Resident Evil Art Director Can't Get Over Our Love For Lady Dimitrescu
Nothing quite says you mean business like a wide-brimmed hat, legion of vampiric daughters, and crumbling castle to call your own. Well, maybe being 9ft tall also helps a little bit. With the release of Resident Evil Village just around the corner, all eyes are on Capcom's next entry, and a game that is giving us some serious Resident Evil 4 vibes. Given that the 2005 game is held by many as the best in the series, that's got to be a good thing. At the centre of the eighth main game is the bloodthirsty Lady Dimistrescu.
While the Resident Evil games have boasted great monsters like zombie dogs, the Del Lago lake creature, and Mr X, we've come to learn humans are arguably more terrifying than whatever the Umbrella Corporation has cooked up in a lab. From Albert Wesker to Ramon Salazar, William Birkin to Jack Baker, unhinged humans have evolved to become the big bads of the long-running zombie series. We're not quite sure Alcina Dimitrescu can be counted as a human, but either way, this towering temptress is all anyone is talking about right now.
Why do we love Lady Dimitrescu?
If Ellen Ripley, Sidney Prescott, Brienne of Tarth, Thelma and Louise, Laurie Strode, and all the rest of pop culture's hardened heroines have taught us anything, it's that we love a no-nonsense woman who ain't bowing for no man. Enter Lady Dimitrescu. Since the announcement of Resident Evil Village at last year's PlayStation 5 reveal, we've been obsessed with Dimitrescu and her powerful presence. This love hasn't gone unnoticed by the developer, with Village Art Director Tomonori Takano admitting he's been blown away by her already fan-favourite status.
Discussing her new-found fame, Takano told IGN the concept for this "bewitching vampire" evolved from inspirations like 16th-century Hungarian serial killer Elizabeth Bรกthory, the Japanese urban legend of the 8ft Hashaku-sama, and Anjelica Hustonโs portrayal of Morticia in The Addams Family movies. To say the reception toward the icy matriarch of House Dimitrescu has been warm would be an understatement. Takano confessed he didn't expect her to be so well-received: "I donโt think anyone [on the team] could have predicted how wonderfully fans have reacted to Lady Dimitrescu. Personally, I was particularly struck by comments like, โI want to be chased by her'".
It's clear that Dimitrescu is birthed out of several ideas. Expanding on how she came to be, Takano concluded, "We analyzed the characters and elements in the Resident Evil series so far to see if they were truly scary, or if they had become so conventional that they lost their effectiveness in scaring players". He said that series producer Jun Takeuchi said, โIf we want people to be scared, we need to think beyond the stereotypical zombies". Well, it's a strategy that seems to have already paid off.
Why else do we love Lady Dimitrescu?
Explaining why her height has become so important, Takano continued: "The very first piece of concept art I drew was the scene in the trailer where Lady Dimitrescu ducks down to walk through the doorway. From that moment, I knew I had to do that scene". According to pop culture and relationship columnist Emily Gaudette, Lady D's height might be attracting people to her for a very different reason.
Dimitrescu has some ample *erm* assets, which has seen her become a huge hit among some, a popular cosplay choice, and some rather X-rated fan fiction. "Like any good character that makes people horny, [Lady Demitrescu is] a combination of a bunch of different niche fetishes,โ said Gaudette. "Obviously, sheโs a vampire, and the fantasy of being devoured or consumed by a vampire is classic at this point. They desire something taboo about you โ your blood, your life force โ and they have to hurt you to get it, but the ecstasy of having your blood drained is always framed as sexual".
Everyone loves a good villain to get behind, but it looks like Lady Dumitrescu has surpassed expectations. In a franchise that's already churned out so many video game icons, it's no small feat to create one as popular as Lady Dimitrescu before a game has even released. We can't wait to run away from Lady Dimistrescu as she and her daughters hunt us through Resident Evil Village's gothic backdrop. All bow before our gigantic garlic-hating leader.
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