title: Rosie O'Donnell

text: Diane Sawyer interviewed O'Donnell in a March 14, 2002, episode of "PrimeTime Thursday". O'Donnell told "USA Today" that she chose to talk to Sawyer because she wanted an investigative piece on Florida's ban on gay adoption. She told Sawyer if that was done, "I would like to talk about my life and how (the case) pertains to me." She spoke about two gay men in Florida who faced having a foster child they raised removed from their home. State law wouldn't let them adopt because Florida banned gay or bisexual couples from adopting. O'Donnell's coming out drew criticism from some LGBTQ activists who cited her repeated references to being enamored of Tom Cruise on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" as deceptive. She responded in her act stating, "I said I wanted him to mow my lawn and bring me a lemonade. I never said I wanted to blow him." After leaving her show and coming out, O'Donnell returned to stand-up comedy and cut her hair. O'Donnell told the press that her haircut was meant to mimic the haircut of former Culture Club backup singer Helen Terry.


title: Rosie O'Donnell

text: O'Donnell was named 2002's Person of the Year by "The Advocate", and in May 2003 she became a regular columnist for the magazine. The magazine's editor-in-chief, Judy Wieder, stated, "Today, Rosie's long and brave journey has led her not only to the cover of "The Advocate" – Rosie was honored with the magazine's Person of the Year Award for 2002 – but now to its chorus of voices, as a columnist."


title: Rosie O'Donnell

text: In September 2018, O'Donnell was criticized for using a "gay slur" in a September 26 tweet referring to Senator Lindsey Graham for his support of Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. The quote was: "'f-- u u closeted idiot – this is the patriarchy exposed – this is reality deal with it !!#NoKavanaughConfirmation #NotMyPresident'". Kavanaugh was eventually confirmed.


title: Rosie O'Donnell

text: O'Donnell adopted her first child, Parker Jaren O'Donnell, as an infant in 1995. Later, Kelli Carpenter also adopted Parker. Parker is an aficionado of military history and in 2011 successfully lobbied his mother to send him to Valley Forge Military Academy.


title: Rosie O'Donnell

text: On February 26, 2004, O'Donnell married Carpenter, a former Nickelodeon marketing executive, in San Francisco two weeks after Mayor Gavin Newsom authorized the granting of marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Her decision to go to San Francisco to marry Carpenter was seen as a show of defiance against then-President George W. Bush over his support for the Federal Marriage Amendment. She said in 2004, "We were both inspired to come here after the sitting President made the vile and hateful comments he made ... [O]ne thought ran through my mind on the plane out here – with Liberty and Social justice for all." The couple was married by San Francisco Treasurer Susan Leal, one of the city's highest ranking lesbian officials, and serenaded by the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus. O'Donnell said during the trial over "Rosie" magazine she had decided to marry Carpenter, in part because even though they acted as spouses they legally were no closer than friends: "We applied for spousal privilege and were denied it by the state. As a result, everything that I said to Kelli, every letter that I wrote her, every e-mail, every correspondence and conversation was entered into the record ... I am now and will forever be a total proponent of gay marriage."


title: Rosie O'Donnell

text: Carpenter and O'Donnell have four children together. In 2000, the family took in a foster child Mia (born in 1997), and announced intentions to adopt her. In 2001, the state of Florida removed Mia from their home, and O'Donnell has since worked extensively to bring an end to the Florida law prohibiting same-sex family adoption.


title: Rosie O'Donnell

text: In mid-November 2009, O'Donnell disclosed that Carpenter had moved out of their home in 2007. Their marriage had ended in August 2004 when it was among the thousands voided by the California Supreme Court.


title: Rosie O'Donnell

text: O'Donnell began dating 40-year-old executive-search consultant Michelle Rounds in mid-2011. On December 5, 2011, during a break in the taping of "The Rosie Show", O'Donnell announced to her studio audience that she and Rounds were engaged. The two married in a private ceremony in New York on June 9, 2012. On January 9, 2013, the couple announced they had adopted a baby girl. On February 6, 2015, representatives for O'Donnell confirmed she and Rounds had separated in November of the previous year. In February 2015, O'Donnell filed for divorce from Rounds after two years of marriage. Their divorce was settled in October 2015. O'Donnell was awarded full custody of the child. Rounds died by suicide on September 15, 2017.


title: Rosie O'Donnell

text: In August 2015, O'Donnell tweeted that her 17-year-old daughter, Chelsea, had gone missing from their Nyack, New York, home along with her therapy dog. Chelsea was found a week later in Barnegat, New Jersey.


title: Rosie O'Donnell

text: In the summer of 2000, O'Donnell suffered a staph infection after she accidentally cut the middle finger of her left hand with a knife while cutting a price tag off a fishing pole. The infection incapacitated her for weeks and nearly resulted in doctors amputating her hand. She later quipped that George W. Bush was to blame for the infection, saying that she was preparing to go on a fishing trip at the time to avoid seeing Bush on television during the then-ongoing 2000 Republican National Convention. O'Donnell has acknowledged her struggles with recurrent major depressive episodes during the fall and winter months consistent with seasonal affective disorder.


title: Rosie O'Donnell

text: O'Donnell suffered a heart attack in mid-August 2012. She said an artery was 99 percent blocked and a stent was inserted. She later revealed on Twitter that to reverse her heart disease, she would espouse the whole-foods, plant-based diet promoted by Caldwell Esselstyn.


title: Silent Hill

text: The later six games, "", "", "", "", "" and "P.T." (a "Silent Hills" playable teaser), were developed by other, mostly Western developers. The "Silent Hill" franchise has expanded to include various print pieces, two feature films, and spin-off video games. As of 2013, the game series has sold over 8.4 million copies worldwide.


title: Silent Hill

text: "Silent Hill" is set in the series' eponymous fictional American town. The series is heavily influenced by the literary genre of psychological horror, with its player characters being mostly "everymen".


title: Silent Hill

text: The first installment in the series follows Harry Mason as he searches for his missing adopted daughter in the mysterious New England town of Silent Hill. Stumbling upon a cult conducting a ritual to revive a deity it worships, Harry discovers his daughter's true origin. Multiple game endings are possible, depending on in-game actions taken by the player. It was released in 1999 for the PlayStation. In 2009, the game became available for download from the European PlayStation Network store for the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Portable, and later, in the same year, from the North American PlayStation Network store.


title: Silent Hill

text: The second installment in the series follows James Sunderland searching for his deceased wife in Silent Hill after having received a letter from her informing him that she is waiting for him there. After searching in and exploring the mysterious town, he ultimately realizes her death's true nature. It was released in September 2001 for the PlayStation 2. An extended version of the game was released for the Xbox in December of the same year as "" in North America and "Silent Hill 2: Inner Fears" in Europe, and for the PlayStation 2 in 2003 as "Silent Hill 2: Director's Cut", with a port of "Director's Cut" to Microsoft Windows released in February 2003.


title: Silent Hill

text: A remake of "Silent Hill 2" was announced in October 2022 for the PlayStation 5 and PC. It will be console exclusive on the PlayStation 5 for the first 12 months but will also be released for PC. Akira Yamaoka, the original composer, returns to write the score.


title: Silent Hill

text: The third installment in the series follows a teenage girl named Heather as she becomes caught in a conflict within Silent Hill's cult and discovers her true origin. It was released in May 2003 for the PlayStation 2, with a port to Microsoft Windows released in October of the same year. "Silent Hill 3" is a direct sequel to the first installment in the series.


title: Silent Hill

text: The fourth installment in the series follows Henry Townshend, who finds himself locked in his apartment as strange phenomena begin to unfold around him and other residents of the building. It was released in 2004 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Microsoft Windows and it also marked the end of Team Silent's contributions to the series.


title: Silent Hill

text: The fifth installment in the series is a prequel to "Silent Hill" that follows trucker Travis Grady, who becomes trapped in Silent Hill after rescuing a girl from a burning house. During his quest to find the fate of the burned girl, he encounters characters from the first game and is forced to face his past. It was developed by Climax Studios and released in 2007 for the PlayStation Portable, with a port for the PlayStation 2 released in 2008 and was also the first "Silent Hill" title developed outside Japan. It is known as "Silent Hill Zero" in Japan.


title: Silent Hill

text: The sixth installment in the series follows Alex Shepherd, a soldier who has returned from a war overseas. Alex discovers upon his arrival that his father has gone missing, his mother has become catatonic, and no one can provide the whereabouts of his younger brother, Joshua. The game chronicles Alex's search to find his missing brother. It was developed by Double Helix Games and released in 2008 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and in 2009 for Microsoft Windows.


title: Silent Hill

text: The seventh installment in the series is a reimagining of the first installment. Developed by Climax Studios for the Wii in December 2009, ports for the PlayStation 2 and the PlayStation Portable were released in January 2010. "Shattered Memories" retains the premise of the original game—Harry Mason's quest to find his missing daughter in the American town of Silent Hill—but is set in what appears to be a different fictional universe, following a different plot, with characters from the first game appearing altered alongside new ones. Gameplay takes place in two parts: a framing, first-person psychotherapy session with an unseen patient, and an over-the-shoulder perspective of Harry's journey through Silent Hill, periodically interrupted by the occurrence of an environmental shift where he is pursued by monsters.


title: Silent Hill

text: "Shattered Memories" gameplay focuses on completion of psychological tests which alter in-game elements while in the first setting, and exploration, puzzle solving, and monster evasion when in the second setting. The game's developers avoided integrating combat into the second setting's gameplay, centering instead on a weaponless player character attempting to rescue himself from powerful opponents, as they considered this to be more fear-inducing. The game received generally positive reviews, with its graphics, storyline, voice acting, soundtrack, and use of the Wii Remote as the Wii version's controller praised by reviewers; "Shattered Memories" chase sequences were criticized by some reviewers, because they deemed them potentially frustrating and short.


title: Silent Hill

text: The eighth installment in the series follows Murphy Pendleton, a prisoner who is stranded in Silent Hill after his prison transport vehicle crashes. Formerly announced in April 2010 and developed by Vatra Games for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the game was released on March 13, 2012. It is the only game in the series that can be played in 3D (stereoscopic).


