Official Song of Horror References & Easter Eggs Guide

Welcome to the Official Song of Horror References & Easter Eggs Guide!

In this guide, you will find all the secrets we have hidden referencing other horror videogames, movies, tv shows, books... You probably missed many of them because you were too busy dealing with The Presence, maybe because there are some characters you didn't play with... Or just maybe because you didn't explore enough. That's why we are creating this guide to reveal all of them! There are more than 50 Easter eggs in Song of Horror, are you able to recognize them all?

We encourage you to review Song of Horror on Steam! All our updates and changes to the game like the new game mode without Permadeath or H.P. Lovecraft difficulty are motivated by your reviews, because your opinion matters to us!

EPISODE 1

• The sequence in which Daniel’s car is seen arriving at Husher's Mansion from a window is a nod to one of the initial illustrations from Alone in the Dark.



• The sequence in which a playable character is introduced in front of the mansion is a nod to the original Alone in the Dark cover.



• The matchbox brand is a reference to Project Zero/Fatal Frame. Specifically, to the camera film rolls that appear in the game.



• “Himuro” is the maker of the piano in Husher's residence, a nod to the mansion in which Project Zero/Fatal Frame 1 takes place.



• There’s a poster in Julia’s room of a band called “Crimson”, which shows two red butterflies and several strings. This is a nod to Project Zero /Fatal Frame II, “Crimson Butterfly”.



• The brand on one of the electrical fuses is called “Mafuyu”, a reference to a character that goes missing in Project Zero /Fatal Frame.



• The bird scare in Episode I is a reference to an attack that players suffer in Alone in the Dark, which has a similar camera point of view. (This happens in the hall on the first floor, heading towards the master bedroom from the hall on the right. It can be triggered the first or second time you walk by, or never at all. It’s more likely to happen as you exit the master bedroom.)



• The face on the seal stamped on the letter from Färber to Husher belongs to the famous horror writer M. R. James.



• The YES/NO choice in the “sink” is a nod to all those wicked, impossible choices we are forced to make in horror games, decisions we would never say yes to in real life (think “put your hand in the hole on the wall” in Silent Hill 2).



• The logo of the security company that Alina works for is the monolith from Dead Space.



• “Abbot Thomas”, the street Husher lives on, is a reference to a short story by M. R. James.

• The publishing house that Etienne and Daniel work for is called “Wake Publishing”, in reference to Alan Wake.

EPISODE 2

• The lighter that every character carries has the logo from Alone in the Dark (again, it’s practically impossible to see, unless you drop it and it falls right in front of the camera).



• On one of the mailboxes, you can read the names Ellen and Amanda Ripley (from Alien).



• The refrigerator magnet is from “Toluca Lake”, which appears in Silent Hill 2 and 4.



• The security guard’s name is Walter Sullivan, the antagonist in Silent Hill 4. You can see his picture (sporting a beard) on his work jumpsuit (left behind in the tool shed).



• Erica’s guitar is made by a brand called Takamine. Not only is this a real brand, but also an important character in Project Zero / Fatal Frame.



• In one of the apartments on block 2 lives one Joseph Schreiber, the previous tenant of room 302 in Silent Hill 4: Entrance 2, 3rd flood, door B. You’ll need the storage room keys to enter. If you manage to get in, you’ll see the iconic chained door and hear an adaptation of one of the songs from the Silent Hill soundtrack.



• The “Coltar Speaks” machine is a nod to the “Zoltar Speaks” machine in the movie BIG.



• The suit of armor in the antique shop sometimes turns its head to look towards the hallway from which the player’s character came (it doesn’t always look in the same direction… but it’s subtle). This is a reference to the aggressive armor in Alone in the Dark.



• Erica has a Cthulhu keychain. If she examines it closely, she says “Iä iä, I love my keychain”, another classic nod to the myths found in books such as “The Shadow over Innsmouth” (Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn! Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah-nagl fhtagn)



• One of the buttons that Erica wears forms the pentagram from Silent Hill.



• The symbol on Erica’s t-shirt is “The Yellow Sign”, a nod to the Yellow King from the Cthulhu Mythos.



• The background image on the Ouija board found in Färber’s house is a drawing of Cthulhu.



• The Triforce symbol appears on the luminol found in the bathroom, a product made by a laboratory called “Tri Labs”.



• If you examine the shotgun on display in the antique shop several times, Daniel says “If I take it... will the ceiling start to fall over my head?”, in reference to the shotgun trap in Resident Evil 1 (Jill sandwich, anyone?

EPISODE 3

• The security guard (Max) handing you things from a restroom that turns out to be empty is a nod to a similar event in Silent Hill 3.



• Max’s ring is a reference to his wedding with Chloe. This is a nod to Life is Strange (even though this is not a horror game, we just love Chloe!).



• The act of physically entering a slide (that is, interacting with visual media in real life) is inspired by The Ring.



• One of the professors involved in the puzzle that players must solve in the first area is Zachary Dunn, a reference to Zack Dunn, the artist who inspired the design of the manifestations that appear in the game.

EPISODE 4

• The sculptures of angels covering their eyes in the graveyard are a reference to the weeping angels of Dr. Who.



