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What is each killer’s emotional motivation?
Some killers, like Spirit and Deathslinger, have very clear motivations and emotional “niches.” Spirit is the embodiment at rage of being wronged, Deathslinger is the embodiment of vengeance-seeking vigilante justice. Nurse is the embodiment of absolutely losing it when you have too much work to do, and plague is the embodiment of excessive devotion (Aka self-righteousness, blind idolatry). Oni is the result of militaristic warrior-worship, probably better described as bloodlust, and Trickster is the attention-seeking Madonna on crack (and what better way to get attention than a first degree murder charge).
But others, like Pig and Wraith, are harder to map. What the hell is pig’s little niche/motivation? Clown’s? It has to be deeper than amusement or plain sadism, surely.
Comments
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I am not sure about the others, but I can think I can answer for my main.
I believe Freddy's motivation is, simply, revenge. He no longer has his twisted lust, and all that's left if a burning desire for revenge.
As A Nightmare on Elm Street Remake showed us, Freddy went after every single teenager who studied in Badham Preschool years ago, until Nancy and Quentin were the only students left. This fact alone can be characterised as vengeance, but still had his lust because of Nancy, his true obsession.
But after everything goes wrong, I believe Freddy just looses his lust and doesn't care anymore. He just wants to kill the one who wronged him. And he killed Nancy's Mother. And he almost killed Quentin, if it wasn't for the Entity.
And now, in the trials, the survivors are no different from the parents who set him on fire. They are not different from Quentin and Nancy.
They are all his children now.
"You are all my children now" -Freddy Krueger
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Trapper: Admiration for his father and serving the entity (he was tortured judging by the hooks in his back)
Wraith: His entity touched eyes probably show the survivors as asarov so revenge I guess
Billy: Entity touched eyes are either his parents or the sheriffs so again revenge
Nurse: Either psychotic behaviour or from her experience in the asylum
Hag: Just bloodlust or hunger I’m guessing
Myers: He just does it without caring really
Huntress: Bloodlust or thrill
Bubba: Being loyal to the entity and not letting them down
Freddy: For fun and revenge on Quentin
Pig: Serving the entity really
Clown: His own enjoyment and service to the entity
Spirit: Entity touched eyes showing either her father or the kids who bullied her
Legion: fun and bloodlust
Plague: serving her god which is now the entity
Ghostface: For his own enjoyment only
Demo: primal instincts
Oni: Bloodlust mainly I’m guessing
Slinger: Entity touched eyes showing bay shore or the warden
PH: He comes and goes as he pleases but I don’t really know tbh
Blight: Either feral instinct or his pustula addiction
Twins: Victor’s feral instinct and Charlotte’s bond with him
Trickster: for fun and making music?
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A bit more for the Original Killers:
Trapper: Tortured into submission and obedience (pretty much the same crap his father did to him in a way). Mobile Version cutscene suggests he might be able to break free and fight back at some point?
Wraith: Might be revenge, might have been tortured into submission/bloodlust. New lore suggests he might be thinking he does this to protect others.
Billy: Revenge or self-preservation. some outfits suggest a form of... 'i like it i take it, I suffered enough, I deserve good things' mentality.
Nurse: Original lore suggested she just snapped over witnessing the inhumanities committed by the asylum staff and killed them, then killing the patients in some misguided mercykillings. 'new' lore paints here as a eugenics #########, and it's probably going to get changed to the former again. (thankfully)
Hag: We don't actually know and neither do the devs.
Huntress: Self-preservation
Clown: He's a sadistic bastard
Doctor: Likewise
Spirit: turned into a bloodlusting spirit who can't help but kill. her facial expressions at some points suggest she's aware of what she turned into and doesn't like it.
Legion: What Phasma said.
Plague: likewise
Oni: Pride and being turned into what people saw in him: a violent demon. Might be as aware as Rin of things.
Deathslinger: Revenge for being exploited. There might be a bit of resignation and despair too, seeing his story in his reality very much ended with him giving up and becoming aware of the fact that he's always been exploited and that he now has nothing to keep him going anymore.
