Cool and Scary Things

With its admittedly odd title, this section hearkens back to a series of topics I created on the Silent Hill 2 GameFAQs message board in 2002 to list and discuss a series of mildly interesting pieces of trivia or cool little visual or auditory findings throughout the game.

As a 13-year-old at the time, the best title I could think of was "Cool and Scary things in Silent Hill 2," and the sentimental side of me while writing and continuing to edit this FAQ over the years has decided to keep that funny title to carry on the tradition that started in those topics, keeping the legacy of "CAST" (its short form) alive.

The listing and discussion of these CAST continued over a total of 1500 posts spread across three full topics. This section serves as a summary of all my findings and others contributed by various users, plus anything else I've noted since then. While the large majority are of my own observations, several findings are from other users who posted and are too frequent to name, and also lost in the topics that are now gone from the boards but remain in spirit only here. So thank you to everyone who participated in those topics, which amounted to some of my best memories spent on those boards.

So with that out of the way, the following section serves as long list of trivia with interesting little tidbits you can find, see, read or hear while playing the game. Some of them are more horror-related, including locating some hidden scares or other creepy findings, while many are funny and others are just fairly interesting.

- Andrew Haffenden aka Conquerer (Silent Hill 2 FAQ/Walkthrough)

Note: * denotes a sound that can be heard a lot more clearly with headphones, a surround sound system, or perhaps just louder volume.

East South Vale

• There are posters of Maria for Heaven's Night inside on the wall by the exit of the rest stop washroom
  
• There's a sign above the blocked Nathan Avenue tunnel on the Observation Deck that shows how far three areas are in miles – PALE VILLE 10, OLD SILENT HILL 50, BRAHMS 265 (these distances are perhaps incorrect as Paleville should be no more than a few kilometers away and Old Silent Hill no more than 3-5)
• The white van by the stairs is likely Eddie's – he sits beside a white van with Laura in the opening movie (additionally there's a Pete's Bowl-O-Rama sign above it on the deck, likely contributing to him going there later)
• If you try to leave the Observation Deck without the Silent Hill map, James tells himself there's a map in the car (he can't advance without it)
• There are two green posters that look like maps on the north side wall of Sanders Street, near the east dead-end
• Mary says "James, why'd you kill me?" over the radio when James first finds it, although the transmission is muffled and filtered with static
• The traffic lights on the streets are operational, as are the Walk/Don't Walk signals on the sidewalks
• There's a small basketball court behind a fence in the south Martin Street alley, like the one that appears in SH1
• There's a Japanese restaurant called "Gozo's Sushi" on Neely Street, likely in the name of Gozo Kitao, an executive producer of Silent Hill 2 (and producer of SH1)
• There's a "No Trespassing" sign on the Wood Side Apartments front gate, but James still enters

Wood Side Apartments

• In the southwest stairwell, the position of James' shadow shifts awkwardly when you walk near the wall by the 2F door
• There are many small posters with red marker all over them near the 2F door in the southwest stairwell
• The light reflection of James' Flashlight is visible in the windows on the stairwell doors
• "DRAGON" is written on the wall in the laundry room on 2F
• HEAVY VIPER" is written on the wall near the 3F door in the southwest stairwell
• The soundtrack of the 3F hallway includes very deep breathing, as if it's the hallway itself that's alive
• Pyramid Head glows red on the other side of the bars on 2F by room 208
• You can dance in front of Pyramid Head by the 2F bars – just stand by either wall and keep pressing the strafe buttons so you run back and forth to put on a little show
• The corpse in the chair in room 208 2F is James' character model while the TV matches that from room 312 of the hotel – perhaps foreshadowing
• There is red glow coming from the kitchenette cabinet and the bedroom desk cabinet in room 202 2F – the glow matches that of Pyramid Head
• Green liquid seeps from the hole in the wall in the bedroom of room 202 2F – it matches the liquid in the Shower Room 3F of Brookhaven Hospital
• There is blood on the floor on the other side of the 2F bars by room 209, near where Pyramid Head was standing earlier
• There is a painting of the "landscape of this area" with two skulls in it in the living room of room 307 3F
• There is a magazine with a man on the cover on a table in room 303 3F
• There is a painting of two guys on the wall in a bedroom of room 303 3F
• Room 303 3F has two washrooms (one is inaccessible), as well as some other apartments – must be some luxury apartments...
• There is a face made out of garbage above the book in the "strange piece of trash" at the bottom of the garbage chute outside, after the Canned Juice is used
• "TO HELL" is written on the wall next to each blue exit door in the north 1F wing, with an arrow pointing towards the door
• In several spots in the north 1F wing, "ZoE" is written on the wall among other graffiti – perhaps referring to "Zone of the Enders", another popular Konami series
• The fridge legs in room 101 1F exactly match those of the corpses in the prison morgue later in the game
• The first time you meet Eddie in room 101 1F, listen to the scene with headphones – it sounds quite real and unpleasant*
• When you cross over to Blue Creek Apartments from the emergency exit door on 2F, the sound of James' hands clasping onto the brickwork is oddly pleasant*