title: Silent Hill

text: A new mainline game, entitled "Silent Hill f", was announced in October 2022. Developed by studio NeoBards, with creative contributions from writer Ryukishi07, character designer "kera" and producer Motoi Okamoto. It is a story set in Japan during the Shōwa period. The story is being written by Ryukishi07, who wrote the "When They Cry" visual novel series.


title: Silent Hill

text: "Play Novel: Silent Hill" is a visual novel adaptation of the original "Silent Hill", released exclusively for the Game Boy Advance in Japan on March 21, 2001.


title: Silent Hill

text: "" is an arcade game that deals with two characters, Eric and Tina, who have entered the town of Silent Hill and must battle monsters while uncovering the mystery behind Eric's nightmares about a girl and a steamship. "The Arcade" has a multiplayer element, where each player can choose to be either Eric or Tina. A second player can join the game at any time.


title: Silent Hill

text: "" is a mobile game. The game is set in an abandoned orphanage and is played through first-person, point-and-click gameplay.


title: Silent Hill

text: "" is a mobile game. It was released in Japan for the FOMA phone December 19, 2007, and was released for the iOS internationally in 2009. The goal of the game is to guide the player through ten stages by finding a key and opening the locked door. The game is played in a first-person perspective. The game achieved mixed reviews due to lack of storyline and poor execution.


title: Silent Hill

text: "Silent Hill HD Collection" is a high-definition re-release of "Silent Hill 2" and "Silent Hill 3" for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, featuring high-resolution visuals, new sounds, new voices and Trophies/Achievements for both games. "Silent Hill 2" features the option to use both the old and new voices; however, "Silent Hill 3" features only a new voice track, with the old voices unavailable due to legal reasons. "Silent Hill 2" features both the main scenario and the "Born from a Wish" sub-scenario seen in later re-releases, such as the "Director's Cut".


title: Silent Hill

text: This pack marked the first time "Silent Hill 3" was playable on an Xbox console. The collection got mixed to negative reviews due to severe issues with both games, such as severe framerate problems, lockups and more. While the PlayStation 3 version was patched, the Xbox 360 patch was cancelled and Konami offered refunds to all Xbox 360 owners of the game.


title: Silent Hill

text: "" was released for the PlayStation Vita. "Book of Memories" utilizes an overhead isometric view, follows a different storyline and features returning creatures from the series' fictional universe, as well as cooperative gameplay; the game is the first installment in the series to feature multiplayer gameplay, apart from . According to series producer Tomm Hulett, "Book of Memories" gameplay is largely different from the one established in previous installments in the series, focusing on cooperative multiplayer action rather than traditional psychological horror.


title: Silent Hill

text: An interactive media experience known as "Silent Hill: Ascension" was announced in October 2022. It is being developed by Bad Robot Productions, Behavior Interactive, Genvid Entertainment and DJ2 Entertainment.


title: Silent Hill

text: A new game, "Silent Hill: Townfall", was announced in October 2022 with a reveal trailer. It will be developed by No Code and published by Annapurna Interactive.


title: Silent Hill

text: WayForward Technologies, developers of "Silent Hill: Book of Memories", worked on a series installment for the Nintendo DS in 2006. They developed a one-room prototype demo using the lead character and assets from "Silent Hill 2" before the game was cancelled.


title: Silent Hill

text: Renegade Kid pitched their DS title "" as a "Silent Hill" spin-off title. It was rejected by Konami for various reasons involving Konami not wanting to trust a small company with the "Silent Hill" license. Renegade Kid later pitched a modified version of "Dementium II" which was also rejected, but for Konami simply not wanting to enter the DS space with a horror title at the time.


title: Silent Hill

text: Before "Silent Hill: Origins" was made, Team Silent was tasked with working on a fifth installment in the "Silent Hill" series, simply titled ""Silent Hill 5"", and development started as early as "Silent Hill 3". The game was delayed due to demand from fans wanting to get proper closure for the first game. The planned story of "Silent Hill 5" was to focus on a damaged human being summoned to Silent Hill for a certain reason. Akira Yamaoka described the story as "the darkest story we have come up with".


title: Silent Hill

text: Another unique feature of the game was to be the fact that it started off in Silent Hill as an everyday town with people going about their lives, which would slowly begin to rot away as players progress in the game.


title: Silent Hill

text: Before Climax Studios started working on what would later become "Silent Hill: Origins", they had originally pitched a different game idea to Konami in 2006. Intended to be a PlayStation 3 exclusive, the proposed game would have taken place in Arizona and starred protagonist Father Hector Santos. The priest would have utilized water, a major motif in the game, to perform "holy rites and rituals". The proposal never received a greenlight from Konami, and it was reimagined as an original title called "Broken Covenant", but that too was eventually shelved.


title: Silent Hill

text: "Silent Hill: Cold Heart" was the originally planned version of "Silent Hill: Shattered Memories". The game would have followed a female protagonist called Jessica Chambers as she decides to take a trip to visit her parents. However, in doing so she becomes trapped in an enormous snowstorm. To save her herself, she follows an ambulance in hopes of finding a safe place, which would leave her to suddely end up in Silent Hill. Compared to "Shattered Memories" where running is the only way to avoid enemies, the game would have retained the use of Melee Combat from previous games. These combat moments were meant to take advantage of the Wii controller to create a real and intense experience using improvised weapons.


title: Silent Hill

text: Silicon Knights announced the titles in production when the company ceased development in 2012. One of these games was called "Silent Hill: The Box", but later became known as "The Box", which could have been the codename for the title after a publishing deal fell through given the company's financial status. A screenshot from the game was released via ComputerAndVideoGames.com.


title: Silent Hill

text: In 2013, Masahiro Ito was involved in a direct sequel to "Silent Hill 3". Ito was displeased with the way the character Pyramid Head was used in later installments of the series and wanted to reintroduce the antagonist Valtiel. An opening scene in the Otherworld involving a baby carriage was also envisioned, in which Valtiel would slaughter Pyramid Head. The game was eventually cancelled, but as late as 2017, Ito has stated that if he ever makes a new game, he would carry out his plan to kill Pyramid Head or just not use him.


title: Silent Hill

text: During Sony Computer Entertainment's presentation at Gamescom 2014, an interactive teaser titled "P.T." (initialism for "playable teaser") was released on the PlayStation Store for PlayStation 4. The teaser revealed a new "Silent Hill" game entitled "Silent Hills", being developed by Kojima Productions using the Fox Engine, and a collaboration between Hideo Kojima and film director Guillermo del Toro, featuring actor Norman Reedus. On September 1, Sony revealed during its pre-TGS press conference that "P.T." had been downloaded over a million times and had been viewed over 30,000,000 times across platforms.


title: Silent Hill

text: During the 2015 San Francisco Film Festival on April 26, del Toro revealed that he would no longer be involved in the project with Kojima, presumably due to Kojima leaving Konami. Konami later released a statement confirming the departure of Reedus but clarified the series would continue to be developed, with no mention of the current status of "Silent Hills". Days later, Konami confirmed that "Silent Hills" was cancelled, but was open to future collaborations with Reedus and del Toro. "P.T." was also pulled from the PlayStation Store and is no longer available for download.


title: Silent Hill

text: The cancellation of the game was met with significant backlash from fans, who later started a petition on Change.org asking for Konami to continue the project. The petition has received 194,279 signatures . Numerous remakes of "P.T." have spawned as a result of the game's extremely limited availability; it remains unavailable on the PlayStation Store, and has since been blocked from running on the PlayStation 5.


title: Silent Hill

text: In June 2022, in an interview with French gaming website JeuxVideo.Com, Christophe Gans (director of the 2006 "Silent Hill" movie) confirmed that he had completed a script for a third "Silent Hill" film, and is aiming for a 2023 release for the project. He later reiterated this in an interview with JeuxActu, and elaborated that the third film project is to be part of what will be a "relaunch" of the "Silent Hill" brand, accompanied by new video games.


title: Silent Hill

text: In October, Gans spoke once again about the upcoming relaunch and his third film, stating during an interview at the Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival that "I know a bit about the [next "Silent Hill" game]. I work with Team Silent, the original creators. I work in collaboration with Konami", suggesting that members of the original development team, Team Silent, are involved with the upcoming game(s). On October 19, Konami released a video revealing a new film, "Return to Silent Hill, and" several new "Silent Hill" games: a "Silent Hill 2" remake, "Silent Hill: Townfall" and "Silent Hill f". Both Akira Yamaoka and Masahiro Ito are confirmed to be returning for the "Silent Hill 2" remake; Yamaoka as composer and Ito as the lead concept artist.


title: Silent Hill

text: The plots of the installments in the "Silent Hill" series, except "Shattered Memories" and "The Room", share a common setting: the foggy rural American town of Silent Hill, which is a fictional location set in the northeastern United States: some games specifically reference the town as being located in Maine, whereas in the film the town is set in West Virginia. The town in the first three games was inspired by concepts of a small town in America as depicted by various media from various countries of origin. While some of the development planning is more reminiscent of that of a Japanese village, indirect influence comes from perhaps two factual American towns in particular: Cushing, Maine and Snoqualmie, Washington. The town from the film series, however, was inspired by Centralia, Pennsylvania. Silent Hill is depicted in "Shattered Memories" as a heavily snow-covered town in the midst of a blizzard, while the events of "The Room" primarily occur in the fictional neighboring city of South Ashfield, with the player venturing forth to smaller locales around Silent Hill.


title: Silent Hill

text: The series' player characters experience an occasional dark alteration of reality called the "Otherworld". In that reality, physical law often does not apply, with varying forms but most frequently ones whose physical appearance is based on that of Silent Hill, and the series' characters experience delusions and encounter tangible symbols of elements from their unconscious minds, mental states, and innermost thoughts when present in it, manifested into the real world. The origin of these manifestations is a malevolent power native to Silent Hill, which materializes human thoughts; this force was formerly non-evil, but was corrupted by the occurrence of certain events in the area.