• The keys made of different materials are a nod to Resident Evil.



• The monk event is inspired by the main gameplay mechanic in Project Zero / Fatal Frame.



• The puzzle involving red plants is a reference to the Resident Evil franchise and their iconic curative herbs.

EPISODE 5

• Dr. Berenice Prestegard, Ariadne's doctor, is named after the short horror story from Edgar Allan Poe.



• Jeremy Hartwood Mental Hospital, the place where Ariadne spent her childhood, shares its name with the owner of Derceto Manor in the original Alone in the Dark, whose suicide kick-starts the events of the game.



• Alan Cedrac is a staff member of Jeremy Hartwood whose name comes from Aline Cedrac, the co-protagonist of Alone in the Dark: A New Nightmare.



• Edward Camby, the other co-protagonist of Alone in the Dark: A New Nightmare, also served as inspiration for another character from Song of Horror: Edward Saunders, the director of Jeremy Hartwood. His surnames come from Grace Saunders, a child that acts as a supporting character in Alone in the Dark 2.



• In a document found inside Jeremy Hartwood, you can discover that the company that dismantled the hospital was Derceto (like the previously mentioned manor from Alone in the Dark) and a reference to Ezechiel Pregzt, the antagonist of the same game.

ACHIEVEMENTS

The Fall of the House of Husher: A reference to the classic short story by Edgar Allan Poe.


Hold The Door!: A nod to the Game of Thrones episode titled "The Door".


Dying of the Light: A reference to the novel written by George R.R. Martin.


Silence in Heaven: A reference to the main scenario in Silent Hill 2 called “Letter from Silent Heaven”.


Homecoming (ending of Episode 2 with Erica): A nod to Silent Hill: Homecoming.


Downpour (ending of Episode 2 with René): A nod to Silent Hill: Downpour.


A Quiet Place (ending of the Silence tutorial): In reference to the movie of the same name.


The Yellow Brick Road: A nod to The Wizard of Oz.


The Unforgiven (finishing Episode 4 with Ernest – only in English): A reference to the Metallica song.


One for All, All for One (finishing Episode 4 without losing any characters): A reference to The Three Musketeers (Alexandre Dumas).


Through The Looking Glass (finishing Episode 4): A reference to the book by Lewis Carroll.


The Masque of the Red Death (end of The First Dream): Shares name with the homonymous story of Edgar Allan Poe.


The Oval Portrait (Ariadne's Interview): Another short story by Edgar Allan Poe.


Morella (end of The Second Dream): You guessed it, a third horror tale by Poe himself.


The Pit and the Pendulum: We recommend you check Edgar Allan Poe's work.


There and Back Again: The alternative title of "The Hobbit" from J.R.R. Tolkien.


Alone in the Dark (complete Song of Horror with Daniel in Poe difficulty or superior): No explanation needed.


The Presence Waits Dreaming (beat the game on Lovecraft difficulty): A phrase from the short story "The Call of Cthulhu" by H.P. Lovecraft - "in his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming".


The Shadow Out of Time: Another reference to a short story by H.P. Lovecraft of the same name.

BONUS EASTER EGG!

Did you know that the images of the Steam achievements contain secrets themselves? One tip: you need to know how to interpret sheet music to discover them!

[mitchellwilson6]

I thought I was the only one to catch the Resident Evil Easter Egg...to take it a step further...September 28th was the date of the outbreak, then October 1st...the day Episode 1 mainly takes place, was when Raccoon City was nuked. When Jill was infected, 3 days had passed.

[Sgt_Cornmuffin]

Episode 1 starts on September 28, 1998, which is the same date Resident Evil 3 starts to take place.

[Dragma Kerp]

In episode 2 there is also a Heather Manson nameplate on one of the mailboxes. I guess it refers to the protagonist of Silent Hill 3

[Croissant]

That's a lot of love put into old school horror games!

[TachikomaShiki]

Pretty awesome easter eggs here, some I can't believe I actually missed. Really liked the Silent Hill and Alone in the Dark ones.

I noticed in Episode 3, there is a note called 'Record sheet from the newspaper archive' which you pick up once you've gotten pass the sensor stopping you from entering the office. It's filled with names of characters from the Resident Evil series. A Professor Wesk, Jill, Chris, Becca (Rebecca), Mr. Spencer and if you turn it over I think the name William is mentioned also.

In Episode 2, if you're playing as René and you examine his gun, it has what looks like an Umbrella symbol on it (also from Resident Evil) and the name on the weapon is Red Pyramid (Silent Hill).

[alonzo]

Thank you good sir!

In Episode 2 there is a scene with falling and screaming mannequin. Seems like reference to well-known jumpscare with beheaded mannequin in Silent Hill 3

[Tsela]

Erica wears yellow raincoat with a hoodie and has a lighter. Might be a nod towards Little Nightmares. One of the random events, jumpscares in Episode 2 involves a hole appearing on the wall in the exhibit. Pointing towards Silent Hill 4. (although it would have been cool if it would have happened in the restroom)

[DemonicRobots]

Looks like there is one missing, but Heather Mason has a box with her name on it in Episode 2 just like the Ripley one too. I'm guessing that HAS to be in reference to SH3 and not pure coincidence