Blue Creek Apartments

• There is what looks exactly like a map of the United States on the wall when you enter the living room of room 203 2F from the bedroom – it is just decay of the wall, but it matches the profile of the map profile quite shockingly
• When James tries to open the same door in the stairwell that Maria enters Blue Creek from in the sub scenario, James explains he can't get the door to open, rather than it being locked or having a broken lock
• There is a thick book on the floor in the kitchenette of room 109 1F – perhaps a cooking book
• There is dark green liquid on the floor of room 109 1F, possibly coming out of the teddy bear by the white door
• In room 109 1F there are two partly identical but very contrasting doors beside each other – a very clean and innocent white door, leading to the room where Angela lies on the floor, and a very dirty and unsettling, boarded off black door – which seem to serve as a metaphor (perhaps Angela's life path was more of the black door but her innocent soul more closely identifies with the white door)
• "Josa" is written on the wall with a drawing in red beside it, to the right of the white door in room 109 1F
• When James enters the mirror room with Angela in room 109 1F, he leaves the door open (in the cutscene), but it's closed once Angela leaves, despite her never touching it
• James looks very tall in the mirror room in room 109 1F
• Angela always changes the subject when James ask certain questions
• There is a picture on the ground in the middle of the mirror room in room 109 1F – it's a picture of Angela, her mom, dad and brother, although her dad is ripped out of the picture and her brother is hard to see
• There is a small map of the United States on the wall by the door of the mirror room in room 109 1F
• There is a sideways smiley face in red above the save point in room 105 1F
• You can sometimes hear a whispering voice in room 209 2F – it seems so say the following: "see my dead wife, come home, load some laundry to escape me, and take two crimes to the (undecipherable)'s face"*
• You can sometimes hear someone running near room 207 2F, by the puddle near the locked apartment stairway where you fight Pyramid Head*
• You can also sometimes hear a doorknob turning near room 207 2F*

West South Vale

• If you head northwest on Nathan Avenue at either side of the road, you can witness flying Mannequins come out of nowhere and land on the road beside you
• The bowling alleys appear to be shifting during the Eddie and Laura cutscene in Pete's Bowl-O-Rama, due to the jaggy effect of the graphics
• Laura is doing somewhat of a sitting dance on the table where Eddie is sitting and eating pizza inside the bowling alley
• Eddie literally takes forever to eat one slice of pizza – the slice never changes size as he sits there and "eats" it
• The lighting turns from a whiter consistency to slightly orange after exiting Pete's, hinting at late evening approaching (confirmed by the nighttime darkness after the hospital)
• If you examine the wall gap Laura slipped through just before Heaven's Night, Maria will tell you that you can't make it through there
• There is a small cupboard on the wall to the left of the stairs when you first enter Heaven's Night that looks like a map
• If you examine the liquor bottles at the top of the stairs in Heaven's Night, James explains his drinking problem
• Brookhaven Hospital isn't labelled on the map
• A few signs on the fence by the hospital on Carroll Street say "PERMIT PERKING ONLY" – apparently you need a permit if you're perky
• One of the "NO PARKING ANY TIME" signs south of the hospital has a blue "S" spray painted over it
• The sign above the hospital entrance incorrectly says "Blookhaven Hospital" – perhaps this is because "l" and "r" have the same pronunciation in Japanese