title: Silent Hill

text: Some recurring monsters include the Nurses, who are included in almost every "Silent Hill" game, typically due to the sexual frustration or health conditions many of the protagonists experience during the course of the game's events; Pyramid Head, another recurring monster who became the series mascot, whose canon appearances have been contested; and Robbie the Rabbit, an amusement park mascot. A dog named Mira is also included in many joke endings. Another recurring plot trait in the "Silent Hill" series is a fictional religious cult known only as The Order. The organization has certain members who act as antagonists in most of the series' installments (such as Dahlia in the first and prequel, Claudia in "3", Walter in "The Room", and Judge Holloway in "Homecoming"), and operates the "Wish House" (also called "Hope House"), an orphanage for poor and homeless children built by a charity organization called the "Silent Hill Smile Support Society".


title: Silent Hill

text: The religion followed by the Order is focused on the worship of a chief deity, who is named Samael in "Origins", but simply referred to as "God" in the previous games. The group's dogma is derived from a myth: the deity set out to create paradise, but ran out of power during the process; she will someday be resurrected, thus becoming able to finally create paradise and save mankind. The town's cult repeatedly participates in illegal acts: ritual human sacrifices whose purpose is the deity's resurrection, illegal drug trade, and kidnapping and confinement of children in a facility to teach them its dogma through brainwashing, while presenting the facility as an orphanage. Also repeatedly featured are various religious items with magical properties, appearing widely in the games of the series.


title: Silent Hill

text: Three thematic elements consistently drive the narratives of "Silent Hill" games: the theme of a main protagonist who is depicted as an "everyman" (with the exception of "Homecoming", where the protagonist is thought to be a soldier and the game's mechanics operate as such), and the everyman's quest, either a search for a missing loved one or a situation where the protagonist wanders into the town apparently by accident but is in fact being "summoned" by a spiritual force in the town.


title: Silent Hill

text: Multiple endings are a staple of the series, with all installments featuring some, the realization of which often depends on in-game actions performed by the player. In all but two of the series' games, one of these endings is a joke ending in which the main protagonist comes in contact with unidentified flying objects: there is no joke ending in "Silent Hill 4: The Room", and the only joke ending in "Downpour" is a surprise party for the player featuring characters from previous installments of the franchise.


title: Silent Hill

text: The installments in the "Silent Hill" series contain various symbolism. The symbols are images, sounds, objects, creatures, or situations, and represent concepts and facts, as well as feelings, emotions, and mental states of the characters.


title: Silent Hill

text: The installments in the "Silent Hill" series utilize a third-person view, with occasional fixed camera angles. While visibility is low due to the alternating fog and darkness, all of the series' player characters, except Henry Townshend of "", are equipped with a flashlight and a portable device which warns the player of nearby monsters by emitting static (a transistor radio in "Origins" and the first three installments, a walkie-talkie in "Homecoming" and "Downpour", and a mobile phone in "Shattered Memories").


title: Silent Hill

text: The player characters of every "Silent Hill" game have access to a variety of melee weapons and firearms, with "Origins" and "Downpour" also featuring rudimentary hand-to-hand combat. "Shattered Memories" is the sole exception: it is designed without combat and based around evasion of the creatures. Another key feature of the series' gameplay is puzzle-solving, which often results in the acquisition of an item essential to advance in the games.


title: Silent Hill

text: Development of the "Silent Hill" series started in September 1996 with the beginning of the development of its first installment, "Silent Hill". The game was created by Team Silent, a group of staff members within the Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo studio. The new owners of its parent company Konami sought to produce a game that would be successful in the United States. For this reason, a Hollywood-like atmosphere was proposed for it. Despite the profit-oriented approach of the parent company, however, the developers of "Silent Hill" had much artistic freedom because the game was still produced in the era of lower-budget 2D titles. Eventually, the development staff decided to ignore the limits of Konami's initial plan, and to make "Silent Hill" a game that would appeal to the emotions of players instead.


title: Silent Hill

text: The first installment's scenario was created by director Keiichiro Toyama. The story of the second installment, "Silent Hill 2", was conceived by CGI director Takayoshi Sato, who based it on the novel "Crime and Punishment", with individual members of the team collaborating on the game's actual scenario; the main writing was done by Hiroyuki Owaku and Sato.


title: Silent Hill

text: The first game, "Silent Hill", utilizes real-time 3D environments. To mitigate limitations of the hardware, developers liberally used fog and darkness to muddle the graphics.


title: Silent Hill

text: Sato estimated the budget of the first installment at US$3–5 million and "Silent Hill 2"s at US$7–10 million. He said that the development team intended to make "Silent Hill" a masterpiece rather than a traditional sales-oriented game, and that they opted for an engaging story, which would persist over time – similar to successful literature.


title: Silent Hill

text: The games are known to have drawn influence from media such as "Jacob's Ladder"; "Phantoms"; "Session 9"; "Alien"; Stephen King's "The Mist"; and the art of Francis Bacon, largely through cultivating a technique of inducing fear through more psychological levels of perception. Many sequences and tropes from these films share identical concepts. The films and television series of American filmmaker David Lynch are also acknowledged to have influenced Team Silent during the initial games' production, especially that of "Silent Hill 2".


title: Silent Hill

text: Another major influence is Japanese horror, with comparisons made to classical Japanese Noh theatre and early 20th-century fiction writers such as the Japanese Edogawa Rampo. The town of Silent Hill is a small rural American town imagined by the creative team. It was based on Western literature and films, as well as on depictions of American towns in European and Russian culture. The version of the town from the film adaptations of the first and games is loosely based on the central Pennsylvania town of Centralia.


title: Silent Hill

text: The Order's religion is based on various characteristics of different religions, such as the origins of Christianity, Aztec rituals, Shinto shrines, as well as Japanese folklore. The names of gods in the organization's religion were conceived by Hiroyuki Owaku, but they have Aztec and Mayan motifs, as Owaku used pronunciations from these civilizations as a reference. Certain religious items appearing in the series were conceived by the team and for some others various religions were used as a basis: the evil spirit-dispelling substance Aglaophotis, which appears in the first installment and "Silent Hill 3", is based on a herb of similar name and nature in the Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism); the name of the talisman called "Seal of Metatron" references the angel Metatron.


title: Silent Hill

text: The installments in the "Silent Hill" series feature various sound effects, some of them being ambient, as well as silence; the sound effects have been added with the intent of inducing certain emotions and feelings in the player, such as urgency, displeasure, or a sense of disturbance of their psyche. According to the series' former sound director Akira Yamaoka, atmosphere is an emphasized element of the series, if which had not been given importance, the series' production would have been impossible. The games also feature soundtracks scored by Yamaoka.


title: Silent Hill

text: The genres of the musical pieces range from industrial to trip hop to rock, and some pieces include vocals by voice actress Mary Elizabeth McGlynn. The music of "Silent Hill 3" and "4" also contains performance and songwriting contributions from musician and voice actor Joe Romersa. "Downpour" and "Book of Memories" feature soundtracks scored by composer Daniel Licht; "Downpour" includes music belonging to the industrial genre and vocals by McGlynn as well as by Jonathan Davis of the band Korn.


title: Silent Hill

text: Spin-off video games based on the series include the visual novel "Play Novel: Silent Hill" for the Game Boy Advance, the arcade game "", and the mobile games "" and "".


title: Silent Hill

text: The "Silent Hill" franchise has been praised for their graphics, atmosphere, and narratives. While the first three installments received critical acclaim, with the fourth game also receiving general praise from critics, later games were less well received.


title: Silent Hill

text: The first installment in the series, "Silent Hill", received a positive response from critics on its release and was commercially successful. It is considered a defining title in the survival horror genre, moving away from B movie horror elements, toward a psychological style of horror emphasizing atmosphere.


title: Silent Hill

text: "Silent Hill 2" received critical acclaim. It was named the fourteenth best game of the PS2 by IGN, saying that "it preserved most of the original game's what-might-be-out-there fear, but with major advances to the graphics and sound, the game was able to deliver a far more immersive, frightful and compelling storyline". "Silent Hill 2" is considered one of the best horror games of all time by many, as it features on several "best games ever" lists by critics.


title: Silent Hill

text: Praise was particularly aimed at the dark, cerebral narrative and storytelling, exploration and handling of mature themes and concepts, such as incest and domestic abuse, the sound design and musical composition, the atmospheric and frightening tone and direction, fear-inducing and tense gameplay, along with the graphics, use of symbolism and metaphors and the monster designs. "Silent Hill 2" is widely considered to be the best installment in the "Silent Hill" game series and is considered by many to be a modern-day horror masterpiece.


title: Silent Hill

text: "Silent Hill 3" was well received by critics, especially in its presentation, including its environments, graphics and audio, as well as the overall horror elements and themes that are continued from past installments. The game received praise for its story, which was a continuation of the first game's story.


title: Silent Hill

text: In comparison to the previous three installments, "Silent Hill 4: The Room" was met with a mostly positive reception, though lower than that of the game's predecessors; many reviewers disliked the increased emphasis on combat, lessening the focus on the horror aspect of gameplay, while praise was aimed at the atmospheric tone and direction, the sound design, graphics and the storyline, while the changes from the series' conventions were met with a range of responses, varying from positive to negative. 1UP.com said that Konami went "backwards" with this game, though reviewers such as GameSpot still praised the game's atmosphere.


title: Silent Hill

text: "Origins" received positive reviews despite some criticism. It was praised for going back to the old gameplay formula—according to IGN, "Origins" does justice to the series as a whole. However, some criticized the series' increasing predictability. GameSpot stated that "this old fog needs to learn some new tricks".


title: Silent Hill

text: "Homecoming" received mixed reviews. It was praised for its graphics and audio, but the horror and gameplay have been met with mixed reactions. Some critics, such as GameSpot, felt that it lost "the psychological horror factor that the series is so well-known for". Some critics were harsher; IGN called the game a "letdown".


