When it comes to heebie-jeebies inducers in the video game world, Resident Evil is up there with the scariest ones. From chainsaw-wielding maniacs to less-than-friendly undead dogs content with using your face as a chewing toy, let’s take a gander at the residents (heh. See what I did there? No?) of this world who happen to make you want to turn your TV off.
10. Cerberus (Resident Evil-1996)
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Bad Doggy!
What happens when you infect a Doberman with the T-virus? You guessed right. You get a military-grade dog with the added threat of zombification. With enhanced strength, stamina, speed, and leaping capacities, the Cerberus would be a great military asset if it didn’t, you know, want to kill you. Besides its new abilities, the Cerberus retains its doggy traits, such as a natural talent for attacking in packs. Umbrella considers its creation a resounding success due to its low price point, excellent cost, and deadly precision as a weapon.
Make sure you’ve got your gun in hand when this dangerous Doberman leaps to take a bite out of you. Generally, the only Cerberus the player needs to kill in the game is the one with the collar, with the best tactic to take it down being the handgun. It’s possible to take damage, but there’s a green herb in the room for healing. As for the other dogs in the game, the recommendation is to try to dodge past them. A fun fact many fans might overlook when it comes to this undead doggo is that they may not be aware there exist two different types: the Cerberus is the version infected deliberately with the virus, while the ones that got infected by eating contaminated food are known as Zombie dogs.
What are Cerberus?
9. Crimson Heads (Resident Evil Remake-2002)
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Ready to chow down on you
What could be worse than a regular zombie walking around the mansion during the events of the original Resident Evil? A much faster zombie with overgrown nails and a desire for tender flesh, essentially a Crimson Head. These ugly undead are one of the possible zombie mutations, depending on the strain of the T-Virus that infected the poor soul. Crimson Heads resulted from the unforeseen effects of the Epsilon Strain and are hellbent on consuming the sweet, sweet flesh off of Jill. They can run faster than their shuffling regular counterparts and jump at the player, making them more of a threat while exploring a room or hallway. To make matters worse, these guys can raise themselves after being shot several times.
The only way to stop them cold in their trail is to incinerate them, blow their heads straight off or cripple them with a shot to the legs. The best strategy to deal with one of these horrors is to avoid them altogether, although it's much easier said than done. The player should consider whether to shoot them, as they essentially walk around as moaning bullet sponges and can force Jill to use several of her precious healing resources. If the player decides to engage in combat, aim accurately and have room for escape. An interesting factor is that if a zombie remains on the floor after their apparent death, it may rise again as a Crimson Head. Therefore, using the lighter and burning them to ashes is wise. It’s also theorized to be the stage between zombies and lickers.
What are Crimson Heads? Start at 0:12
8. Lickers (Resident Evil 2 and its Remake- 1998 & 2019)
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Must be uncomfortable to have your skin turned inside out.
Picture this. Claire is sneaking across the police station in Resident Evil 2 (or the Remake), careful not to alert any zombies. She shines her flashlight at the ceiling, and in seconds, a horrifying, fleshy creature jumps and slashes at her with its talons, making the player (and Claire) scream in sheer terror. This is what a Licker is: a beast with a bulging brain that results from a rare mutation from a zombie infected with a variant of the Epsilon Strain. Lickers are susceptible to sound, lacking skin, a pair of eyes, and flicking a nasty tongue that gives the creature its namesake. Once they are alerted to the presence of either Claire or Leon, the monster will go for the jugular. To add an even scarier factor to Lickers, remember this thing once used to be a human. Sweet dreams!
Once the player finds a Licker hanging above them, the best tactic is to stroll by carefully. Once again, it’s easier said than done. The mutated beast will likely engage the player in deadly combat, in which case, a big gun such as the magnum results effective. However, don’t let the creature get back up on the ceiling; otherwise, prepare for a good licking. The process of can be unpredictable regarding the transformation into a Licker can be unpredictable. Yet, it tends to affect Zombies that consume vast amounts of biomass to sustain their undead metabolism. Also, if you think one Licker is bad enough, this process can lead to multiple zombies evolving and forming a colony.
What are Lickers?
7. Executioner Majini (Resident Evil 5-2009)
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Execution time!
Not the most beloved in the franchise, Resident Evil 5 got a handful of criticism for its prioritization of action (hint hint: destroying a rock with punches). Yet, one can’t deny it had its fair share of scary baddies. Among them is the Executioner Majini, who’s content with cleaving Chris and Sheva into several human slices. With its monstrous shape resulting from the Type 2 Plaga parasite implantation into individuals with a buffed physique, the Executioner Majini joined the Islamist Rebellion in Kijuju. There is little information about the man behind the axe before the rebellion occurred. Once infected with the Type 2 Plaga, his reactions to the chemicals were different, and as a result, his transformation became much more radical.