Brookhaven Hospital

• If you try to leave the hospital, Maria will question James
• After you exit most rooms with Maria, turn and face her with your Flashlight and she should have a huge shadow
• All three patients in the patient record on the desk in the Reception 1F have the first initial "J", the same as James
• A fun thing to do in the Document Room 1F is to move in front of Maria in the corner and strafe towards her – James stares at her while she is continuously knocked back
• The ambience of the 1F lobby, and some other hallways, makes the floor shake a lot if you're using a sub woofer (it goes MAD)*
• You don't ever need to get the Examination Room Key, since the 3F patient wing code is always 7335 on Easy/Normal, and 1328 on Hard/Extra
• If you examine the teddy bear in the Women's Locker Room 2F after James pricks himself, he says it's a normal stuffed animal, nothing else, however he won't take his eyes off it
• There is a poster of a guy named Jack on the wall in the Women's Locker Room 2F
• Some fantastic and creepy horror ambience begins playing in the 3F patient wing
• There is a pile of bricks at the west end of the 3F patient wing
• When you first go on the hospital rooftop, go to the diary and head back to the door, James will say that he can't open it no matter how hard he tries – Pyramid Head comes from the opposite side, so for some unknown reason this door won't open
• Pyramid Head comes from out of nowhere on the rooftop (unless he can fly) – the stairwell door cannot be opened but he comes from the right, even though there are fences surrounding the entire roof
• Examine the fence on the roof where Pyramid Head knocks you off – it's old and rusty, and James comments that he could probably break it if he pushed hard – no wonder it breaks
• Examining the shoddy fence on the roof before Pyramid Head knocks you off is very auditorily-pleasing*
• There is a ladder on RF near the fence but it has blocks of wood over it and cannot be used
• Your DualShock controller will rumble upon being knocked off the rooftop since you'll have about 1 point of health remaining
• You must fall off the roof of the hospital before it is possible to open the turning lock in room S14 3F – even if you have the correct code (from playing ahead and reverting back), the lock won't open, and if you set the lock on the correct code and then fall off the roof, the last number on the lock magically changes to an incorrect number
• There are thick tracks of gurney wheels leading into Joseph's cell in the Special Treatment Room 3F – I take it he was a common patient in there
• By reading the Reception memo and the note on the wall in S14, we can gather that the box contains a piece of Louise's hair – Louise is the daughter of Joseph Barkin whose death he feels responsible for, and thus he wishes to preserve her memory "four ever" (unfortunately James tarnishes that memory by taking and using it)
• James takes a few hairs out of the Louise box, but apparently he gets a "Piece of Hair"
• Laura tells James that there's something she has to get, to which he responds, "Later, okay?" – in other words, "How about no. Let's go"
• It's actually possible to fight all three Flesh Lips together if enough time passes before one is killed
• After you beat the Flesh Lips boss, the sirens sound fantastic*

Nightmare Hospital

• In the Nightmare Hospital, everything is all bloody and blankets cover the walls and doors
• The Garden is much smaller than it is on the hospital map
• The creators of Silent Hill love big fans – there is at least one in each game, including one here on 1F right after the Garden
• If you stay in room C2 long enough, you can hear glass shattering*
• You can see a speaker protruding from behind the strange covering above the door inside room S11 3F
• When you enter room S3 3F when Maria is gone, you can hear breathing as if someone is watching you*
• It sounds like there is a screeching pig in the basement corridor
• When you move close enough to the fence in the basement, your map says you're on the other side of the fence
• It's one hell of a long elevator ride when listening to the "Trick or Treat" game show
• There is a hanging antique clock on the wall in the Director's Room 1F
• The blinds are all messed up inside the Director's Room 1F, but when outside you can see that they're fine