title: Silent Hill

text: "Shattered Memories" received more positive reviews. GameSpot praised the game's effort at reinventing the first game's plot, rather than being a simple remake.


title: Silent Hill

text: "Downpour" received mixed reviews. While certain critics praised the soundtrack and story elements, it has been let down by "sluggish combat" and "occasional freezes".


title: Silent Hill

text: "HD Collection" has also received mixed reviews. Critics criticised towards many technical issues plaguing both games and artistic changes made to the games. "Book of Memories", while receiving mixed reviews, has been the least well received game in the series, with most criticism regarding the game's shift in genre.


title: Silent Hill

text: The Duffer Brothers have cited "Silent Hill" as an influence on their 2016 television show "Stranger Things". They noted that it inspired the Upside Down, a parallel dimension in the series.


title: Silent Hill

text: Print media of the "Silent Hill" franchise include a series of comic book adaptations; the novels "Silent Hill", "Silent Hill 2" and "Silent Hill 3" by Sadamu Yamashita, which are novelizations of their eponymous video games; the guide book "Lost Memories"; and the art book "Drawing Block: Silent Hill 3 Program".


title: Silent Hill

text: Konami has announced "Silent Hill"-themed pachinko machines, one in 2015 and another titled "Silent Hill: Escape" in 2019.


title: Silent Hill

text: Downloadable content for the video games "Dead by Daylight" and "Dark Deception: Monsters & Mortals", were released in June 2020 and March 2021 respectively.


title: Silent Hill

text: A film adaptation of the first game in the series, "Silent Hill", was released in 2006. It was adapted and directed by French film director, producer and writer Christophe Gans. Gans himself is a big fan of the "Silent Hill" game series. A second film adaptation, titled "" written and directed by M. J. Bassett and based on "Silent Hill 3", was released in 2012. Christophe Gans expressed an interest in making a third film in a 2020 interview, stating that a script is being developed centred on puritanism. In October 2022, a sequel to the first film was announced to be in early development, referred to as "Return to Silent Hill", with Gans returning to direct and the film being based on "Silent Hill 2".


title: The Evil Dead

text: The Evil Dead is a 1981 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Sam Raimi, produced by Robert Tapert and executive produced by Raimi, Tapert, and Bruce Campbell, who also starred alongside Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManicor, Betsy Baker and Theresa Tilly. The film focuses on five college students vacationing in an isolated cabin in a remote wooded area. After they find an audio tape that, when played, releases a legion of demons and spirits, four members of the group suffer from demonic possession, forcing the fifth member, Ash Williams (Campbell), to survive an onslaught of increasingly gory mayhem.


title: The Evil Dead

text: Raimi, Tapert, Campbell, and their friends produced the short film "Within the Woods" as a proof of concept to build the interest of potential investors, which secured US$90,000 to begin work on "The Evil Dead". Principal photography took place on location in a remote cabin located in Morristown, Tennessee, in a difficult filming process that proved extremely uncomfortable for the cast and crew; the film's extensive prosthetic makeup effects and stop-motion animations were created by artist Tom Sullivan. The completed film attracted the interest of producer Irvin Shapiro, who helped screen the film at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival. Horror author Stephen King gave a rave review of the film, which resulted in New Line Cinema acquiring its distribution rights.


title: The Evil Dead

text: "The Evil Dead" grossed $2.4 million in the US and between $2.7 and $29.4 million worldwide. Both early and later critical reception were universally positive; in the years since its release, the film has developed a reputation as one of the most significant cult films, cited among the greatest horror films of all time and one of the most successful independent films. It launched the careers of Raimi, Tapert, and Campbell, who have continued to collaborate on several films together, such as Raimi's "Spider-Man" trilogy.


title: The Evil Dead

text: "The Evil Dead" spawned a media franchise, beginning with two direct sequels written and directed by Raimi, "Evil Dead II" (1987) and "Army of Darkness" (1992), a fourth film, "Evil Dead" (2013), which serves as a soft reboot and continuation, and a follow-up TV series, "Ash vs Evil Dead", which aired from 2015 to 2018; the franchise also includes video games and comic books. The film's protagonist Ash Williams is also considered to be a cultural icon.


title: The Evil Dead

text: Five Michigan State University students – Ash Williams, his girlfriend Linda, his sister Cheryl, their friend Scott, and Scott's girlfriend Shelly – vacation at an isolated cabin in rural Tennessee. Approaching the cabin, the group notices the porch swing move on its own but suddenly stop as Scott grabs the doorknob. While Cheryl draws a picture of a clock, the clock stops, and she hears a faint, demonic voice tell her to "join us". Her hand becomes possessed, turns pale and draws a picture of a book with a demonic face on its cover. Although shaken, she does not mention the incident.


title: The Evil Dead

text: When the cellar trapdoor flies open during dinner, Shelly, Linda, and Cheryl remain upstairs as Ash and Scott investigate the cellar. They find the "Naturom Demonto", a Sumerian version of the Egyptian "Book of the Dead", along with archaeologist Raymond Knowby's tape recorder, and they take the items upstairs. Scott plays a tape of incantations that resurrect a demonic entity. Cheryl yells for Scott to turn off the tape recorder, and a tree branch breaks one of the cabin's windows. Later that evening, an agitated Cheryl goes into the woods to investigate strange noises, where she is attacked and raped by demonically possessed trees. When she escapes and returns to the cabin bruised and anguished, Ash agrees to take her back into town, only to discover that the bridge to the cabin has been destroyed. Cheryl panics as she realizes that they are now trapped and the demonic entity will not let them leave. Back at the cabin, Ash listens to more of the tape, learning that the only way to kill the entity is to dismember a possessed host. As Linda and Shelly play spades, Cheryl correctly calls out the cards, succumbs to the entity, and levitates. In a raspy, demonic voice, she demands to know why they disturbed her sleep and threatens to kill everyone. She stabs Linda in the ankle with a pencil and throws Ash into a shelf. Scott knocks Cheryl into the cellar and locks her inside.


title: The Evil Dead

text: Everyone fights about what to do. Having become paranoid upon seeing Cheryl's demonic transformation, Shelly lies down in her room but is drawn to look out of her window, where a demon crashes through and attacks her, turning her into a Deadite. She attacks Scott before he throws her into the fireplace and then stabs her in the back with a Sumerian dagger, apparently killing her. When she reanimates, Scott dismembers her with an axe and buries the remains. Shaken by the experience, he leaves to find a way back to town. He shortly returns mortally wounded from the possessed trees, and dies while warning Ash that the trees will not let them escape alive. When Ash checks on Linda, he is horrified to find that she has become possessed. She attacks him, but he stabs her with the Sumerian dagger. Unwilling to dismember her, he buries her instead. She revives and attacks him, forcing him to decapitate her with a shovel. Her headless body bleeds on his face as it tries to kill him, he escapes and retreats to the cabin.


title: The Evil Dead

text: Back inside, Ash discovers that Cheryl has escaped the cellar. Cheryl eludes Ash, and attempts to choke him. Ash escapes her grasp, then shoots Cheryl in the jaw. As Ash is barricading the door, Scott reanimates into a Deadite. Scott attacks Ash, and inadvertently knocks the Naturom Demonto close to the fireplace. Ash gouges Scott's eyes out and pulls a tree branch from Scott's stomach, causing him to bleed out and fall to the ground. Cheryl breaks through the barricade and knocks Ash to the floor. As Scott and Cheryl continue to attack Ash on the ground, Ash grabs the Naturom Demonto and throws it into the fireplace. While the book burns, the Deadites freeze in place, then begin to rapidly decompose. Large appendages burst from both corpses, covering Ash in blood. Dawn breaks, and Ash stumbles outside.


title: The Evil Dead

text: As Ash walks away from the cabin, an unseen demon moves rapidly through the forest, rushes through the cabin, and attacks him from behind.


title: The Evil Dead

text: Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell grew up together, and have been friends from an early age. The duo made several low-budget Super 8 mm film projects together. Several were comedies, including "Clockwork" and "It's Murder!". Shooting a suspense scene in "It's Murder!" inspired them to approach careers in the horror genre; after researching horror cinema at drive-in theaters, Raimi was set on directing a horror film, opting to shoot a proof of concept short film - described by the director as a "prototype" - that would attract the interest of financiers, and use the funds raised to shoot a full-length project. The short film that Raimi created was called "Within the Woods", which was produced for $1,600. For "The Evil Dead" Raimi required over $100,000.


title: The Evil Dead

text: To generate funds to produce the film, Raimi approached Phil Gillis, a lawyer to one of his friends. Raimi showed him "Within the Woods", and although Gillis was not impressed by the short film, he offered Raimi legal advice on how to produce "The Evil Dead". With his advice in mind, Raimi asked a variety of people for donations, and even eventually "begged" some. Campbell had to ask several of his own family members, and Raimi asked every individual he thought might be interested. He eventually raised enough money to produce a full-length film, though not the full amount he originally wanted. Raimi said the film cost $375,000.


title: The Evil Dead

text: With enough money to produce the film, Raimi and Campbell set out to make what was then titled "Book of the Dead", a name inspired by Raimi's interest in the fiction of H. P. Lovecraft. The film was supposed to be a remake of "Within the Woods", with higher production values and a full-length running time. Raimi turned 20 just before shooting began, and he considered the project his "rite of passage".


title: The Evil Dead

text: Raimi asked for help and assistance from several of his friends and past collaborators to make "The Evil Dead". Campbell offered to produce the film alongside Tapert, and was subsequently cast as Ash Williams, the main character, since his producing responsibilities made him the only actor willing to stay during the production's entirety. To acquire more actors for the project, Raimi put an ad in "The Detroit News". Betsy Baker was one of the actresses who responded, and Ellen Sandweiss, who appeared in "Within the Woods", was also cast. The crew consisted almost entirely of Raimi and Campbell's friends and family. The special make-up effects artist for "Within the Woods", Tom Sullivan, was brought on to compose the effects after expressing a positive reaction to working with Raimi. He helped create many of the film's foam latex and fake blood effects, and added coffee as an extra ingredient to the traditional fake blood formula of corn syrup and food coloring.


