ORIGINALLY WRITTEN: February 2023
DISCLAIMER: I am not a psychiatric professional. I do have a degree and spent years studying the intersection between the mental health and correctional systems, but I am not a clinician or an individual with a lot of clinical knowledge. I am also not an expert on cults, but have done research to the best of my ability (and in accordance with a years-long fixation on the functionality of cult structures).
CONTENT WARNINGS: Religious Abuse, Cult Practices
This analysis was inspired by an ask I received over on Tumblr after posting my Yale Psychiatric piece:
Hi, I wonder if you have some theory / thoughts about damnatio memoriae ending, losing faith and his (worsen?) mental state. I'm not Catholic but the connection between mental health and faith is one of my favorite issues to talk about. Also why Gary tried to make John as the new vessel? Thanks!
And my response is, that I personally see the loss of faith having a few possible explanations! And Gary’s focus on John is entirely intentional, both from a mental health standpoint and a general-ish standpoint.
A recap for the general audience (and myself, because I had to look a few things up since it’s been a while):
In regards to John’s deteriorating faith, the explanation for why his faith is so weak/withers so easily is dependent on how the game’s plot is interpreted (at least, in my opinion). So, to circle back to some of the points I made in my first solid meta post regarding John [LINK], I’ll break down the two primary perceptions.
If assuming everything happening is 100% real and John’s perspective is reliable:
It’s simply a matter of fighting a losing battle. Seeing your faith be challenged so successfully (re: multiple dead priests, a church taken over by demonic entities, etc) is… a lot! As someone who’s loosely Catholic (vaguely raised, abandoned, and now on the fence of re-converting), the main lesson people are taught is that sin and evil are two very powerful things. They swallow and consume a person. They’re what made the world the place it is today, and why humanity could not remain in the Garden of Eden. Of course, the emphasis put on these points and the way they’re told is variable on the individual church’s belief system (re: the difference between “normal” Catholics and fascist Evangelicals), but that’s besides the point. So John seeing that happen over and over and over, and ultimately failing to save Amy, is just tiring. It’s draining. He realizes by the end of Chapter 3 that he’s lost, and Gary has won. Gary was right.
It’s simply a matter of fighting a losing battle. Seeing your faith be challenged so successfully (re: multiple dead priests, a church taken over by demonic entities, etc) is… a lot!
As someone who’s loosely Catholic (vaguely raised, abandoned, and now on the fence of re-converting), the main lesson people are taught is that sin and evil are two very powerful things. They swallow and consume a person. They’re what made the world the place it is today, and why humanity could not remain in the Garden of Eden. Of course, the emphasis put on these points and the way they’re told is variable on the individual church’s belief system (re: the difference between “normal” Catholics and fascist Evangelicals), but that’s besides the point.
So John seeing that happen over and over and over, and ultimately failing to save Amy, is just tiring. It’s draining. He realizes by the end of Chapter 3 that he’s lost, and Gary has won. Gary was right.
However, if assuming that either everything was “in John’s head” (lack of better phrasing), or that some things were true but exaggerated by John’s mental health:
Then I believe that John’s loss of motivation/faith could genuinely be him coming out of an episode and perceiving the gravity of everything. This is a bit harder to explain given the precursor for this ending is not entering Garyland, and the strongest case could be made by pointing to the fact that, allegedly, John was the one to eviscerate the cultists in the bloodied room… but still. A lot of things happen in Chapter 3 outside of Gary’s labyrinth that would weigh heavily on John’s consciousness. One of the other most notable circumstances being if he cannot save Lisa from Alu/the cult, and she dies because he (while possessed or in a state of psychosis) ultimately kills her. That, and there is the idea that John is outright killing the cultists/people he flashes the crucifix to. Now, before I explain part of that, I just want to say that all cops are shit at their jobs. They protect nobody and often target folk just because they can, and use “self defense” as a way to get out of the repercussions. However, it is interesting that when John raises the crucifix (when exiting the front door of the daycare, opposed to the back entrance), the cops state that he has a gun. Of course, this could be that classic “shoot anything that moves and make a move” mentality, or it could be a genuine observation (after all, they are fictional so there is a chance they have some intelligence). My disdain for the law aside, the very act of exorcism is a banishment. A damntation of demonic entities back to Hell, where they either are imprisoned (returning to their natural states and unable to re-enter the surface) or executed (if the demon is too weak to presumably recuperate from Christ’s intervention/flee to Hell). So, in the assumption that the UNSPEAKABLE really is grasping every cultist’s soul… Yeah. They’re gone. John has effectively killed the person and, maybe, left behind a husk. A shell of who they were.
Then I believe that John’s loss of motivation/faith could genuinely be him coming out of an episode and perceiving the gravity of everything.
This is a bit harder to explain given the precursor for this ending is not entering Garyland, and the strongest case could be made by pointing to the fact that, allegedly, John was the one to eviscerate the cultists in the bloodied room… but still. A lot of things happen in Chapter 3 outside of Gary’s labyrinth that would weigh heavily on John’s consciousness. One of the other most notable circumstances being if he cannot save Lisa from Alu/the cult, and she dies because he (while possessed or in a state of psychosis) ultimately kills her.
That, and there is the idea that John is outright killing the cultists/people he flashes the crucifix to.