Dark South Vale

• If you'd like to experience a bit of a GTA1/GTA2 theme, head back over to the stairs by Heaven's Night with the bird's eye camera, then lure the nearby nurse over and shoot her brains out from the unique perspective
• There is a Chiropractic And Sports Injury Center beside THE DANCE COMPANY on Neely Street – I take it the residents of Silent Hill aren't very good dancers
• There is a store called Magical Envelopes on the north side of Sanders Street near where Martin intersects – James' envelope with Mary's letter disappears late in the game, so perhaps it's a Magical Envelope (perhaps an easter egg by Team Silent)
• The gate to the construction site tunnel where James acquired the Radio and killed the first monster is closed shut and has caution tape around it at nighttime – perhaps an investigation of the incident was started?
• There is something attached to the wall very close to the northwest corner of Katz and Martin Street that looks like just like a rusted Steel Pipe (there are more than one) -It looks like there is a First-Aid Kit by the broken-locked Wood Side Apartment gate at nighttime
• There is graffiti of a skeleton with "Gun in your Hand" written on the wall by the northeast of the Katz and Munson Street intersection
• There is a billboard for "Andy's Pizza" by the north parking lot near the east end of Nathan Avenue in West South Vale – it says "Free Delivery" and the number is "000-0000" – good luck getting that free delivery (although perhaps it worked out for Eddie?)
• Carroll Street is named after Jennifer Carroll, the woman from the praying woman statue in the park
• It looks like there are two very large green doors on the right, just inside Rosewater Park from the Nathan Avenue entrance
• On your way to the Silent Hill Historical Society, you can position yourself so that you step with your left foot on the pavement and your right foot on the grass, alternating back and forth (this is a fun way to to kill the time)*
• When you're travelling on the north side of the road to the Historical Society, the camera will change to face a Lake View Hotel billboard when you reach it
• "Obedience or Die!" is written on the wall behind the fence on the north side of the road on the way to the Historical Society, about where Nathan Avenue starts to curve upward
• There is a Lakeside Amusement Park billboard and a small Toluca Lake sign by the "n" in "Nathan Ave." (on your map) on the north side of the road -It says "KEEP THE NATURE" on the small Toluca Lake sign on the north side of Nathan Avenue (by the "n" in "Nathan Ave." on your map)
• There is a billboard that says "YOUR AD" in large print by the "N" in "Nathan Ave." on your map, on the north side of the road
• There is a billboard that says "Silent Hill Fresh Meats" along with a cow photo – the actual storefront can be found on Neely Street in East South Vale
• There is a fallen Lake View Hotel sign near the end of Nathan Avenue by the broken bridge on the north side
• There are Jack's Inn, Pete's Bowl-O-Rama, and Texxon Gas billboards on the south side of Nathan Avenue, near the Silent Hill Historical Society
• There is a map of boat routes to the Lakeview Hotel near the Silent Hill Historical Society – James takes his own boat and route shortly thereafter
• The camera zooms in when you're around the entrance of the Silent Hill Historical Society, revealing great detail

Silent Hill Historical Society

• It looks like Pyramid Head's spear is almost sticking out in 3D fashion in the Misty day painting in the first exhibition room
• You can hear the sound of a painting or something falling in the first exhibition room
• There is a black & white photo of the Silent Hill 2 development team on the wall in the first exhibition room, to the left of the Waterfront landscape caption
• The former director of Brookhaven Hospital looks a lot like David Lynch in the portrait in the second exhibition room
• There is a strange loud moaning sound heard in the second museum room, almost like a foghorn but sounding more like a massive creature – it gets louder and louder as you descend the hallway*
• It takes 50 seconds to get from the top to the bottom of the very long, descending hallway from the second room of the museum
• There is a note on the desk in the room at the end of the long, descending hallway that was last dated 1820
• The "different" brickwork in the well is easy to find, even on the first try – just turn 135 degrees to the left and it'll be right ahead
• You can break the "different" brickwork with the Hyper Spray
• After you exit the well, James falls down into the lower water of the sewer
• A weird sound is heard when you walk by the first door on the right after escaping the well*
• James literally goes DOWN the hallway after using the Spiral-Writing Key, since the hole is actually a hallway flipped vertically