title: The Evil Dead

text: Without any formal assistance from location scouts, the cast had to find filming locations on their own. The crew initially attempted to shoot the film in Raimi's hometown of Royal Oak, Michigan, but instead chose Morristown, Tennessee, as it was the only state that expressed enthusiasm for the project. The crew quickly found a remote cabin located several miles away from any other buildings. During pre-production, the 13 crew members had to stay at the cabin, leading to several people sleeping in the same room. The living conditions were notoriously difficult, with several arguments breaking out between crew members.


title: The Evil Dead

text: Steve Frankel was the only carpenter on set, which made him the art direction's sole contributor. For exterior shots, Frankel had to produce several elaborate props with a circular saw. Otherwise, the cabin mostly remained the way it was found during production. The cabin had no plumbing, but phone lines were connected to it.


title: The Evil Dead

text: The film was made on Kodak 16mm film stock with a rented camera. The inexperienced crew made filming a "comedy of errors". The first day of filming led to them getting lost in the woods during a scene shot on a bridge. Several crew members were injured during the shoot, and because of the cabin's remoteness, securing medical assistance was difficult. One notably gruesome moment on set involved ripping off Baker's eyelashes during removal of her face-mask. Because of the low budget, contact lenses as thick as glass had to be applied to the actors to achieve the "demonic eyes" effect. The lenses took 10 minutes to apply, and could only be left on for about 15 minutes because eyes could not "breathe" with them applied. Campbell later commented that to get the effect of wearing these lenses, they had to put "Tupperware" over their eyes.


title: The Evil Dead

text: Raimi developed a sense of "mise en scène", coming up with ideas for scenes at a fast rate. He had drawn several crude illustrations to help him break down the flow of scenes. The crew was surprised when Raimi began using Dutch angles during shots to build atmosphere during scenes. To accommodate Raimi's style of direction, several elaborate, low-budget rigs had to be built, since the crew could not afford a camera dolly. One involved the "vas-o-cam", which relied on a mounted camera that was slid down long wooden platforms to create a more fluid sense of motion.


title: The Evil Dead

text: A camera trick used to emulate a Steadicam inexpensively was the "shaky cam", which involved mounting the camera to a piece of wood and having two camera operators sprint around the swamp. During scenes involving the unseen force in the woods watching the characters, Raimi had to run through the woods with the makeshift rig, jumping over logs and stones. This often proved difficult due to mist in the swamp. The film's final scene was shot with the camera mounted to a bike, while it was quickly driven through the cabin to create a seamless long take.


title: The Evil Dead

text: Raimi had been a big fan of "The Three Stooges" during his youth, which inspired him to use "Fake Shemps" during production. In any scene that required a background shot of a character, he used another actor as a substitute if the original actor was preoccupied. During a close-up involving Richard DeManicor's hand opening a curtain, Raimi used his own hand in the scene since it was more convenient. His brother Ted Raimi was used as a "Fake Shemp" in many scenes when the original actor was either busy or preoccupied.


title: The Evil Dead

text: Raimi enjoyed "torturing" his actors. Raimi believed that to capture pain and anger in his actors, he had to abuse them a little at times, saying, "if everyone was in extreme pain and misery, that would translate into a horror". Producer Robert Tapert agreed with Raimi, commenting that he "enjoyed when an actor bleeds." While shooting a scene with Campbell running down a hill, Campbell tripped and injured his leg. Raimi enjoyed poking Campbell's injury with a stick he found in the woods. Because of the copious amounts of blood in the film, the crew produced gallons of fake blood with Karo corn syrup. It took Campbell hours to remove the sticky substance from himself. Several actors had inadvertently been stabbed or thrown into objects during production. During the last few days on set, the conditions had become so extreme the crew began burning furniture to stay warm. Since at that point only exterior shots needed to be filmed, they burned nearly every piece of furniture left. Several actors went days without showering, and because of the freezing conditions, several caught colds and other illnesses. Campbell later described the filming process as nearly "twelve weeks of mirthless exercise in agony", though he allowed that he did manage to have fun while on set. On January 23, 1980, filming was finished and almost every crew member left the set to return home, with Campbell staying with Raimi. While looking over the footage that had been shot, Raimi discovered that a few pick-ups were required to fill in missing shots. Four days of re-shoots were then done to complete the film. The final moment involved Campbell having "monster-guts" splattered on him in the basement.


title: The Evil Dead

text: Summing up the production decades later, Campbell remarked, "It's low-budget, it's got rough edges," but even so, "there are parts of that movie that are visually stunning."


title: The Evil Dead

text: After the extensive filming process, Raimi had a "mountain of footage" that he had to put together. He chose a Detroit editing association, where he met Edna Paul, to cut the film. Paul's assistant was Joel Coen of the Coen brothers, who helped with the film's editing. Paul edited a majority of the film, although Coen edited the shed sequence. Coen had been inspired by Raimi's "Within the Woods" and liked the idea of producing a prototype film to help build the interest of investors. Joel used the concept to help make "Blood Simple" with his brother Ethan, and he and Raimi became friends following the editing process.


title: The Evil Dead

text: The film's first cut ran at around 117 minutes, which Campbell called an impressive achievement in light of the 65-minute length of the screenplay. The cut scenes were to focus on the main character's lamentation of not being able to save the victims from their deaths, but was edited down to make the film less "grim and depressing" and to be a more marketable 85 minutes. Raimi was inspired by the fact that Brian De Palma was editing his own film "Blow Out" with John Travolta at the same sound facility. One of the most intricate moments during editing was the stop-motion animation sequence where the corpses "melted", which took hours to cut properly. The film had unique sounds that required extensive recording from the crew. Several sounds were not recorded properly during shooting, which meant the effects had to be redone in the editing rooms. Dead chickens were stabbed to replicate the sounds of mutilated flesh, and Campbell had to scream into a microphone for several hours.


title: The Evil Dead

text: Much like "Within the Woods", "The Evil Dead" needed to be blown up to 35mm, then the industry standard, to be played at movie theaters. The relatively large budget made this a much simpler process with "The Evil Dead" than it had been with the short film.


title: The Evil Dead

text: With the film completed, Raimi and the crew decided to celebrate with a "big premiere". They chose to screen the film at Detroit's Redford Theatre, which Campbell had often visited as a child. Raimi opted to have the most theatrical premiere possible, using custom tickets and wind tracks set in the theater, and ordering ambulances outside the theater to build atmosphere. The premiere setup was inspired by horror director William Castle, who would often attempt to scare his audiences by using gimmicks. Local turnout for the premiere exceeded the cast's expectations, with a thousand patrons showing up. The audiences responded enthusiastically to the premiere, which led to Raimi's idea of "touring" the film to build hype.


title: The Evil Dead

text: Raimi showed the film to anyone willing to watch it, booking meetings with distribution agents and anyone with experience in the film industry. Eventually Raimi came across Irvin Shapiro, the man who was responsible for the distribution of George A. Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" and other famous horror films. Upon first viewing the film, he joked that while it "wasn't "Gone with the Wind"", it had commercial potential, and he expressed an interest in distributing it. It was his idea not to use the then-title "Book of the Dead", because he thought it made the film sound boring. Raimi brainstormed several ideas, eventually going with "The Evil Dead", deemed the "least worst" title. Shapiro also advised distributing the film worldwide to garner a larger income, though it required a further financial investment by Raimi, who managed to scrape together what little money he had.


title: The Evil Dead

text: Shapiro was a founder of the Cannes Film Festival, and allowed Raimi to screen the film at the 1982 festival out of competition. Stephen King was present at its screening and gave the film a rave review. "USA Today" released an article about King's favorite horror films; the author cited "The Evil Dead" as his fifth favorite film of the genre. The film severely affected King, who commented that while watching the film at Cannes, he was "registering things [he] had never seen in a movie before". He became one of the film's largest supporters during the early efforts to find a distributor, eventually describing it as the "most ferociously original film of the year", a quote used in the film's promotional pieces. King's comments attracted the interest of critics, who otherwise would likely have dismissed the low-budget thriller.


title: The Evil Dead

text: The film's press attracted the attention of British film distribution agent Stephen Woolley. Though he considered the film a big risk, Woolley decided to take on the job of releasing the film in the United Kingdom. The film was promoted in an unconventional manner for a film of its budget, receiving marketing on par with that of larger budget films. Dozens of promotional pieces, including film posters and trailers, were showcased in the UK, heavy promotion rarely expended on such a low-budget film. Woolley was impressed by Raimi, whom he called "charming", and was an admirer of the film, which led to his taking more risks with the film's promotion than he normally would have.


title: The Evil Dead

text: "Fangoria" started covering the film in late 1982, writing several articles about the film's long production history. Early critical reception at the time was very positive, and along with "Fangoria", King, and Shapiro's approval, the film generated an impressive amount of interest before its commercial premiere. New Line Cinema, one of the distributors interested in the film, negotiated an agreement to distribute it domestically. The film had several "sneak previews" before its commercial release, including screenings in New York and Detroit. Audience reception at both screenings was widely enthusiastic, and interest was built for the film to such an extent that wider distribution was planned. New Line Cinema wrote Raimi a check large enough to pay off all the investors, and decided to release the film in an unusual manner: simultaneously into both cinemas and onto VHS, with substantial domestic promotion.


title: The Evil Dead

text: Because of its large promotional campaign, the film performed above expectations at the box office. However, the initial domestic gross was described as "disappointing." The movie opened in 15 theaters and grossed $108,000 in its opening weekend. Word of mouth later spread, and the film became a "sleeper hit". It grossed $2,400,000 domestically, nearly eight times its production budget. Sources differ as to whether it grossed $261,944 overseas, for a worldwide gross of $2,661,944, or $27 million overseas, for a worldwide gross of $29.4 million. Raimi said in 1990 that the film "did very well overseas and did very poorly domestically" and that its investors earned a return of "about five times their initial investment."