Now, before I explain part of that, I just want to say that all cops are shit at their jobs. They protect nobody and often target folk just because they can, and use “self defense” as a way to get out of the repercussions. However, it is interesting that when John raises the crucifix (when exiting the front door of the daycare, opposed to the back entrance), the cops state that he has a gun. Of course, this could be that classic “shoot anything that moves and make a move” mentality, or it could be a genuine observation (after all, they are fictional so there is a chance they have some intelligence).
My disdain for the law aside, the very act of exorcism is a banishment. A damntation of demonic entities back to Hell, where they either are imprisoned (returning to their natural states and unable to re-enter the surface) or executed (if the demon is too weak to presumably recuperate from Christ’s intervention/flee to Hell). So, in the assumption that the UNSPEAKABLE really is grasping every cultist’s soul… Yeah. They’re gone. John has effectively killed the person and, maybe, left behind a husk. A shell of who they were.
And that acts as a segue into the second question:
Why in the hell (pun intended) would Gary want to use a priest as a vessel?
The short answer is that John is, genuinely, the perfect vessel. My understanding of the process is that the victim must be on the younger side, physically healthy, and (most importantly) non-consenting to the process (able to be manipulated and coerced into “consenting”).
John is in his early 30s, is pretty healthy minus the achey knee and dormant asthma, and very much non-consenting, seeing as he goes through so much to attempt to stop the UNSPEAKABLE’s commanding demon, Gary/Astaroth. Plus him being in active bouts of psychosis makes it so much easier for someone like Gary to affirm the delusions and essentially become the little devil on John’s shoulder.
EDIT: This section has changed, as in my original posting I have linked to a Tumblr post. Instead, here are the game's raw audio files that are relevant to this idea. Whether or not this player works is between us and God.
And here are the audio transcripts, since not everyone is able to listen and (if I may be honest) it can be hard to tell what's being said:
Explaining the Second Death:: A simple procedure, once the Vessel is prepared. First, we carve out their face with the ritual knife. Then, we pass a living newborn through the opening and wait for a response. And that, John, is how you make a portal to Hell. Amy as the Perfect Vessel:: Ah, my beloved Amy. She was the perfect Vessel for the Second Death, but then you came and screwed it all up. No matter, once you have completed your journey, she will be mine again. Goals of the Second Death / Summoning THE UNSPEAKABLE: [Unintelligible] spirit, preparing the way for the Anti-Christ. The two of us together must fulfill the Profane Sabbath. Oh, do not fret, Malphas has already been summoned to this plane. Did you really think you could prevent his arrival?
Explaining the Second Death:: A simple procedure, once the Vessel is prepared. First, we carve out their face with the ritual knife. Then, we pass a living newborn through the opening and wait for a response. And that, John, is how you make a portal to Hell.
A simple procedure, once the Vessel is prepared. First, we carve out their face with the ritual knife. Then, we pass a living newborn through the opening and wait for a response. And that, John, is how you make a portal to Hell.
Amy as the Perfect Vessel:: Ah, my beloved Amy. She was the perfect Vessel for the Second Death, but then you came and screwed it all up. No matter, once you have completed your journey, she will be mine again.
Ah, my beloved Amy. She was the perfect Vessel for the Second Death, but then you came and screwed it all up. No matter, once you have completed your journey, she will be mine again.
Goals of the Second Death / Summoning THE UNSPEAKABLE: [Unintelligible] spirit, preparing the way for the Anti-Christ. The two of us together must fulfill the Profane Sabbath. Oh, do not fret, Malphas has already been summoned to this plane. Did you really think you could prevent his arrival?
[Unintelligible] spirit, preparing the way for the Anti-Christ. The two of us together must fulfill the Profane Sabbath. Oh, do not fret, Malphas has already been summoned to this plane. Did you really think you could prevent his arrival?
But aside from that, it comes down to power. Gary wants to demonic rebellion to have influence. To be something that compels people and leaves behind a great legacy.
What better way to do that than take a holy man (assuming John is/was ordained) and make him a tool for the devil?
In context of a cult structure, the move is one of the biggest chess plays Gary can make as a leader.
Cults, especially those with destructive and a religious structure, are hierarchial and authoritative. There is supposed to be no question to what the leader wills. What Gary says should go. That’s why he ultimately ended up targeting Lisa. As a failed attempt by Tiffany to make Lisa a vessel (and therefore prove her own worthiness to Gary), she knows too much about the true intentions. She is a flight risk. She’s been found to be communicating with John (an extension of the church). People like Lisa are dangerous to the cult’s imbalance, as are the ties they have within the greater community.
Which is why, too, John becomes such a pertinent target for Gary (lest we forget one of the Chapter 1 endings has him and his cult confront John on an empty highway).
It all shows that, even if he were not a demon, that he is convincing. That he can wear down at someone with a (presumably) strong conviction and duty to Christ. People would be fools to question him! He must know what he’s doing if he can “break” a priest.
TLDR: Gary’s entire mentality as a cult leader (and demonic commander) trying to regain control after a critical incident is:
And this, ultimately, is what is referred to with the idea of Damnatio Memoriae! John is so overshadowed and overtaken (whether by the UNSPEAKABLE, the cult, or his own mind) that he's effectively erased from memory. Him, the twins, Michael, Amy, they all mean nothing in the grand scheme of what would come should the cult succeed in its plan. They were all mere cogs in the machine.