Toluca Prison

• There is painting of the cafeteria at the back of the cafeteria; perhaps a... self-portrait?
• Toluca Prison is leaking from the roof, probably from Toluca Lake
• There are two invisible monsters in Toluca Prison: one in the northern cellblock and one in the southern cellblock – you can target and kill both, and they even let out human-like cries of pain
• The invisible monsters in the prison repeatedly say, "ritual", which perhaps coincidentally is "are you sure" when played backwards*
• Prison halls are much shorter than they are on the map, or at least compared to other buildings and their maps
• Music fades away when you enter the second cell from the east in the south cellblock, starting up again when you exit it
• There is a book by the name of "Black Magic from the Abyss" in the second cell from the east in the south cellblock
• James can take quite the tumble off the courtyard scaffold – onto his knees if falling forward or onto his back if backward
• There are rather creepy sounds of a running horse in the dark courtyard; perhaps fittingly you find a horseshoe on the courtyard door handle*
• If you knock on the closed stall door in the women's washroom and head to the exit, you may hear a loud and sudden crash – it doesn't work every time, but it should work if you keep trying
• There is a pop can on the warden's office desk that looks very much like a Health Drink
• If you examine the documents on the warden's office desk, James comments, "They've got nothing to do with me" – should they, James?
• There is a busted-barrelled Rifle above the Hunting Rifle you take in the second room of the warden's office, along with a Shotgun above it
• James can't find the stairs so he jumps down to B1F
• James makes funny comments in the unmapped foul-smelling prison morgue
• The corpses in the morgue must be many years old, yet they still have their skin
• The legs of the corpses in the morgue are of the same model as the legs in the fridge in the apartment room you first meet Eddie
• James doesn't even question jumping down all the holes and has no problem surviving whatever the drops may be – perhaps he is a superhero
• The sound effect of the broken-locked door beside the elevator before the long ride sounds fantastic*
• Consider strafing in a circle around the elevator to keep busy during the long ride (tap and hold the buttons and try to avoid touching any walls)
• The large elevator takes exactly one minute to descend to the bottom

Labyrinth

• If you stay by the ladders in the alcoves down in Pyramid Head's lair, Pyramid Head will simply walk by and won't attack you, even if you're shooting at him – in fact, even if you stand on the path and attract his attention, including making him poke at you, he'll still walk on by once you move into the alcove
• Pyramid Head has Shotgun Shells in his lair for some reason – I guess he got tired of the Great Knife and wanted James' Shotgun
• James' Flashlight reflects in the water of the Labyrinth
• The number "208" can be seen on the door in the cell with Maria dead in the sickbed, which is the same room number as the apartment with James' character model sitting dead in front of a TV blaring static
• James tells Maria, "There was blood everywhere" when she got stabbed in the elevator, but he didn't see any in our eyes
• You can shoot at Maria through the cell bars but cannot hit her
• Outside the Abstract Daddy boss room are papers on the ground, some from today's date according to James
• You can see James' veins on his hands when pulling down the hanged men nooses – additionally he maintains a very odd, precise, and careful look and motion all the way through
• After entering the cell with Maria lying on the bed, James initially stands well clear left of the door before walking over to Maria
• You can find Walter Sullivan's grave in the catacomb, along graves for James, Eddie and Angela
• The ground in James' grave looks something like apple pie
• It takes twenty seconds to get to the end of the "pie" hallway before you fight Eddie
• It looks like James has a beard from some angles in the first room Eddie boss fight cutscene
• The camera angle changes so many times in the Eddie boss fight cutscene in the first room, aiming to keep the player on edge
• Eddie's revolver freakily sticks up in the air after he's dead

Toluca Lake

• After you kill Eddie and head out to the dock, James says he can't get either door to open if you try
• The sound effect when trying the two large doors on the dock sounds fantastic*
• So after running down a minute-long, descending hallway, jumping down five holes, and a minute-long elevator descent, James ends up at water level – alrighty then
• There's a sign on the shore by the dock regarding the prison that says: "WARNING PERSONS PROCURING OR CONCEALING ESCAPE OF PRISONERS ARE SUBJECT TO PROSECTION"