title: The Evil Dead

text: The film's release was met with controversy, as Raimi had made the film as gruesome as possible with neither interest in nor fear of censorship. Writer Bruce Kawin described "The Evil Dead" as one of the most notorious splatter films of its day, along with "Cannibal Holocaust" and "I Spit on Your Grave".


title: The Evil Dead

text: In the UK, the film was trimmed by 49 seconds before it was granted an X certificate for cinema release. This censored version was also released on home video; at the time there was no requirement that films had to be classified for video release. A campaign by pro-censorship organization NVLA led to the film being labelled a "video nasty" and when the Video Recordings Act was passed in 1984, the video version was removed from circulation. In 1990, a further 66 seconds were trimmed from the already censored version and the film was granted an 18 certificate for home video release. In 2000, the uncut version was finally granted an 18 certificate for both cinema and home video.


title: The Evil Dead

text: In the US, the film received an X rating. Films with this label were quite violent and disturbing, and the rating was often held by pornographic films. The film has since been re-rated NC-17 for “substantial graphic horror violence and gore”, though many recent home media releases have been released without a rating.


title: The Evil Dead

text: The first VHS release of "The Evil Dead" was by Thorn EMI in 1983, and Thorn's successor company HBO/Cannon Video later repackaged the film. Former HBO Video's partner Congress Video, a company notable for public domain films, issued its version in 1989.


title: The Evil Dead

text: In its first week of video release, the film made £100,000 in the UK. It quickly became that week's bestselling video release, and later became the year's bestselling video in the UK, out-grossing large-budget horror releases such as "The Shining". Its impressive European performance was chalked up to its heavy promotion there and the more open-minded nature of European audiences.


title: The Evil Dead

text: The resurgence of "The Evil Dead" in the home-video market came through two companies that restored the film from its negatives and issued special editions in 1998: Anchor Bay Entertainment on VHS, and Elite Entertainment on LaserDisc. Anchor Bay was responsible for the film's first DVD release on January 19, 1999, along with Elite releasing the special collector's edition DVD on March 30, 1999, and between them, Elite and Anchor Bay have released six different DVD versions of "The Evil Dead", most notably the 2002 "Book Of The Dead" edition, packaged in a latex replica of the "Necronomicon" sculpted by Tom Sullivan and the 2007 three disc "Ultimate Edition" which contained the widescreen and original full frame versions of the movie. The film's high-definition debut was in a 2010 Blu-ray.


title: The Evil Dead

text: Upon its release, contemporary critical opinion was largely positive. Bob Martin, editor of "Fangoria", reviewed the film before its formal premiere and proclaimed that it "might be the exception to the usual run of low-budget horror films". He followed up on this praise after the film's premiere, stating: "Since I started editing this magazine, I have not seen "any" new film that I could recommend to our readers with more confidence that it would be loved, embraced and hailed as a new milestone in graphic horror". The "Los Angeles Times" called the film an "instant classic", proclaiming it as "probably the grisliest well-made movie ever." In a 1982 review, staff from the trade magazine "Variety" wrote that the film "emerges as the "ne plus ultra" of low-budget gore and shock effect", commenting that the "powerful" and inventive camerawork was key to creating a sense of dread.


title: The Evil Dead

text: British press for the film was positive; Kim Newman of "Monthly Film Bulletin", Richard Cook of "NME", and Julian Petley of "Film and Filming" all gave the film good reviews during its early release. Petley and Cook compared the film to other contemporary horror films, writing that the film expressed more imagination and "youthful enthusiasm" than an average horror film. Cook described the camera work by Raimi as "audacious", stating that the film's visceral nature was greatly helped by the style of direction. Woolley, Newman, and several critics complimented the film for its unexpected use of black comedy, which elevated the film above its genre's potential trappings. All three critics compared the film to the surrealistic work of Georges Franju and Jean Cocteau, noting the cinephilic references to Cocteau's film "Orpheus". Writer Lynn Schofield Clark in his novel "From Angels to Aliens" compared the film to better-known horror films such as "The Exorcist" and "The Omen", citing it as a key supernatural thriller.


title: The Evil Dead

text: The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 95% approval rating and an average rating of 8.00/10 based on an aggregation of 61 reviews. It summarizes the film: "This classic low-budget horror film combines just the right amount of gore and black humor, giving "The Evil Dead" an equal amount of thrills and laughs." "Empire" magazine stated the film's "reputation was deserved", writing that the film was impressive considering its low budget and the cast's inexperience. He commented that the film successfully blended the "bizarre" combination of "Night of the Living Dead", "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" and "The Three Stooges". A reviewer for Film4 rated "The Evil Dead" four-and-a-half stars out of five, musing that the film was "energetic, original and icky" and concluding that Raimi's "splat-stick debut is a tight little horror classic that deserves its cult reputation, despite the best efforts of the censors."


title: The Evil Dead

text: "Slant Magazine"s Ed Gonzales compared the film to Dario Argento's work, citing Raimi's "unnerving wide angle work" as an important factor to the film's atmosphere. He mused that Raimi possessed an "almost unreal ability to suggest the presence of intangible evil", which was what prevented the movie from being "B-movie schlock". BBC critic Martyn Glanville awarded the film four stars out of five, writing that for Raimi, it served as a better debut film than Tobe Hooper's "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" or Wes Craven's "The Last House on the Left". Glanville noted that other than the "ill-advised trees-that-rape scene", the film is "one of the great modern horror films, and even more impressive when one considers its modest production values."


title: The Evil Dead

text: Filmcritic.com's Christopher Null gave the film the same rating as Glanville, writing that "Raimi's biggest grossout is schlock horror done the right way" and comparing it to Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" in its ability to create stark atmosphere. "Chicago Reader" writer Pat Graham commented that the film featured several "clever" turns on the standard horror formula, adding that Raimi's "anything-for-an-effect enthusiasm pays off in lots of formally inventive bits." "Time Out" critic Stephen Garrett, referred to the make-up effects in the climax as "amazing", and commented that although the film was light on character development, it "blends comic fantasy" with "atmospheric horror ... to impressive effect". The same site later cited the film as the 41st greatest horror movie ever made. Phelim O'Neill of "The Guardian" combined "The Evil Dead" and its sequel "Evil Dead II" and listed them as the 23rd best horror film ever made, announcing that the former film "stands above its mostly forgotten peers in the 80s horror boom." Don Summer, in his book "Horror Movie Freak", and writer Kate Egan have both cited the film as a horror classic.


title: The Evil Dead

text: J.C. Maçek III of "PopMatters" said, "What is unquestionable is that the Raimis and their pals created a monster in "The Evil Dead". It started as a disastrous failure to obtain a big break with a too long, too perilous shoot (note Campbell's changing hairstyle in the various scenes of the one-day plot). The film went through name changes and bannings only to survive as not only 'the ultimate experience in grueling horror' but as an oft-imitated and cashed-in-on classic, with 30 years of positive reviews to prove it."


title: The Evil Dead

text: While "The Evil Dead" received favorable critical comment when it was initially released, it failed to establish Raimi's reputation. It was, however, a box-office success, which led to Campbell and Raimi teaming up again for the release of another movie. Joel Coen and his brother Ethan had collaborated as directors and released the film "Blood Simple", to critical acclaim. According to Campbell, Ethan, then an accountant, expressed surprise when the duo succeeded. The Coen brothers and Raimi collaborated on a screenplay, which was released shortly after "The Evil Dead". The film, "Crimewave", was a box-office failure. The film's production was a "disaster" according to Campbell, who stated that "missteps" like "Crimewave" usually lead to the end of a director's career. Other people involved with the film expressed similar disappointment with the project. Fortunately, Raimi had the studio support to make a sequel to "The Evil Dead", which he initially decided to make out of desperation.


title: The Evil Dead

text: "The Evil Dead" was followed by a series of sequels. The franchise is noted from attracting attention for each sequel featuring more comedic qualities than the last, progressing into "weirder" territory with each film. "Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn" was a black comedy-horror film which released in 1987, and was a box-office success. It received general acclaim from critics, and is often considered to be superior to the first film. This was followed by "Army of Darkness", a comedy fantasy-horror film was released in 1993. At that time, Raimi had become a successful director, attracting Hollywood's interest. His superhero film "Darkman" (1990) was another box-office success, which led to an increased budget for "Army of Darkness". "Army of Darkness" had 22.8 times the budget of the original "Evil Dead", though it was not considered to be a box-office success like its two predecessors. It was met with mostly positive critical reception. After any additional installments suffered through development hell, a supernatural-horror soft reboot/legacy sequel titled "Evil Dead" was released in 2013, featuring Jane Levy as the main character Mia Allen. Directed and co-written Fede Álvarez, the film was produced by Raimi and Campbell. The film, which was a departure from the humor of the previous two films, was a moderate box office success and was praised for its dark and bloody story. While various projects going through varying stages of development, a continuation was released as a television series titled, "Ash vs. Evil Dead". Created and executive produced by Sam Raimi, the series aired from 2015-2018.


title: The Evil Dead

text: After further film installments once again remained in development hell for a number of years, a fifth feature film titled "Evil Dead Rise" was announced to be in development. The project began filming in June 2021, with Irish filmmaker Lee Cronin serving as writer/director. Though Campbell reprised his role as Ashley "Ash" J. Williams in each of the proceeding sequels, he will reportedly not appear in the film.


title: The Evil Dead

text: Unofficial sequels were also made in Italy, where the film was known as "La Casa" ("The House"). Produced by Joe D'Amato's Filmirage, two films were released and marketed as sequels to "Evil Dead II" including: Umberto Lenzi's "La Casa 3: Ghosthouse" and "La Casa 4: Witchery" starring Linda Blair and David Hasselhoff. The final film was released in 1990 and titled, "La Casa 5: Beyond Darkness". The film "" was reissued and retitled in Italy as "La Casa 6"; followed by "The Horror Show" which was released in Italy as "La Casa 7".


