Resident Evil Village: Four Houses Explained

Warning: Resident Evil Village spoilers ahead

They say four heads are better than one, and when it comes to Resident Evil Village, there's no exception. When Capcom went on the marketing assault with its eighth main entry in the long-running shooter series, fans were mesmerised by the appearance of towering terror, Lady Alcina Dimitrescu. However, despite Lady D's imposing presence, she's not the only big bad out there in this gothic nightmare.

As players once again take control of the unlucky Ethan Winters, Village's action-packed story wastes no time in expanding the franchise's lore and revealing why he'd ever try and go into this world of vampires and villains. The main campaign opens with the returning Mia Winters reading a story to their baby daughter, Rose. This nightmarish tale recounts the mythical Village of Shadows and a little girl who faces off against four sinister beings - before finally confronting a wicked witch.

It's clear the Village of Shadows is a precursor for Ethan's own tale of terror, teasing that Village's hero will have to take out the four heads of House Dimitrescu, Beneviento, Moreau, and Heisenberg before confronting the mysterious Mother Miranda. Casual fans will likely know a little about Lady Dimitrescu and her brood of vampire daughters, but what's the real story and who's behind the four houses of Resident Evil Village?

• Related: Resident Evil Village Trophy Guide

 

Resident Evil Village - House Dimitrescu

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Stepping out of the shadows as a real femme fatale, Lady Dimitrescu is first off the starting block. Taking up a good portion of the first part of the story, Castle DImitrescu lifts the portcullis and lets Ethan inside its blood-soaked dungeons. For context, each of the four house heads are actually failed experiments from Mother Miranda. In her own twisted way to revive her deceased daughter, Miranda infected the heads with a parasitic Bio Organic Weapon called Cadou. 

After inheriting Castle Dimitrescu, Alcina was the last of the family's line and was also afflicted with the same blood disease her ancestors had. Considering Lady D is trapped at the age of 44 and met Mother Miranda in the 1950s, her birth date is around the early 1900s - which explains her extravagant style. Things must've been lonely in the cavernous castle, because years later, Dimitrescu used the Cadou eggs to create three insect-like daughters called Daniela, Bela, and Cassandra. The girls can despawn into a horde of flies and are more than a buzzing hindrance on Ethan's journey around the castle.

Even though Mother Miranda isn't actually Alcina's mother, it's clear she has some issues with her adoptive mother. Snippets of Lady D's diary shows she's jealous of the other heads and doesn't understand why she isn't Mother Miranda's favourite. Alcina thinks that because she holds the seat at Castle Dimitrescu, she should be in charge of the realm. She's arguably the best-rounded character in the game and is sure to become an icon of the Resiverse. Sadly, the general consensus is that Lady D doesn't get nearly enough screen time. We won't ruin what happens during Lady Dimitrescu and Ethan's rooftop showdown, but either way, we hope she gets her time to shine in a possible DLC. 

 

Resident Evil Village - House Beneviento

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Next on the list of vile villains is Donna Beneviento. If anyone has ever watched the movie Dead Silence, Beneviento is basically that in Resident Evil form. This twisted dollmaker hides out in the land's mountain range and has some serious psychological issues. Usually communicating through a haunting ventriloquist's dummy called Angie, Donna Beneviento makes Lady Dimitrescu seem almost normal. Once Ethan has journeyed through the fog-filled valley, you'll come across the dilapidated House Beneviento and a whole cavalcade of creepy dolls.

When she was younger, Donna largely kept herself to herself because she was ashamed of a scar on her face. Angie was built by her father, but when her parents passed, Donna completely retreated into House Beneviento and continued her family's legacy of making dolls. Despite her skills, Donna's dolls aren't exactly the kind of toy you'd give to your kids to play with. The Cadou parasite gave Donna the ability to control the dolls she created and secrete a hallucinogenic pheromone, however, it also gave her a series of abscesses that meant she dressed in mourning clothes and reverted to completely hiding her face.

Although Donna is quieter than the other heads of the houses, she's the most unhinged when it comes to messing with Ethan. As well as building a horrifying doll version of Mia, she taunts Ethan through her hallucinogens and gives Village some of its most tense battles - channelling some serious RE7 vibes. Unlike Lady D and Heisenberg vying for power, Beneviento's goal is seemingly just to taunt Ethan as much as possible.

• Related: How Long Is Resident Evil Village?

 

Resident Evil Village - House Moreau

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Third on your Kill Bill-inspired hit list is House Moreau. There's something "fishy" going on at the Moreau Reservoir, meaning Ethan will have to get wet if he wants to best Salvatore Moreau. Again giving us some Resident Evil 4 vibes, Moreau is similar to the iconic Del Lago salamander. In his human form, Moreau is the most deformed of the Four Lords. Although he managed to successfully bond with the Cadou, it left him a part man, part fish, hybrid with webbed hands and gills. 

This fish out of water's backstory is shrouded in mystery, but like the other house heads, he's the last of his lineage. Moreau believed that Mother Miranda was his actual mother and would do anything to please her. He conducted Cadou experiments on villagers in a lab called Moreau's Clinic. This suggests that he or a member of his family could've been physicians back in the day. With Moreau's underwater realm becoming a prison for Ethan, he knew he'd have to swim to safety to escape Moreau's flippers. Of course, it wouldn't be a full house without the final piece of the puzzle. 

 

Resident Evil Village - House Heisenberg

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No, not Bryan Cranston reprising his role as Walter White's blue meth-cooking alter ego. Alcina Dimitrescu's "idiot brother", Karl Heisenberg, is the final rogue in this gallery. Despite Capcom making Lady D the poster girl of the game, it's Heisenberg that gets the honour of outlasting the rest as the last of the four houses you have to defeat. When you first meet Heisenberg, he shows off some impressive skills inspired by X-Men foe, Magneto. His ability to move metal also comes into play with his boss battle.

Occupying his own industrial factory, Heisenberg ran it with brutal cruelty and rarely left his own fortress of solitude. His magnetic abilities put him up there with Dimitrescu in terms of power, however, he's arguably the strongest of the Four Lords. Heisenberg was the only one of the house heads that held a grudge against Mother Miranda. He planned a rebellion against Mother Miranda at one point, and even tried to recruit Ethan to his cause.

There's no love lost between DImitrescu and Heisenberg, with the pair constantly bickering. Out of all the houses, Heisenberg is probably the most stable when it comes to his mutation. Still, even the Transformer-esque Heisenberg didn't expect Ethan Winters to come along and scupper his plans. 

Now you know a little more about the Four Lords of the four houses in Resident Evil Village, there's the simple challenge of taking them all out and then finding out what Mother Miranda is really up to. Together, the four houses represent some of the most powerful enemies to grace the Resident Evil franchise and make RE3's Nemesis look like a slow-moving zombie in comparison. If you're ready, pay a visit to the Duke, make sure your hands are strapped on tight, and get ready to rumble.

 

Images via Capcom