Lake View Hotel

• The sound effect of hotel double doors sounds somewhat like someone laughing (perhaps Laura)
• If you investigate the piano in the Restaurant 1F, James will funnily comment that Mary played the piano but she wasn't very good
• The "other letter" that Laura lost is almost certainly the full letter from Mary intended for James, read at the end of the game
• There are several paintings of mountain landscapes on the walls of the Lake Shore Resutaraunt
• Heavy breathing is heard inside the B1F elevator*
• If you run quickly to the end of the west 2F corridor, only one Abstract Daddy will appear sometimes
• When standing near the briefcase in the Cloakroom 2F, you can get a great view from the coat rack along the wall by the door, with some hangers partially blocking the view
• A man can sometimes be heard sobbing in the west 2F corridor*
• The Employee Elevator Key on the desk in room 204 2F is huge
• Other than the one photo of the code, the photos on the bed in room 202 2F contain various game art and character headshots, including James, Mary and Laura
• It is possible to put 30 items in the Employee Elevator shelf but no more (GH/DC version) – the max is 29 in the original version
• Despite being surrounded by all the food in the Pantry 1F, James doesn't want to eat – after all that walking? C'mon!
• James can comment on seven different things in the Pantry 1F
• An interesting thing to note about the three music boxes is each of their locations:
  • Little Mermaid on the water fountain in the courtyard (mermaids live in water of course);
• Cinderella in the briefcase with a photo of the combo on the bed beside it (the prince carried Cinderella's slipper on a pillow and also tried to find the right "fit" (like the code));
• Snow White in the pantry right beside an apple (Snow White falls into a slumber after eating a poisoned apple)
• James can find a schedule book on the whiteboard of the Employee Lounge on 1F that was last updated a year ago, like due to the hotel fire
• On a second trip to the 1F employee wing but now with the Flashlight, James can read an additional note on the back of the small heater in the Employee Lounge that says, "I'm Johnny, one hot guy." – a curtain hangs dangerously close to it, perhaps indicative of how the hotel burned
• There's a collection of fishing lures on display by the exit of the Venus Tears bar in the basement
• You can't read your map on 2F with the Flashlight off, but James must be blind because there's tons of light
• If you go up to the 3F stairwell with the gate, you can hear Mary's faint voice exclaim, "James!" on the way down
• Room 312 3F is the cleanest room in the entire hotel – it looks like someone has been expecting you...
• The TV in room 312 3F is huge but has quite a small screen, quite common for TVs from before the 1990s
• James could've just left with Laura if he said "Okay" when Laura tells him "Let's get going already", but he decides to tell her the truth
• The carpet texture in room 312 3F is very impressively-detailed
• There is a clock on the wall in room 312 3F
• You can interrupt the radio message subtitles in room 312 3F by examining the VCR, windows, or trying to open the washroom

Nightmare Hotel

• This version of the hotel appears to more accurately represent the current, burned state of the Lake View Hotel, as demonstrated in the "Burning Man" painting from the prison
• After James' Flashlight battery dies, it will very briefly flash if you try to turn it on
• The Health Drinks camouflage very well among the liquor bottles along the Venus Tears bar B1F
• James appears to cross into Angela's world during the fiery staircase scene "You see it too? For me, it's always like this."
• The stairs in the fiery staircase scene are incredibly steep
• James tells Angela that he'd never kill himself in the fiery stairway cutscene, but he does just moments later in the In Water ending
• You can continue to watch Angela walk up the fiery stairs until some flames cover your view
• Despite hanging upside-down before the Pyramid Head Duo boss fight, Maria's hair remains in its normal state instead of falling downward
• There is a faint "Mark of Samael" crest visible on the floor in the Lobby during the Pyramid Head Duo
• There is a random "X" marked on the map in the Lobby during the Pyramid Head Duo
• There are marks on the door through the right Lobby 1F door that make up what looks just like a face
• During the final staircase, you can continuously run quickly up the stairs by running at an angle into the wall, rather than only a few quick steps at a time

