Resident Evil fans can’t decide on its scariest enemy
As soon as read the words "itchy, tasty" in the Keeper's Diary during 1996's Resident Evil, we should've known the shuffling series was going to be a horror for the ages. Nearly three decades later, Capcom continues to conjure monstrous creations that keep on giving us nightmares.
While Silent Hill's Pyramid Head, Until Dawn's Wendigos, and BioShock's Big Daddy are easy winners in the "scariest enemy" category of their respective games, it's hard to pick a frightful favourite from the Resiverse.
Whether it's being stalked around the RPD by Mr. X, chucking up our lunch at the sight of Code: Veronica's Nosferatu, or feeling your heart pound out of our chest during Village's House Beneviento, Capcom has kept pulses racing for the past 27 years.
Resident Evil fans can't decide the franchise's scariest enemies
Over on Reddit (thanks The Gamer), opinions are split on which foul foe can claim the honour of being Resident Evil's scariest. The OP gives us seven to choose from, and it's quite the rogue's gallery.
Alongside classics like the first Resident Evil's Crimson Head, we've got Lickers, Village's Werewolves, and the Molded. More obscure inclusions are Revelations 2's Splashers and the lizard-like Hunters, but what do the fans think?
As you can imagine, Resident Evil 4's Regenerator gets a lot of votes. Describing them, one said, "Tweaking-regenerating-humanoid creeper with strange breathing??? Yes this guy would be scary as heck to experience in real life. I wonder if Leon is haunted in his head by the images and sounds in his head."
Another added, "Regen, that damn music and breathing they do...," while a third said, "Regenerators by far I still get ptsd when I hear the breathing." There were other votes aside from the RE4 favourite.
Someone else gave the nod to the terrifying baby from Village, explaining, "Definitely one of the scariest moments I've ever had in a game. I was not prepared for that at all I had just zoned out. Working around it gave me a feeling I hadn't had in a while from a game."
Going back to the OG, one fan concluded, "I stopped scrolling after Crimson Heads. I played every RE, including the remakes, and revelations, and spin-offs, and never been more scared than entering a room and see a MF zombie running full speed at you. Holy mother of god."
Will Resident Evil 9 keep the horror?
After criticisms that entries like Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6 swapped genuine scares for high-octane action (remember punching a boulder?), Resident Evil 7 took us back to the series' horror roots in 2017.
To this day, many think playing RE7 in VR is up there with Alien: Isolation as one of the scariest gaming experiences of all time. Following the success of RE7, 2021's Village kept the scares - leading to the aforementioned Beneviento nightmare.
The Shaodows of Rose DLC was another harrowing experience as we were hunted by squeaking mannequins, so we dread to think what Capcom is cooking up for the next game. There was a massive Resident Evil 9 leak, and even if there are new horrors, at least Jill Valentine could be back.
Either way, at least we can all agree that the laughable Ramon Salazar isn't going to be winning any awards as the franchise's scariest enemy - even with a new-gen revamp.