Blight: If we go with the 'jekyll & hyde' approach we could argue that Blight is bloodlust and sadistic experiments, while Talbot might be the one running into walls in an attempt to knock blight out and take control again, with the injections being there to subdue talbot
Twins: Self-preservation?
Trickster: See clown and Doc
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My thoughts on their emotional motivation:
The Trapper: A desire to escape. He's fought the Entity before and failed, but even though he's been broken I reckon he is looking for an escape like the survivors. Fortunately, he's not on the receiving end of being hunted and sacrificed, so he's working with that in mind. Helps that he thinks little of people too.
The Wraith: Tainted eyes and Entity-motivated to see survivors as though who had wronged him. Maybe also some fear, as it looks like he's been tortured.
The Hillbilly: Tainted eyes and Entity-motivated to see survivors as his family. Also, his rage at the abuse he suffered, he carries that bloodlust in his desire to hurt and kill anything that moves.
The Nurse: like Trapper, a way to escape. She rips through the dimensions via blinking, which I wonder is her constantly trying to escape but being dragged back painfully. Maybe enough tries and she might, she thinks. Until then, do her duty. She's floating as if being hanged and is in a lot of pain. Any escape is better.
The Shape: The embodiment of evil, he just works to kill for pleasure. The realm is a neverending playpen for him.
The Hag: Hunger. Always emaciated and starving, she hunts and sacrifices in hope of being granted power to eat. Her "Devour Hope" hex is her trying to find a way to eat without waiting on a Mori.
The Doctor: Naturally, he enjoys torture. He is also tortured to the brink of insanity, and now his crazed desire to hurt people has intensified. I also like the idea his lust for learning about madness and fear may be fueled by an understanding that survivors are dying over and over. How many more times before someone is driven beyond insanity?
The Huntress: Probably not fully aware of what is happening. She has shelter and strangers who she views as those she fought again in the past. She knows something is watching to make sure she does her duty, but by going back into her self-preservation state, she just continues killing as she did when she was in Russia.
The Cannibal: Fear of letting the Entity down. The same fear that he had for his family.
The Nightmare: Sick and sadistic, he enjoys the torment and killing. However, he probably resents being captured by the Entity. The dream world may be a place he tries to use to escape, but until then he continues to revel in his sordid existence. Afterall, children make better victims than those other survivors he keeps hunting.
The Pig: Motivated by fear of the Entity. She's very lucid of what's happening, and working for the Entity is the safest option. She sees it as she saw Kramer, but there's more fear in this professional relationship.
The Clown: He's happy dishing out the torment. The Entity has a liking for his existence and sick desires (or what passes for "liking" for the Entity), so Jeffrey doesn't hunt in fear. He does it for the thrill.
The Spirit: Pure, unadulterated rage and hate. The Entity has trouble keeping her in this realm, but with a promise by the Entity of finding her father and the instilled rage, Rin does her duty.
The Legion: Frank probably feels special at being chosen by a deity, whilst the others are more fearful. Frank's leadership helps the others adjust to their roles - possibly the only reason the Entity allows them together.
The Plague: Religious devotion to her God.
The Ghost Face: He relishes the act of stalking, creating fear, killing and playing with his prey. The Entity favours him and he loves it!
The Demogorgon: An animal running on instinct. Much like a pet adjusting to a new master. An ideal killer for the Entity.
The Oni: Wrath and hatred for those weaker than him. Probably also tormented by the Entity, but I don't feel that he fears it. He thirsts for death of those survivors, as he did those he killed in his world.
The Deathslinger: Tainted-eyes and Entity-motivated to see survivors as those who hurt him. The Entity perhaps keeps minimal presence, as the Deathslinger has a sharp mind and may suspect something is wrong, but in his world the hooks may feel like Caleb's invention.
