watching a playthrough of silent hill 2 and have been trying for a few hours to describe why the original pyramid head is capable of scaring me and making me genuinely unsettled but all modern iterations fail to do so and i believe the answer is: the grime

bazinga its more than that but i personally find it a big part. in dead by daylight and the movies and even in the remake he's kinda hosed down clean but in sh2 he is so covered in grime rust dirt etc, it's a little difficult to tell his arms are naked, and that it's skin....

there's also the fact that the way he carries himself is kinda different too. especially his big knife. he is actively struggling to carry it, it makes him slow. even with his spear he kinda... walks to you calm and sluggish.

i feel like most modern iterations are too sharp, clean, strong, confident meanwhile the original is just this... human shaped thing that is coming towards you with this big knife n stuff.... idk, he really is more of a creature or beast more than a slasher! or guy.