Manchurian Gold - the main source of the hallucinations.
| “ | But here's a thing - everything may not be entirely as it seems... probably shouldn't have said that.
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” |
– The Curator hinting at the nature of hallucinations | ||
Hallucinations are the main antagonistic forces in The Dark Pictures Anthology's first installment, Man of Medan. Originally introduced as the ghosts of the SS Ourang Medan, they are later revealed to be the result of exposure to the chemical Manchurian Gold.
Overview[]
Due to their nature, hallucinations are not capable of harming their victims in any way. However, they are tend to overlay on people, often causing them to unknowingly kill each other. Furthermore, some hallucinations are scary enough to cause the victim to suffer a heart attack in a prolonged encounter.
Being the result of exposure of the person to the chemical, the image of hallucinations is based on the thoughts and objects the victim has encountered. For this reason, the person has to breathe clean air in order to get rid of the visions.
Characteristics[]
Joe's Son[]
Joe's Son is one of the two main hallucinations of the prologue. He appears for Joe and is based on the image of his son.
Joe's son looks like a young boy, about 10-12 years old. His face resembles his "father", although he has glassy eyes and pale skin with dark veins, giving the child a ghostly appearance. He is dressed in a short-sleeved black polo shirt, dark green shorts, long wool socks and brown boots. Before Joe's death, the skin on the boy's face is gone, revealing a bloody skull.
After Joe reaches Cargo Hold 3, he sees a boy running in front of him even though Charlie claims he didn't see anyone. Later, after finding Charlie dead in Cargo Hold 2, Joe confonts the child, who turns out to be his "son," though in reality, Joe is confronted by the real Charlie. Regardless of whether Joe chooses to shoot the child (and unknowingly killing Charlie) or not, the boy screams at him and Joe either suffers a heart attack or is stabbed in the chest as his "son" runs away.
Fortune Teller[]
The Fortune Teller is one of the two main hallucinations of the prologue. He appears for Charlie and is based on a fortune teller Charlie met at the market.
The fortune teller looks like an old man in a long black silk kimono and sandals. His head is down, hiding the face behind a large straw oriental hat. Before Charlie's death, the fortune teller raises his head, revealing a bare skull with chunks of meat and black burnt skin on his face along with blue eyes.
The fortune teller appears after Charlie finds a dead Joe in Cargo Hold 2. He confronts the old man while hiding in the closet or standing by Joe's body, though in reality, Charlie is confronted by the real Joe. Regardless of whether Charlie chooses to stab the fortune teller (and unknowingly killing Joe) or not, he shows his mutilated face and Charlie either suffers a heart attack or is shot as the old man leaves.
Jolly Jack[]
Jolly Jack is one of the possible minor hallucinations that can appear in the game. It will appear for Fliss if Charlie hid in the locker and is based on Brad's ghost story about the lighthouse keeper.
Jolly Jack is a creepy wooden puppet in a sailor suit. He has black eyes, black curly hair similar to Brad's, red lips in a gloomy smile from ear to ear and eyes outlined in black. The puppet is installed inside a polished wooden box with the door protected by a glass. In the background, an island with a lighthouse located in the distance can be seen. As soon as the puppet receives a quarter, it'll start to laugh and sways to the point of hitting the glass and stop working.
Once in Cargo Hold 2, Fliss hallucinates it as a ballroom where she can find the box. If Charlie hid in the locker, Fliss will find the Jolly Jack and start it up. After the hallucination dissipates, Fliss will be able to look into the locker again and find Charlie's desiccated corpse there. If Charlie didn't hide, the box/closet will be empty.
The Grim Reaper[]
The Grim Reaper is a possible hallucination that can appear in the game and is the main antagonist in Ritual. It appears for Fliss if she didn't clear the hallucinations and is based on the poster of Mask of Madness horror movie Fliss saw on the ship.
The Grim Reaper looks like a figure dressed in a black long robe, leather gloves and boots. The face is hidden by a hood and later revealed as a skull with a wide-open mouth. The Grim Reaper can be armed with a long cane with a horned skull on top.
The Grim Reaper appears when Fliss explores the ballroom (which is actually Cargo Hold 2). She can get into a fight with the creature and possibly attack it, unknowingly killing Brad. If Fliss goes out to the balcony, she will dispel the hallucination and see Brad instead of the Grim Reaper.
