a good Alessa, who’s made safe in the real world in the shape of Sharon, the little girl adopted by Sean Bean and Radha Mitchell. I think that’s the explanation for how she becomes a multi-faceted character, with different faces and different ages. It’s something that’s in the game, which intrigues players: why Alessa exists in different guises, at different ages… Both evil guises and guises that are… “human”. I think that’s the explanation. In Far-Eastern religions, good and evil aren’t exterior to us. We contain our own good and our own evil. We are our own god and our own devil. I think this is the explanation for what’s happening here in the film. Alessa splits into several Alessas. That was a very Japanese idea." Gans, Christophe (2009). ''Silent Hill: Metropolitan Édition Haute Définition'' [Blu-Ray; Disc 1/2].</ref><ref name="Italian">"In this scene, Radha Mitchell is confronted with an incarnation of Alessa, who takes the appearance of a little “Italian-style” ghost, with this baroque aspect, the rotting uniform, the strange face and so on." Gans, Christophe (2009). ''Silent Hill: Metropolitan Édition Haute Définition'' [Blu-Ray; Disc 1/2].</ref><ref name="Architect">"Here we see the first encounter between Radha Mitchell and… the Alessa character, who’s the double, the original, of her daughter, and therefore the brains behind the mystery of Silent Hill. In fact, we’re in her head. She’s drawing what we can see happening. The idea is that she wildly scribbles a drawing in the same way as she tortures the décor. It’s a massacre with crayons. So the idea, at this point, is that we not only see the décor, but its architect too." Gans, Christophe (2009). ''Silent Hill: Metropolitan Édition Haute Définition'' [Blu-Ray; Disc 1/2].</ref><ref name="Merge">"One moment that was important to get right was when Alessa confronts Sharon, when the dark Alessa, her evil side, meets her good side, Sharon, and the two fuse together again." Gans, Christophe (2009). ''Silent Hill: Metropolitan Édition Haute Définition'' [Blu-Ray; Disc 1/2].</ref><ref>[http://www.jodelle-ferland.net/media/reads/int_silenthill02.php Jodelle Ferland speaks to Bloody Disgusting]</ref><ref name="Audio">[http://jodelle-ferland.net/media/sounds/wb41b.mp3 Jodelle Ferland radio interview]</ref>
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Dark Alessa is the Japanese version of a devil; an entity born entirely from the darkness of the human soul.<ref name="Interview">[http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=6605116&publicUserId=1002415 Silent Hill Movie Interview: The Director's Cut]</ref><ref name="Blog">[http://archive.is/9Q8m ''Silent Hill'' Director's Blog]</ref> Dark Alessa can be compared to a [[wikipedia:shinigami|shinigami]] ("death god", "death spirit" or "Japanese devil/reaper"). Dark Alessa should absolutely not be mistaken for being Lucifer/Satan, which is a very narrow Judeo-Christian westernized view and interpretation.
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<nowiki> </nowiki>Though her physical form is that of a 9 year old, her actual age is 30 years old, however, because she shares the same soul as Alessa, she is 39 years old by the events of the first film.
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She is 9, 30 and 39 all at the same time. Her physical form is that of a 9-year-old girl, though her body's age is 30, as she first manifested 30 years before the events of the film. Because she comes from Alessa's soul, and Alessa is 39, Dark Alessa can also be seen as being 39 years old.
==Background==
==Background==
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Dark Alessa strongly represents the [[Wikipedia:Holy Spirit (Christianity)|Holy Ghost]], a prominent figure in Christian beliefs. Like the Holy Ghost, Dark Alessa is created by a prominent God figure (Alessa), who splits off part of themself to exist as multiple entities. Dark Alessa also acts as a mouthpiece for Alessa, the same as the Holy Ghost is said in the Bible to speak for God. When she merges with Rose in the hospital, the scene acts as a metaphor for the impregnation of the [[Wikipedia:Mary (mother of Jesus)|Virgin Mary]] by the Holy Ghost. Further, the Holy Ghost is well recognized in the Bible as using the followers of God as a mouthpiece, possessing believers and literally speaking through them. This is seen when Dark Alessa merges into Rose and then speaks through her during the confrontation with the cultists. This symbolism is likely intentional, given director statements about the vast amounts of Christian symbolism found in the film.<ref name="Dialogue">"This scene shows how mature Jodelle Ferland is. Her lines were very complicated, full of biblical references, very symbolic and so on." Gans, CHristophe (2009). ''Silent Hill: Metropolitan Édition Haute Définition'' [Blu-Ray; Disc 1/2].</ref>
Dark Alessa strongly represents the [[Wikipedia:Holy Spirit (Christianity)|Holy Ghost]], a prominent figure in Christian beliefs. Like the Holy Ghost, Dark Alessa is created by a prominent God figure (Alessa), who splits off part of themself to exist as multiple entities. Dark Alessa also acts as a mouthpiece for Alessa, the same as the Holy Ghost is said in the Bible to speak for God. When she merges with Rose in the hospital, the scene acts as a metaphor for the impregnation of the [[Wikipedia:Mary (mother of Jesus)|Virgin Mary]] by the Holy Ghost. Further, the Holy Ghost is well recognized in the Bible as using the followers of God as a mouthpiece, possessing believers and literally speaking through them. This is seen when Dark Alessa merges into Rose and then speaks through her during the confrontation with the cultists. This symbolism is likely intentional, given director statements about the vast amounts of Christian symbolism found in the film.<ref name="Dialogue">"This scene shows how mature Jodelle Ferland is. Her lines were very complicated, full of biblical references, very symbolic and so on." Gans, CHristophe (2009). ''Silent Hill: Metropolitan Édition Haute Définition'' [Blu-Ray; Disc 1/2].</ref>
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It is also possible that Dark Alessa has a duel representation as the Christian devil, in light of her claim to have "many names", and the demonic nature of her deal with Alessa. Director [[Christophe Gans]] has stated that Dark Alessa is a Japanese representation of a devil, which consists of the dark side of the human soul.<ref name="Interview"></ref><ref name="Blog"></ref>
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It is also possible that Dark Alessa has a duel representation as the Christian devil, in light of her claim to have "many names", and the demonic nature of her deal with Alessa. Director [[Christophe Gans]] has stated that Dark Alessa is a Japanese representation of a devil, which consists of the dark side of the human soul.<ref name="Interview">[http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=6605116&publicUserId=1002415 Silent Hill Movie Interview: The Director's Cut]</ref><ref name="Blog">[http://archive.is/9Q8m ''Silent Hill'' Director's Blog]</ref>
==Actor's commentary==
==Actor's commentary==
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==Trivia==
==Trivia==
[[Image:Darefspic.png|thumb|250px|Dark Alessa is based off of female spirits seen in ''Toby Dammit'' and ''Kill, Baby, Kill''.]]