Executioner Manjini became a towering hulk of death, dwarfing other Kijujuans, and with a lust for the beheading of his enemies. Appearing in chapter 1-1, killing him in lower difficulties is much easier, even though his attacks hit quite hard (as is expected of a behemoth wielding an executioner axe). The trick is to stun him with a pistol, followed by a context melee move. Once done, rinse and repeat to execute him. As if its guillotine pole wasn’t threatening enough, Capcom added spikes at the last minute to make him more threatening. Also, during development, the game’s final chainsaw manjini wielded the axe and the honor of ‘Executioner.’ Imagine if this guy could dual-wield a chainsaw and his axe. No, thank you.
What are the Manjini? Start at 0:50
6. Iron Maiden (Resident Evil 4 and its Remake-2005 & 2023)
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Give me a hug!
The Iron Maiden during medieval times was scary enough. A device where the condemned to death were stuck inside and impaled is enough to make a grown man cry. The Iron Maiden from Resident Evil 4 and its Remake is even worse than that death trap. They are essentially walking, spiky, deformed, limb-regenerating ghouls and bringers of tears and horror. Derived from the Regenerador species, Iron Maidens have the added spice of having the ability to protrude spikes out of theirits body. Produced on a Spanish island controlled by The Iluminados, Iron Maidens formed part of broader research into the Plaga parasite's skills, especially into the capacity to create bio-weapons. Luckily for the citizens of the Resident Evil Universe, all Iron Maidens are believed to have been killed.
As an upgraded version of the Regenerador, they share the same weakness. Using a thermal scope makes spotting the Plagas on their bodies possible. Once the spiked nightmare is defeated, take cover, as it will explode and send its needles everywhere. When fighting one with Ashley by your side, things can get more complicated. Ashley has trouble avoiding them, making her vulnerable to impalement. It's best to send her to hide in trash bins, as disgusting as it sounds.
What are Iron Maidens? Start at 0:10
5. Mr. X (Resident Evil 2 and its Remake- 1998 & 2019)
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Turn around, and there he is.
One of the most unnerving aspects of the franchise's second entry is the mysterious, fedora-wearing massive man known as Mr. X. The player might find themselves occupied with a puzzle when suddenly, blamo! This creep comes blasting in through the door, ready to smack you a new one. Instructed to recover a G-virus sample from the pendant of Sherry Birkin, Mr. X then embarks on his quest to kill all police officers and civilians on its path, including the protagonists Claire and Leon. With his actual name being T-00, Mr. X is, in reality, one of the six with the T-103 virus airlifted into Racoon City. He belongs to the monsters known as a Tyrant, a series of mass-produced human bio-organic weapons. With an intellect close to that of an average human, X is capable of following orders. He received many names in official media over the years, with ‘Mr. X’ never used in-game.
The rule of thumb around Mr. X is not to waste any bullets on him, as they do no damage. His primary purpose is to be intimidating, so it's best to avoid him at all costs. It also helps to know where he is and avoid that place as if it was the plague. Returning to the earlier fact about his nickname, the first media outlet to name him as such was GameFan’s Resident Evil 2 guide. Published in 1998 along with the game, the guide’s actual date of writing was in 1997. An action figure known as Mr. X went for sale by Toy Biz on May 8, 1998, although the name had already appeared in the magazine, as mentioned earlier.
Who is Mr.X?
4. Ustanak (Resident Evil 6-2012)
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The revolution has begun!
A giant metallic claw plus a mutated human equals a big nope. This is what Utanak is, a biological-organic weapon from Neo Umbrella with the sole purpose of hunting Jake Mueller for the creation of the Enhanced C-Virus. Ustanak translates to ‘revolution’ in Serbian; just when you thought you didn't need more proof that this guy is a huge threat. Ustanak’s backstory states that the individual who became it came into this world with a frail body and no issues with sacrificing their humanity in exchange for power. The individual proved to have strong resilience, as the earlier 322 candidates didn’t survive the experiment. A report even stated the creature could craft its weapons, spooky stuff. Many of the Ustanak’s attacks are predictable and slow, so avoiding them is not too complicated.