Miscellaneous

• If James is tired and panting from running, go through a door and he won't be tired anymore
• Eddie has a habit of saying, "I swear"
• Maria's outfit is taken straight from what Christina Aguilera wore to the 1999 Teen Choice Awards
• When Laura says "get" it sounds like "git"
• Normally when wielding the Great Knife, James drags it behind him, struggling with it; however if you pick up an item while the knife is equipped, James effortlessly lifts the knife and holds it parallel to the ground as he picks the item up, then returns back to struggling with it afterwards (quite funny to witness)
• Monica Taylor Horgan, voice actor of Mary and Maria, has revealed that her reading of the letter at the end of the game was a one-take performance, making it all the more impressive with how perfect it is

West South Vale

• Someone stuck gum in the backdoor lock inside Heaven's Night
• If you try to leave Heaven's Night without the Cleaver, Maria will say that she's a little nervous with only the Revolver
• A gleaming shine comes off the Chinese Cleaver while running on the streets, and from certain angles Maria can look like a crazed girlfriend or wife out for revenge
• Unlike the main scenario, items can now be found on vehicles and even in the back of a pickup truck
• There is a Lying Figure on the roof of a building on Rendell Street, halfway between Carroll and Munson
• The corpse outside the Baldwin Mansion might be Ernest's, perhaps with him ending his life similarly to how Amy went

Baldwin Mansion

• The boarded off fireplace in the Living Room 1F says "Do not use"
• There are two framed paintings of the red and black boards on the wall in the staircase connecting the Living Room to the second floor – one up the first section of steps and the other across from the Lounge 1F, where Maria first meets Ernest
• Maria jokingly asks Ernest if he's Ernest Hemingway, who died in 1961 (or perhaps she's serious and the name is just in her head, which poses another question of how she knew it)
• The sound of the thump from the fireplace cover falling is heard when coming back down to 1F*
• Footsteps are heard in the stairway after the fireplace cover falls* -Maria can walk through the leaves and branches of the trees in the garden up the fireplace ladder
• If you examine the teddy among the stuffed animals in the Kid's Room, Maria will comment that Laura would love it since she loves bears, before catching herself and wondering who Laura even is – this is because she is already acquiring Mary's memories
• Maria will additionally comment that the fairy tales on the shelf by the closet seem familiar despite having never read them
• The is a calendar from November of 10 years ago in the Kid's Room, informing us of the approximate date of Amy's death
• The female voice of who is likely Ernest's wife during the attic voices is clearly the same voice actor as Maria – Monica Taylor Horgan
• Amy says "Give it... to my daddy..." when you try to leave the attic with the Birthday Card, telling you to give Ernest the birthday card that she never got to give him
• Maria doesn't stop looking at the present from Amy to Ernest after leaving it in the Study, but she can't take it back
• "Keep Out of Haunted Mansion" is spray painted on the outside wall of the mansion where it connects to Blue Creek Apartments, perhaps referring to the ghost of Ernest inside
• When you return after acquiring the white liquid, you can see that Ernest took the gift and card from Amy
• Once Maria opens Ernest's door in the Study, you can see the birthday card on the table next to a pair of gloves, possibly Amy's gift to her father
• Through the help of Ernest "reminding" her, Maria begins to recall Mary's memories
• Somehow Ernest knows about James, and that he's a bad man

Blue Creek Apartments

• Maria can steal James' map for Blue Creek Apartments
• Maria finds the White Liquid (White Chrism) in the same room as James does in the main scenario, although moved from the kitchenette counter to the old desk
• You can access the 2F stairwell from the Pyramid Head fight, but there's no water in it (this is Maria's escape route for the ending)
• You can also access room 203, where Maria comments she doesn't know how to open the safe and that the toilet that James reaches into is "Disgusting..."
• Maria comments that she can see the apartment next door from 203 but cannot cross over to Wood Side

Miscellaneous

• Since Maria doesn't find a radio like James, the static is replaced by what I'd call the "music of evil" whenever a monster is nearby
• With no radio, creatures can be right in your face without noticing them as long as the camera permits it
• There are only three different enemies in this scenario: Lying Figures, Mannequins, and Creepers
• Maria says that she's never been so scared in her whole life in the Hospital's basement (main scenario), but she hasn't had much time to be scared in her whole life since she came into existence at the beginning of this scenario
• Maria tosses her revolver right where Laura will be hanging about in the main scenario – nice one, Maria
• Only scenes with Maria are shown in the credits