[[Image:Darefspic.png|thumb|250px|Dark Alessa is based off of female spirits seen in ''Toby Dammit'' and ''Kill, Baby, Kill''.]]
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* Contrary to popular belief, Dark Alessa's physical appearance is inspired by Italian horror cinema, not Japanese.<ref name="Italian"></ref> Specifically, Melissa from ''[[Wikipedia:Kill, Baby, Kill|Kill, Baby, Kill]]'' and the Devil in ''[[Wikipedia:Spirits of the Dead|Spirits of the Dead]]'' were used as the base for her image.<ref>"It’s not a reference to J-Horror, it’s a reference to the little ghosts in Italian horror and fantasy, especially in Bava’s Kill Baby… Kill!, which I mentioned earlier, but also in Fellini’s sketch, Toby Dammit, in Spirits of the Dead, an important film." Gans, Christophe (2009). ''Silent Hill: Metropolitan Édition Haute Définition'' [Blu-Ray; Disc 1/2].</ref>
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* Contrary to popular belief, Dark Alessa's physical appearance is inspired by Italian horror cinema, not Japanese horror.<ref name="Italian"></ref> Specifically, Melissa from ''[[Wikipedia:Kill, Baby, Kill|Kill, Baby, Kill]]'' and the Devil in ''[[Wikipedia:Spirits of the Dead|Spirits of the Dead]]'' were used as the base for her image.<ref>"It’s not a reference to J-Horror, it’s a reference to the little ghosts in Italian horror and fantasy, especially in Bava’s Kill Baby… Kill!, which I mentioned earlier, but also in Fellini’s sketch, Toby Dammit, in Spirits of the Dead, an important film." Gans, Christophe (2009). ''Silent Hill: Metropolitan Édition Haute Définition'' [Blu-Ray; Disc 1/2].</ref>
*Dark Alessa was originally just an astral projection of Alessa, but she was later changed to a manifestation containing the dark side of Alessa's soul. Similarly, Sharon was changed to be a manifestation of the good side of Alessa.<ref name="Script">[http://www.silenthillmemories.net/shm/downloads/silent_hill_script.pdf ''Silent Hill'' screenplay, October 2004.]</ref>
*Dark Alessa was originally just an astral projection of Alessa, but she was later changed to a manifestation containing the dark side of Alessa's soul. Similarly, Sharon was changed to be a manifestation of the good side of Alessa.<ref name="Script">[http://www.silenthillmemories.net/shm/downloads/silent_hill_script.pdf ''Silent Hill'' screenplay, October 2004.]</ref>
*When Rose asks who she is, Dark Alessa replies that she has "many names". There are many theories for why she says this, the most prominent being that she's saying the cult calls her many things. Anna says, "We don't speak speak her name", implying that the cult is so scared to speak "Alessa Gillespie" that they must refer to Alessa using alternate names and titles (for a strong example, characters in the ''Harry Potter'' universe avoid saying "Voldemort"). It is also possible Dark Alessa may be referencing the many "names" and "titles" given to Alessa throughout the film ("witch", "sin incarnate", "filth", "abomination", "demon", "Alessa", "Dark Alessa", "Dark One", "reaper", "guise of an innocent", "wicked", etc). This should absolutely not be mistaken for Dark Alessa claiming she is Lucifer/Satan, which is a very narrow Judeo-Christian westernized view and interpretation. There are many characters who say the [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IHaveManyNames "I Have Many Names" trope] and not all of them are intended to be Lucifer/Satan or the Christian devil.
*When Rose asks who she is, Dark Alessa replies that she has "many names". There are many theories for why she says this, the most prominent being that she's saying the cult calls her many things. Anna says, "We don't speak speak her name", implying that the cult is so scared to speak "Alessa Gillespie" that they must refer to Alessa using alternate names and titles (for a strong example, characters in the ''Harry Potter'' universe avoid saying "Voldemort"). It is also possible Dark Alessa may be referencing the many "names" and "titles" given to Alessa throughout the film ("witch", "sin incarnate", "filth", "abomination", "demon", "Alessa", "Dark Alessa", "Dark One", "reaper", "guise of an innocent", "wicked", etc). This should absolutely not be mistaken for Dark Alessa claiming she is Lucifer/Satan, which is a very narrow Judeo-Christian westernized view and interpretation. There are many characters who say the [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IHaveManyNames "I Have Many Names" trope] and not all of them are intended to be Lucifer/Satan or the Christian devil.