However, what players should focus on is not to get stuck on walls or trapped in corners. It’s also important to stay alert for surrounding enemies that can make life even harder. An interesting quality of the Ustanak is its attachment towards its creator, Carla Radames, whom it considered to beas some sort of deity for giving him the gift of otherworldly power. A bit of an unruly child, it only listened to Carla and no one else so much they seemed to have a mother-and-child relationship. Pretty weird if you ask me.
Who is Ustanak? Start at 0:24
3. Dr. Salvador (Resident Evil 4-2005 & its Remake-2023)
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He just wants to operate on you. With a chainsaw.
Look at this guy. A burlap sack on his head. The bloodshot eyes of a madman. And a freaking chainsaw! All I know is I wouldn’t want to run into him at any time of the day, unlike Leon, who has frequent encounters with this deranged doctor and duels not to get his head sawed in half. Better known as the Chainsaw Man, Dr. Salvador ranks as one of the most iconic enemies in the franchise, even though he’s a minor one. The most powerful of the Ganado, one can assume he served as the village doctor and was once a kind and hardworking man. Then, along with his fellow villagers, he succumbed to the Las Plagas and became the chainsaw-wielding maniac known today.
The tactic to deal with the sinister doctor is to unload a hell of a lot of rifle and pistol bullets on him as he gets closer. Once he’s close, blast him with the shotgun and blow him up with grenades. Get close and personal with melee and run to regain space when safe. Rinse and repeat, and Chainsaw Man will fall. Due to the Plaga parasite, the once well-meaning Dr. Salvador became highly violent, developing a love for chasing people with his chainsaw. Not only that, but the parasite made him more resilient, and as such, he can withstand more damage than a regular villager. It’s also possible to obtain a bottlecap modeled after him, with his sound effect being the one played when he attacks Leon.
Who is Dr. Salvador? Start at 0:07
2. Nemesis (Resident Evil 3 and its Remake-1999 & 2020)
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Another of the most iconic villains in the franchise, Nemesis, is a grotesque bio-organic weapon with a mission—a mission to kill Jill and her team. Created by Umbrella Europe’s No.6 Laboratory, the Nemesis T-Types were the much-coveted result of the Nemesis Project. Such is this guy’s conviction to chase down Jill that he received the nickname the ‘Pursuer.’ He might not be as big as other Tyrant models, but what he lacks in stature, he makes up in intelligence and endurance. Such was the impact this deformed bully left that he went on to make cameos and even appear in the film Resident Evil: Apocalypse. I guess it pays to be a mutant with a love for bazookas and ripping people apart.
At first sight, Nemesis seems unstoppable. But what if I told you he has an Achilles heel? And that heel is explosions! Anything that explodes works on him, so carry several grenades to stop him in his tracks and run for it while you can. Another good option is to use a grenade launcher. Nemesis might serve as the game's final boss, yet players fondly remember him for the way he growls “S.T.A.R.S” while running after them. Although other enemies, such as the Ganados, talk, they don’t seem as messed up as Nemesis and talk more like regular humans. Spiritual successors to the Pursuer include the Scagdead and Rachel from Resident Evil: Revelations.
When it comes to gross, disgusting, vile designs that make you want to throw up, the matriarch of the Baker Family, Marguerite, takes the trophy for the most vomit-inducing villain in the franchise. A resident of the Baker ranch in Dulvey, Louisiana, she proceeds to make Ethan Winter’s life a living hell after he stumbles upon her farm while searching for his missing wife. Once a typical loving mom, Evelin’s “gift” turned her into a twisted version of what she once was. Her abilities are the kryptonite of those who hate bugs (including me), as she can control mutant insects while at the same time having with superhuman strength and speed. Marguerite possesses regenerative abilities to add more terror to this already terrifying villain. Luckily for the player, this doesn’t mean she’s immortal.
The tactic to defeat Margarite is to shoot her in the nest that appears, err, down there, if you catch my drift. This tactic will expose her; otherwise, she’ll resume her usual two-legged pose, along with her trusty and nasty insects to aid her. Should you fail to get her in time, the Burner is your best friend, as you can use the Burner to cut through the swarm, quickly destroy the nest, and deal damage. Marguerite also seems to have developed an unhealthy and frankly repulsive fondness for her bugs. Talk bad about bugs? You risk getting stabbed by her. The game implies this when Jack Baker says to “Squish Ethan like a bug” and proceeds to worry that Margarite could’ve heard that.
A master storyteller and gamer, Andres has traveled across numerous kingdoms reciting tales about his many adventures in lands as vast as Hyrule, with his trusty sheikah laptop in tow.