Fallen Soldier[]
Fallen Soldier is one of the minor hallucinations that can appear in the game. He appears for Brad in Echo scenario and is based on the corpse of a soldier found in the corridor between Cargo Hold 3 and Cargo Hold 2.
The fallen soldier is a young soldier with white skin, light green eyes and chestnut hair ended in a quiff. He wears basic military attire - light green tank top, green blouse, light brown slacks, and a dogtag. The left side of the head is bashed in, causing the left eye to nearly pop out of its socket. The soldier also has a bullet wound on his chest. In one of the loops, Alex appears in the place of the soldier, having the same facial features.
Attempting to go from Cargo Hold 3 to Cargo Hold 2, Brad gets trapped in an endless loop. In one of the loops he, accompanied by Danny, finds the fresh body of a fallen soldier. As he examines the bullet, a bunch of leeches emerge from the body of the soldier, jumping on Brad and Danny and restarting the loop. In the last loop, the soldier's body disappears and Alex's body suddenly falls in its place. He gets up and tries to attack Brad, though regardless of the outcome of the fight Brad breaks out of the loop.
Hanged Face[]
Hanged Face is one of the possible minor hallucinations that can appear in the game. It will appear for Brad in Finding Friends scenario if he opened the locker.
The hanged face appears to be that of a man. It looks as if it has been peeled off, having the eyes missing and blood stains visible on the left side of the neck of the head.
Trying to find the others, Brad enters the locker room when the locker doors close abruptly. One of the doors is left ajar and if Brad decides to look inside, he will be startled by a hanging face. However, if he decides to look again, he will be confused to find a gas mask, which will allow him to dispel further hallucinations.
Undead Soldiers[]
Undead Soldiers is a group of hallucinations that appear in the game. They appear for Alex, Fliss, Brad and Patterson (in the comics) and are based on the corpses of soldiers found on the ship.
All undead soldiers have the same appearance. They look like zombies, having gray wrinkled skin, glassy eyes, no hair and a bare mouth with grimy teeth. The soldiers wear a shabby classic military attire, consisting of a green tank top, blouse and pants, brown slacks and silver necklace with ID.
The first of the undead soldiers glimpses for Alex as he investigates Upper Deck, although the latter fails to notice the hallucination. Later, when Fliss goes from Cargo Hold 3 to Cargo Hold 2, she is ambushed by a bunch of soldiers, but they disappear before they manage to attack her. Meanwhile, Brad also gets to Cargo Hold 2 and confronts undead soldiers, with one of whom he can get into a fight and possibly attack, unknowingly killing Fliss. If Brad has a gas mask, he will dispel the hallucination and see Fliss instead of the soldier.
Sailor Girl[]
The Sailor Girl or Jenny May is one of the hallucinations that appears in the game and is the main antagonist in Glamor Girl. She appears for Conrad and is based on a poster of a sailor girl Conrad saw on the ship.
The sailor girl appeals as an attractive woman with white velvet skin, blue eyes, 1950s-style blonde hair and a mole on her left cheek. She has a light layer of makeup consisting of scarlet lipstick and black eyeliner, as well as as red nails. Her clothes include a navy blue jumpsuit with a white top, white bonnet and navy blue shoes. While chasing Conrad, the sailor slowly ages and turns into an old woman, culminating in her transformation into a skinny, desiccated corpse.
When Conrad enters the officers quarters in search of friends, a sailor girl begins to follow him. While Conrad manages to hide from her at first, the next time he meets her the woman turns into an old hag and begins to chase Conrad. In pursuit he can attack the sailor girl if he is armed, but unknowingly kills Fliss/Brad. At the top of the funnel, Conrad can confront the sailor girl one last time, only to realize he's been running away from Fliss/Brad all this time.
Alex's Doubles[]
Alex's Doubles is a group of hallucinations that appear in the game, with Olson-Alex being the main antagonist in Revenge. They appear for Julia and are based on her thoughts about Alex.
Alex's doubles all represent different people (Olson, Danny and Kowalski) whose faces have been superimposed with Alex's face. While Danny-Alex and Kowalski-Alex have their faces completely replaced with Alex's, Olson-Alex has the shape of Olson's face and Alex's facial features. The doubles' clothing is retained from the originals.