title: The Evil Dead

text: The original "Evil Dead" trilogy of films has been recognized as one of the most successful cult film series in history. David Lavery, in his book "The Essential Cult TV Reader", surmised that Campbell's "career is a practical guide to becoming a cult idol". The film launched the careers of Raimi and Campbell, who have since collaborated frequently. Raimi has worked with Campbell in virtually all of his films since, and Campbell has appeared in cameo roles in all three of Raimi's "Spider-Man" films (as well as a very brief appearance at the end of "Darkman"), which have become some of the highest-grossing films in history. Though it has often been considered an odd choice for Raimi, a director known for his violent horror films, to direct a family-friendly franchise, the hiring was mostly inspired by Raimi's passion for comic books as a child. Raimi returned to the horror-comedy genre in 2009 with "Drag Me to Hell".


title: The Evil Dead

text: Critics have often compared Campbell's later performances to his role in "Evil Dead", which has been called his defining role. Campbell's performance as Ash has been compared to roles ranging from his performance of Elvis Presley in the film "Bubba Ho-tep" to the bigamous demon in "The X-Files" episode "Terms of Endearment". Campbell's fan base gradually developed after the release of "Evil Dead II" and his short-lived series "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.". He is a regular favorite at most fan conventions and often draws sold-out auditoriums at his public appearances. "The Evil Dead" developed a substantial cult following throughout the years, and has often been cited as a defining cult classic.


title: The Evil Dead

text: "The Evil Dead" has spawned a media empire. A video game adaptation of the same name was released for the Commodore 64 in 1984, as was a trilogy of survival horror games in the 1990s and early 2000s: "", "" and "". Ted Raimi did voices for the trilogy, and Campbell returned as the voice of Ash. The character Ash became the main character of a comic book franchise. Ash has fought both Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees in the "Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash" series, Herbert West in "Army of Darkness vs. Re-Animator", zombie versions of the Marvel Comics superheroes in "Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness", and has even saved the life of a fictional Barack Obama in "". In January 2008, Dark Horse Comics began releasing a four-part monthly comic book mini-series, written by Mark Verheiden and drawn by John Bolton, based on "The Evil Dead". The film has also inspired a stage musical, "", which was produced with the permission of Raimi and Campbell. The musical has run on and off since its inception in 2003.


title: The Evil Dead

text: After the film was released, many people began to trespass onto the filming location in Morristown. In 1982, the cabin was burned down by drunken trespassers. Although the cabin is now gone, the chimney remains, which many people now take stones from when they trespass onto the location.


title: The Evil Dead

text: In 2020, a video game adaptation of the series called "" was announced. It is being developed by Boss Team Games and Saber Interactive is set to be released in 2022 on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Microsoft Windows and Nintendo Switch. "The Evil Dead" characters Cheryl and Scotty have been announced as playable characters, alongside Ash.


title: The Evil Dead

text: In 2021, heavy metal band Ice Nine Kills released a song titled "Ex-Mørtis" on their album "", which is composed of songs each explicitly linked to specific horror media per the album's booklet of liner notes; "Ex-Mørtis" is stated to be inspired by "The Evil Dead".


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exception of 1942 and 1946 (cancelled due to World War II), have successively run every four years since. The Games were called the British Empire Games from 1930 to 1950, the British Empire and Commonwealth Games from 1954 to 1966, and British Commonwealth Games from 1970 to 1974. Athletes with a disability are included as full members of their national teams since 2002, making the Commonwealth Games the first fully inclusive international multi-sport event. In 2018, the Games became the first global multi-sport event to feature an equal number of men's and women's medal events and four years later they are the first global multi-sport event to have more events for women than men.


title: Commonwealth Games

text: Inspired by the Inter-Empire Championships, part of the 1911 Festival of Empire, Melville Marks Robinson founded the British Empire Games which were first held in Hamilton, Canada in 1930. As time progressed, the Games evolved, adding the Commonwealth Paraplegic Games for athletes with a disability (who were barred from competing from 1974 before being fully integrated by 1990) and the Commonwealth Youth Games for athletes aged 14 to 18.


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The Games are overseen by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), which controls the sporting programme and selects host cities. The games movement consists of international sports federations (IFs), (CGAs) and organising committees for each specific Commonwealth Games. Certain traditions, such as the hoisting of the Commonwealth Games flag and King's Baton Relay, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies, are unique to the Games. Over 4,500 athletes competed at the latest Commonwealth Games in 25 sports and over 250 medal events, including Olympic and Paralympic sports and those popular in Commonwealth countries: bowls and squash. Usually,the first, second and third-place finishers in each event are awarded gold, silver and bronze medals, respectively.


title: Commonwealth Games

text: Although there are 56 members of the Commonwealth of Nations, there are 72 Commonwealth Games Associations. They are divided into 6 regions (Africa, Americas, Caribbean, Europe, Asia and Oceania) and each of them has a similar function to the National Olympic Committees in relation with their countries or territories. In some like India and South Africa, the CGA functions are assumed by their NOCs. One of the differences from other multisport events is that 15 CGAs participating in the Commonwealth Games do not send their delegations independently from the Olympic, Paralympic and other multisports competitions, as 13 are linked to the British Olympic Association, 1 is part of Australian Olympic Committee and another one is part of the New Zealand Olympic Committee as their Paralympic counterparts. They are: the four Home Nations of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), the British Overseas Territories (Anguilla, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Saint Helena and Turks and Caicos Islands), the Crown Dependencies (Guernsey, Isle of Man, and Jersey), Niue and Norfolk Island send separate teams. It is expected that Gabon and Togo will send a team for the first time at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, as the two countries were admitted to the Commonwealth in June 2022 and they didn’t have time to organise their associations for the 2022 Games which was scheduled for the end of July.


title: Commonwealth Games

text: 20 cities in nine countries (counting England, Scotland and Wales separately) have hosted the games. Australia has hosted the Commonwealth Games five times (1938, 1962, 1982, 2006 and 2018 and will host the next edition in 2026), more than any other nation. Two cities have hosted Commonwealth Games more than once: Auckland (1950, 1990) and Edinburgh (1970, 1986).


title: Commonwealth Games

text: Only six nations have participated in every Commonwealth Games: Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, Scotland and Wales. Of these six, Australia, England, Canada and New Zealand have each won at least one gold medal in every Games. Australia has been the highest achieving team for thirteen editions of the Games, England for seven, and Canada for one. These three teams also top the all-time Commonwealth Games medal table in that order.


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The most recent Commonwealth Games, the 22nd, were held in Birmingham from 28 July to 8 August 2022. The next Commonwealth Games will be the first games in history held in a decentralized way, as they are scheduled to be hosted across four cities in the Australian state of Victoria from 17 to 29 March 2026.


title: Commonwealth Games

text: A sporting competition bringing together the members of the British Empire was first proposed by John Astley Cooper in 1891, who wrote letters and articles for several periodicals suggesting a "Pan Brittanic, Pan Anglican Contest every four years as a means of increasing goodwill and understan’ding of the British Empire." John Astley Cooper Committees were formed in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa to promote the idea and inspired Pierre de Coubertin to start the international Olympic Games movement.


title: Commonwealth Games

text: In 1911, an Inter-Empire Championship was held alongside the Festival of Empire, at The Crystal Palace in London to celebrate the coronation of George V, and were championed by The Earl of Plymouth and Lord Desborough. Teams from Australasia (Australia and New Zealand), Canada, South Africa, and the United Kingdom competed in events for athletics, boxing, swimming and wrestling. Canada won the championships and was presented with a silver cup (gifted by Lord Lonsdale) which was high and weighed . A correspondent of the "Auckland Star" criticised the Games, calling them a "grievous disappointment" that were "not worthy of the title of 'Empire Sports'".


title: Commonwealth Games

text: Melville Marks Robinson, who went to the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam to serve as the manager of the Canadian track and field team, strongly lobbied for the proposal of organising the first British Empire Games in Hamilton in 1930.


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The 1930 British Empire Games were the first of what later become known as the Commonwealth Games, and were held in Hamilton, in the province of Ontario in Canada from 16–23 August 1930 and opened by Lord Willingdon. Eleven countries: Australia, Bermuda, British Guyana, Canada, England, Northern Ireland, Newfoundland, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa and Wales, sent a total of 400 athletes to compete in athletics, boxing, lawn bowls, rowing, swimming and diving and wrestling. The opening and closing ceremonies as well as athletics took place at Civic Stadium. The cost of the Games were $97,973. Women competed in only the aquatic events. Canadian triple jumper Gordon Smallacombe won the first ever gold medal in the history of the Games.


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The 1934 British Empire Games were the second of what is now known as the Commonwealth Games, held in London, England. The host city was London, with the main venue at Wembley Park, although the track cycling events were in Manchester. The 1934 Games had originally been awarded to Johannesburg, but were given to London instead because of serious concerns about prejudice against Asian and black athletes in South Africa. The affiliation of Irish athletes at the 1934 Games representation remains unclear but there was no official Irish Free State team. Sixteen national teams took part, including new participants Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Southern Rhodesia and Trinidad and Tobago.


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The 1938 British Empire Games were the third British Empire Games, which were held in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. They were timed to coincide with Sydney's sesqui-centenary (150 years since the foundation of British settlement in Australia). Held in the Southern Hemisphere for the first time, the III Games opening ceremony took place at the famed Sydney Cricket Ground in front of 40,000 spectators. Fifteen nations participated down under at the Sydney Games involving a total of 464 athletes and 43 officials. Fiji and Ceylon made their debuts. Seven sports were featured in the Sydney Games – athletics, boxing, cycling, lawn bowls, rowing, swimming and diving and wrestling.


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The 1950 British Empire Games were the fourth edition and was held in Auckland, New Zealand after a 12-year gap from the third edition of the games. The fourth games were originally awarded to Montreal, Canada and were to be held in 1942 but were cancelled due to the Second World War. The opening ceremony at Eden Park was attended by 40,000 spectators, while nearly 250,000 people attended the Auckland Games. Twelve countries sent a total of 590 athletes to Auckland. Malaya and Nigeria made their first appearances.