The Executioner: Pyramid Head is interesting, as he feeds on guilt. I see him as a parasite that feeds on the guilt of not just survivors, but the Entity. He can steal kills from the Entity, carve into the world and the Entity. He can bring the hell of Silent Hill into the Entity's world. My head-cannon is that Silent Hill is attempting to invade the realm with its passive influence, or drag the Entity to it. All of that stored guilt from those within - if the Sun Goddess could gain all that power..
The Blight: Talbot made a deal with the Entity for that nectar, only for it to mutate him with the serum . The Blight serves now, but I believe there is a part of him that still wants release beneath his torture and more primitive mind. He still hunts in hope of learning the truth about the serum, and possible escape.
The Twins: A mix of continuing their actions in their worlds and fear/loyalty to the Entity. The discrimination they faced helps motivate them, but the Entity uses fear to ensure it.
The Trickster: Ji-Woon enjoys the hunt way too much! He feels like the number 1 pick in ways Yun-Jin could never do. Everyone notices him here. He may not be the cleverest of killers, but he knows when he has a good gig going for him.
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At this point i don't think there is any motivation, they are all just puppets now.
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This is just my own personal head cannon regarding The Pig 🐖
I truly feel Amanda feels that the enitity is John and this is a test she has to prove she can finally abide by his rules.
Even though the entity took her on death doesn't mean that she remembers that happening or remembers Jonh dieing.
Even if she did remember I'm sure the enitity will twist it into you failed and she knows Jonh is capable of faking his death and different mind games so may believe it wasn't actually true.
Her last memories could of him telling her that she will be tested as the enitity I'm sure can portray anything into anyone's mind or adapt their mental state to its need. (apart from the shape of course)
It would explain why Amanda is much more dosile and obedient compared to her actions in the films as well.
So either she remembered and feels major guilt for failing her test and sees this as a redemption but she's believes Jonh is alive and or the enitity has changed her memories to suits its needs.
Hopefully you enjoyed my head cannon
🐷❤️
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Hillbilly is paranoic out of everyone and attacks before anything
Pig canonically still believing that she's serving John and testing ppl
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Trickster also do it as an art form, he does music with the survivs screams
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He does it as a way to get attention
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Yeah, sidenote on Hag - Obviously, it’s because of the Hex she drew as she was dying that she is the way she is, the hex her grandmother warned her was ancient and turned people into ravenous beasts with endless hunger. But her grandma also says that those with this curse would slowly petrify and into trees if they did not continue to eat human flesh, but they would still be fully aware, trapped souls, starving but can never eat - and at that point they are literally just trees possessed by evil spirits. As you can see in the game The Hag is growing twigs out of her head, and she has cosmetics where her condition/ petrification is getting worse (I think it’s one of her green ones?) one of these cosmetics confirms her curse is turning her into a tree, and the blood of survivors is the only thing pausing/ reversing that process. I like to think that, yes at this point there is nothing left of Lisa Sherwood in The Hag, she is entirely possessed by a demon or a nature spirit like her grandma had said. Whatever she is now - she needs blood and flesh to survive - else she will literally become a tree as her bone and her skin hardens into wood through petrifaction. This is the price she payed to cheat death and kill her captors. So survival and primal instincts are her only motivations now - she has 0 emotional motivation.
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Wraith is most likely just out of his mind. I think its fair to say, if we piece 2 and 2 with his backstory, that the thing at azarov just broke him forever.
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The entity uses strong emotions of usually pain to motivate killers.
Spirit and Deathslinger have their need for vengence against them.
Nurse and Wraith have their lifelong instances of pain against them.
Killers like Trapper and Plague are almost groomed into being killers throughout their life.
While others like Clown and Ghostface kill for pleasure.
The entity also can provide things killers don't have access to in their world, Blight has his addiction used against him, Charlotte has Victor brought back to life, and the Legion have an eternity to be with each other while Demo has an endless supply of prey to hunt as it is still an animal.
Some like Bubba and Huntress don't really comprehend where they are and just kill out of fear.
Killers such as Pyramid Head and Michael are able to bypass the entities rules but likely stay as they thrive in the entities realm.
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