Confronting Olson in Cargo Hold 1, Julia falls into the water and loses consciousness. She wakes up and finds that there are now two Alex in front of her, one of whom is actually Danny. After getting out of the water, the couple is pursued by Olson, who in Julia's perspective looks like another Alex double. The two successfully escape the pirate, although because of Conrad, Julia can be caught and killed by Olson at the very end of the chase.
Drowned Pirates[]
The Drowned Pirates is a group of hallucinations that appear in the game, with Drowned Olson being the main antagonist in Revenge. They appear for Alex and are based on his thoughts about pirates.
The drowned versions of the pirates look identical to their originals (Danny and Olson), except that they look like they've been underwater for a long time, having swollen pale blue skin with bubbles, dark veins and cloudy eyes.
Confronting Olson in Cargo Hold 1, Alex falls into the water and loses consciousness. He is rescued by Danny, although his hallucinations make Alex see him as a drowned corpse and attack the pirate as he swims after Julia. After getting out of the water, the couple is pursued by Olson, who in Alex's perspective also looks like a drowned corpse. The two successfully escape the pirate, although because of Conrad, Alex can be caught and killed by Olson at the very end of the chase.
Clownrad[]
Clownrad is one of the possible minor hallucinations that can appear in the game. He will appear for Julia if Conrad previously picked heart decisions and is based on Conrad's joking character.
Clownrad is a Conrad with a creepy clown face done up with blurry makeup. He has shaded ice eyes with a pair of blue lines through them, burnt red hair, a big red nose, and red lips with two rows of sharp teeth. Though Clownrad wears Conrad's clothes, he also wears a white-dirty neck ruff with torn bloody ends.
During the escape from Olson, if Julia leads the way, upon reaching the exit she bumps into Conrad, whom she will see as Clownrad before coming to her senses and recognizing her brother.
Human Experiment[]
The Human Experiment is one of the possible hallucinations that may appear in Matters of the Heart finale scenario. It appears for Alex and Cooper and is based on a mutant body that Alex can find in an open coffin in Cargo Hold 3A.
The human experiment looks like a skinny deformed humanoid with pale skin and dirty pink spots. It has three arms, one left and two right. The creature also has two heads, with the second head growing out of its shoulder. The main head is very swollen and covered with multiple bulges.
The human experiment appears when Alex runs away from a pack of rats after trying to pick up the distributor cap. It will yell at Alex but not attack. Alex can stab the mutant, though after he comes to his senses he is shocked to find that he killed the protagonist accompanying him (Fliss/Julia/Conrad). Otherwise, the mutant will push Alex away from him and disappear as he regains consciousness.
Bloody Olson[]
Bloody Olson is one of the possible hallucinations that may appear in Matters of the Heart finale scenario. He appears if Alex didn't open the casket with mutant body in Caskets and is based on the bloody corpse of Olson that Alex found.
The hallucination looks like Olson completely covered in blood.
Bloody Olson appears when Alex runs away from a pack of rats after trying to take the distributor cap. He will not attack Alex, instead asking him to drop the knife. Alex can stab Olson, though after he comes to his senses he is shocked to find that he killed the protagonist accompanying him (Fliss/Julia/Conrad). Otherwise, Olson will push Alex away from him and disappear as he regains consciousness.
Bloody Rat[]
The Bloody Rat is one of the hallucinations that appears in Matters of the Heart finale scenario. It appears for Alex and is based on the pack of rats he saw as they were eating Olson's corpse.
The hallucination looks like an ordinary rat with brown fur and two large teeth. It is completely covered in blood as it crawled out of Alex's stomach.
While Alex confronts human experiment/bloody Olson, he experiences pain in his abdomen and watches a rat crawl out of his stomach. Alex can stab the rat, though he will accidentally stab himself and die. Otherwise, the rat will disappear as Alex regains consciousness.
Protagonists' Ghosts[]
The Protagonists' Ghosts are a group of minor hallucinations that appear in the game. They appear for all protagonists and are based on Brad and Conrad.
The hallucinations look identical to Brad and Conrad, except they are completely ghostly pale and have translucent legs.
As Fliss walks from Cargo Hold 3 to Cargo Hold 2, she sees Brad at the end of the corridor and follows him before being ambushed undead by soldiers. If Fliss escapes from the soldiers she will be startled by the ghostly Brad, forcing her to run further into Cargo Hold 2. In Olson-Flooded finale scenario, when one of the protagonists goes down for the others, the protagonist's ghost appears behind them, with ghost Brad for Conrad, Alex, Fliss and Julia and ghost Conrad for Brad.