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The fifth edition of the Games, the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, were held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. These were the first Games since the name change from British Empire Games took effect in 1952. The fifth edition of the Games placed Vancouver on a world stage and featured memorable sporting moments as well as outstanding entertainment, technical innovation and cultural events. The 'Miracle Mile', as it became known, saw both the gold medallist, Roger Bannister of England and silver medallist John Landy of Australia, run sub-four-minute races in an event that was televised live across the world for the first time. Northern Rhodesia and Pakistan made their debuts and both performed well, winning eight and six medals respectively.


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Cardiff, Wales. The sixth edition of the games marked the largest sporting event ever held in Wales and it was the smallest country ever to host a British Empire and Commonwealth Games. Cardiff had to wait 12 years longer than originally scheduled to become host of the Games, as the 1946 event was cancelled because of the Second World War. The Cardiff Games introduced the Queen's Baton Relay, which has been conducted as a prelude to every British Empire and Commonwealth Games ever since. Thirty-five nations sent a total of 1,122 athletes and 228 officials to the Cardiff Games and 23 countries and dependencies won medals, including for the first time, Singapore, Ghana, Kenya and the Isle of Man. In the run up to the Cardiff games, many leading sports stars including Stanley Matthews, Jimmy Hill and Don Revie were signatories in a letter to "The Times" on 17 July 1958 deploring the presence of white-only South African sports, opposing 'the policy of apartheid' in international sport and defending 'the principle of racial equality which is embodied in the Declaration of the Olympic Games'.


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Perth, Western Australia, Australia. Thirty-five countries sent a total of 863 athletes and 178 officials to Perth. Jersey was among the medal winners for the first time, while British Honduras, Dominica, Papua and New Guinea and St Lucia all made their inaugural Games appearances. Aden also competed by special invitation. Sarawak, North Borneo and Malaya competed for the last time before taking part in 1966 under the Malaysian flag. In addition, Rhodesia and Nyasaland competed in the Games as an entity for the first and only time.


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Kingston, Jamaica. This was the first time that the Games had been held outside the so-called White Dominions. Thirty-four nations (including South Arabia) competed in the Kingston Games sending a total of 1,316 athletes and officials.


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The 1970 British Commonwealth Games were held in Edinburgh, Scotland. This was the first time the name British Commonwealth Games was adopted, the first time metric units rather than imperial units were used in events, the first time the games were held in Scotland and also the first time that HM Queen Elizabeth II attended in her capacity as Head of the Commonwealth.


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The 1974 British Commonwealth Games were held in Christchurch, New Zealand. The Games were officially named ""the friendly games"", and was also the first edition to feature a theme song. Following the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, the tenth games at Christchurch were the first multi-sport event to place the safety of participants and spectators as its uppermost requirement. Security guards surrounded the athlete's village and there was an exceptionally high-profile police presence. Only 22 countries succeeded in winning medals from the total haul of 374 medals on offer, but first time winners included Western Samoa, Lesotho and Swaziland (since 2018 named Eswatini). The theme song for the 1974 British Commonwealth Games was called "Join Together".


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The 1978 Commonwealth Games were held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. This event was the first to bear the current day name of the Commonwealth Games and also marked a new high as almost 1,500 athletes from 46 countries took part. They were boycotted by Nigeria in protest against New Zealand's sporting contacts with apartheid-era South Africa, as well as by Uganda in protest at alleged Canadian hostility towards the government of Idi Amin.


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The 1982 Commonwealth Games were held in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Forty-six nations participated in the Brisbane Games with a new record total of 1,583 athletes and 571 officials. As hosts, Australia headed the medal table leading the way ahead of England, Canada, Scotland and New Zealand respectively. Zimbabwe made its first appearance at the Games, having earlier competed as Southern Rhodesia and as part of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. The theme song for the 1982 Commonwealth Games was called "You're Here To Win".


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The 1986 Commonwealth Games were held in Edinburgh, Scotland and were the second Games to be held in Edinburgh. Participation at the 1986 Games was affected by a boycott by 32 African, Asian and Caribbean nations in protest at British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's refusal to condemn sporting contacts of apartheid era South Africa in 1985, but the Games rebounded and continued to grow thereafter. Twenty-six nations did attend the second Edinburgh Games and sent a total of 1,662 athletes and 461 officials. The theme song for the 1986 Commonwealth Games was called "Spirit Of Youth".


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The 1990 Commonwealth Games were held in Auckland, New Zealand. It was the fourteenth Commonwealth Games, the third to be hosted by New Zealand and Auckland's second. A new record of 55 nations participated in the second Auckland Games sending 2,826 athletes and officials. Pakistan returned to the Commonwealth in 1989 after withdrawing in 1972, and competed in the 1990 Games after an absence of twenty years. The theme song for the 1990 Commonwealth Games was called "This Is The Moment".


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The 1994 Commonwealth Games were held in Victoria, British Columbia, the fourth to take place in Canada. The games marked South Africa's return to the Commonwealth Games following the apartheid era, and over 30 years since the country last competed in the Games in 1958. Namibia made its Commonwealth Games debut. It was also Hong Kong's last appearance at the games before the transfer of sovereignty from Britain to China. Sixty-three nations sent 2,557 athletes and 914 officials. The theme song for the 1994 Commonwealth Games was called "Let Your Spirit Take Flight".


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The 1998 Commonwealth Games were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. For the first time in its 68-year history, the Commonwealth Games were held in Asia. The sixteenth games were also the first Games to feature team sports – an overwhelming success that added large numbers to both participant and TV audience numbers. A new record of 70 countries sent a total of 5,065 athletes and officials to the Kuala Lumpur Games. The top five countries in the medal standing were Australia, England, Canada, Malaysia and South Africa. Nauru also achieved an impressive haul of three gold medals. Cameroon, Mozambique, Kiribati and Tuvalu debuted. The theme song for the 1998 Commonwealth Games was called "Forever As One".


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England. The 2002 Games were hosted in England for the first time since 1934 and hosted to coincide with the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II, head of the Commonwealth. In terms of sports and events, the 2002 Games were until the 2010 edition the largest Commonwealth Games in history featuring 281 events across 17 sports. The final medal tally was led by Australia, followed by host England and Canada. The 2002 Commonwealth Games had set a new benchmark for hosting the Commonwealth Games and for cities wishing to bid for them with a heavy emphasis on legacy. The theme song for the 2002 Commonwealth Games was called "Where My Heart Will Take Me".


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Australia. The only difference between the 2006 games and the 2002 games was the absence of Zimbabwe, which withdrew from the Commonwealth of Nations. For the first time in the history of the Games the Queen's Baton visited every single Commonwealth nation and territory taking part in the Games, a journey of . Over 4000 athletes took part in the sporting competitions. Again the Top 3 on the medal table is Australia, followed by England and Canada. The theme song for the 2006 Commonwealth Games was called "Together We Are One".


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The 2010 Commonwealth Games were held in Delhi, India. The Games cost $11 billion and are the most expensive Commonwealth Games ever. It was the first time that the Commonwealth Games were held in India, also the first time that a Commonwealth republic hosted the games and the second time they were held in Asia after Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1998. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events. The final medal tally was led by Australia. The host nation India achieved its best performance ever in any sporting event, finishing second overall. Rwanda made its Games debut. The theme song for the 2010 Commonwealth Games was called "Live, Rise, Ascend, Win".


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The 2014 Commonwealth Games were held in Glasgow, Scotland. It was the largest multi-sport event ever held in Scotland with around 4,950 athletes from 71 different nations and territories competing in 18 different sports, outranking the 1970 and 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, capital city of Scotland. Usain Bolt competed in the 4×100 metres relay of the 2014 Commonwealth Games and set a Commonwealth Games record with his teammates. The Games received acclaim for their organisation, attendance, and the public enthusiasm of the people of Scotland, with Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Mike Hooper hailing them as "the standout games in the history of the movement".


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The 2018 Commonwealth Games were held in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, the fifth time Australia hosted the Games. There were an equal number of events for men and women, the first time in history that a major multi-sport event had equality in terms of events.


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The 2022 Commonwealth Games were held in Birmingham, England. They are be the third Commonwealth Games to be hosted in England following London 1934 and Manchester 2002.


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The 2022 Commonwealth Games coincided with the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II and the 10th anniversary of the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2012 Summer Paralympics, both staged in London.


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The 2022 Commonwealth Games were held for the last time under Queen Elizabeth II before her death on 8 September 2022.


title: Commonwealth Games

text: On 16 February 2022 it was announced that the 2026 Commonwealth Games will be held for a record sixth time in Australia, but for the first time they will be decentralised, as the state of Victoria signed as host city. The games will have 4 regional clusters mainly focused in Bendigo region and another 3 regional centres. It was also confirmed that the Commonwealth Games, scheduled for 2030 were likely to be awarded to Hamilton, Canada.


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The three nations to have hosted the Commonwealth Games the most times are Australia (5), Canada (4) and New Zealand (3). With the 2022 games, England increased its number to three and in 2026 Australia will have hosted six times. Six Games have taken place in the countries within the United Kingdom (Scotland (3) and Wales (1)), two in Asia (Malaysia (1) and India (1)) and one in the Caribbean (Jamaica (1)).


title: Commonwealth Games

text: The Commonwealth Paraplegic Games were an international, multi-sport event involving athletes with a disability from the Commonwealth countries. The event was sometimes referred to as the Paraplegic Empire Games and British Commonwealth Paraplegic Games. Athletes were generally those with spinal injuries or polio. The event was first held in 1962 and disestablished in 1974. The Games were held in the country hosting the Commonwealth Games for able-bodied athletes. The countries that had hosted the Commonwealth Paraplegic Games were Australia, Jamaica, Scotland and New Zealand in 1962, 1966, 1970 and 1974. Six countries – Australia, England, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales — had been represented at all Commonwealth Paraplegic Games. Australia and England had been the top-ranking nation two times each: 1962, 1974 and 1966, 1970.