Cooper's Corpse[]
Cooper's Corpse is one of the minor hallucinations that appears in Olson-Flooded finale scenario. It appears for Alex, Brad, Fliss or Julia and and is based on Cooper's corpse, which the protagonists found in the radio room
Cooper's corpse is dressed in a tattered sailor suit consisting of a white sailor cap, handkerchief, navy blue button-down shirt, long pants and black shoes.
After the protagonists who went down for the generator survive the confrontation with Junior, they notice Olson and follow him, which leads them to the flooded part of Cargo Hold 2. One of the protagonists dives into the water to open the hatch when they are briefly startled by the hallucination of the radio operator's corpse.
Anomalous Olson[]
Anomalous Olson is a hallucination that can appear exclusively in The End. He will appear for Danny if the protagonists escaped from the ship without calling the military.
The hallucination looks identical to Olson, except he has a pair of shining bright red eyes.
After the protagonists escape from the Ourang Medan, Danny is seen wandering around the ship. Once in the workshop, he finds Olson's body, which suddenly comes to life and strangles Danny while, in reality, Danny presumably dies from the effects of Manchurian Gold.
Man of Medan[]
| Chapter Appearances | |||||
| Chinese Market | Debut | ||||
| An Escape | Appears | ||||
| Danny | Appears | ||||
| Caskets | Appears | ||||
| Echo/Finding Friends | Appears | ||||
| Ritual | Appears | ||||
| Plunged | Appears | ||||
| Glamor Girl | Appears | ||||
| Revenge | Appears | ||||
| Open Deck | Mentioned | ||||
| Depths | Appears | ||||
| Junior | Mentioned | ||||
| Olson & Flooded/Matters of the Heart | Appears | ||||
| The End | Determinant | ||||
Prologue[]
Following the leak of Manchurian Gold on the Ourang Medan, the crew soon began experiencing hallucinations and death. Notable victims include Joe and Charlie. The two got separated on the way to Cargo Hold 2, and once reunited, didn't recognize each other as they were already hallucinating. Seeing the other dead and a paranormal threat in front of them, the guys unknowingly attacked and killed each other.
Main Story[]
Soon after boarding the Ourang Medan, the protagonists, inhaling yellow mist which is actually Manchurian Gold, begin to see hallucinations. Fliss is haunted with the undead soldiers, followed by an encounter with the Grim Reaper in the ballroom; Brad is haunted with soldiers as well or stuck in the loop; Conrad is followed by a beautiful sailor girl who slowly turns into an old woman; Alex and Julia are chased by drowned pirate bodies and Alex's doubles respectively. Some protagonists reunite and possibly kill each other unless they dispel the visions.
The surviving protagonists try to start a generator to send a distress signal over the radio, learning about the origin of the hallucination. While the group no longer experiences hallucinations, they are forced to confront the hallucinating pirates, first Junior and then Olson. Alternatively, Alex goes down after the others and starts hallucinating again, possibly killing the accompanying protagonist or himself.
The End[]
Hallucinations appear in one of the two ending scenarios. If the protagonists remain trapped on the Ourang Medan, some of them return to the ship for food, only to start hallucinating again. Otherwise, if the protagonists escaped from the ship but did not call the military, the ending will show Danny as he dies from Manchurian Gold while his hallucination of Olson strangles him.
Trivia[]
- The hallucinations are very similar to the Demons from Little Hope, with them both being imaginary and unique to each protagonist.
- Some hallucinations (Joe's Son, The Sailor Girl and Cooper) share the same face model with other characters in the anthology.
- In the comic, Fred Bretz hallucinates bloody vines coming out of his stomach, making it the only hallucination that only appears in the comics.
- While the human experiment appears in the game as a disfigured mutant, in the comic book it appears as a tall muscular-building creature with gold shiny eyes and long hair.
- Ballroom and Sailor Girl are possible references to Ballroom and the singer Francesca from the movie Ghost Ship, which served as the main inspiration for Man of Medan.
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| Man of Medan Characters | |||||||
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| Protagonists |
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| Antagonists | |||||||
| Supporting Characters | |||||||