Resident Evil: Village is Capcom’s latest entry in the horror series. Located in the Romanian mountains, players again take the role of Ethan Winters. Ethan is traversing through an old village seeking to rescue his daughter Rose from Mother Miranda and her Four Lords. One might find themselves too preoccupied with shooting down lycans, Moroica, and Lords to notice a running theme in Village. Resident Evil: Village pays homage to many general horror themes with the Lords and their work. Do not expect these homages to be an exact picture. The developers did an excellent job of adding a new twist to these tried-and-true horrors.
Lady Dimitrescu, Her Daughters, and Servants
Lady Dimitrescu’s Castle features Moroica and Samca. These are the resurrected victims of Alicina Dimitrescu’s barbarous practices. The servants killed were infected by the Mold and brought back to life to wander (or fly) as mindless zombies. Blackened, rotting corpses controlled by the Mold and Dimitrescu wander the castle and countryside seeking to destroy any hapless human they come across.
Dimitrescu’s three daughters, Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela were created from experiments run by their “mother.” The bodies of these three young women quickly decomposed and transformed into flies with a weakness to the cold. Having the same twisted desires as Dimitrescu, the three used their abilities to devour human flesh like cannibals.
Lady Dimitrescu was born with a rare blood disease. While the Cadou ceased Dimitrescu’s ability to age, it did not cure the blood disease. To sustain her life, Lady D partook of a special wine called Sanguis Virginus or “virgin’s blood.” This wine, specially made from the blood of a male, kept her disease at bay. This would make her very similar to a vampire.
Donna Beneviento and the Ghostly
The Beneviento mansion is a lonely place. While traversing through this home, Ethan sees a desolate home filled with dolls. Only two enemies are seen throughout this section including the boss fight. Where is the horror? Angie, Donna Beneviento’s favorite doll and voice, moves and speaks of her own volition. Her speech rings through the stage although Angie is nowhere to be seen. Dolls float and attack Ethan during his battle against Angie. It is almost as if there were some horrific poltergeist possessing the marionette to kill Winters.
Horror is also found in the darkness of this stage. As Ethan wanders down a flight of stairs, the sound of an infant crying can be heard in the distance. Creepy laughter echoes through the walls of the mansion’s basement. The horror is not found in what can be seen but cannot be seen.
Salvatore Moreau and His Experiments
The first enemy players run across is the Lycan. While not transforming with the full moon, these creatures would be a reminder of Universal Studio’s Larry Talbot, The Wolfman, and werewolves. These creatures were created when the Mold infected residents of the village.
Later in the game, Ethan is introduced to the Vârcolac (Romanian for werewolf). These creatures were made when Salvatore Moreua spliced the DNA of the lycans with that of villagers. This act is a nod to The Island of Dr. Moreau, a sci-fi/horror book by H.G. Wells, where human/animal experimentation occurred.
Moreau is an interesting and grotesque character. As Ethan enters the flooded fishing village and confronts Morreau, tentacles begin sprouting from Salvatore’s body. Complaining of the great pain caused, Moreau falls into the lake transforming into a fish monster. This harkens back to movies such as Creature from the Black Lagoon.
Karl Heisenberg and the Horrors of Technology
Heisenburg’s factory is Ethan Winters’s last stop before the final battle with Mother Miranda. While trekking through the factory, Winters confronted animatronic nightmares. These creatures, once inhabitants of the village, have been melded with metal and electricity. Heisenberg plays the role of Victor Von Frankenstein with his creations each acting as his Adam.
There is something to be said of technology’s horrors as well. Ethan is accosted by Heisenberg’s early works, Soldats, which, while dangerous, are easily defeated. As Ethan explores the factory, these machinations are individually upgraded until Ethan faces Sturm. Sturm is considered a failure by Heisenberg and is a being with a propeller made of chainsaws replacing its head and torso. Yes, the tech may still be rudimentary but the more it upgrades, the deadlier it gets.
Mother Miranda, The Mad Scientist Behind It All
Mother Miranda faced the terrible loss of her daughter during the Spanish Flu epidemic. This heartbreak sent Miranda to seek her own life. Instead of discovering death, Miranda was infected by the Mold. Seeing the memories of all who were consumed by said Mold, including Eva, her daughter, Miranda believed she could bring her daughter back from the dead. Then the experiments began.
The Four Lords were created to find a suitable host for Eva. The villager’s lives, despite their worship, were treated as disposable as long as her goals were met. Eveline, the main protagonist of Resident Evil 7, was born through the work of Miranda. Mia Winters was kidnapped and left for dead in a dungeon. Rosemary Winters was crystalized and quartered at the hands of Miranda. She’s even the inspiration for Umbrella’s work.
Miranda’s obsession with resurrecting Eva controlled her every action. This led her to wreak havoc on three continents and destroy the lives of countless innocent victims. This loss of her humanity led Mother Miranda to her ultimate erasure from the Mold and existence itself. A fitting end for one with little care for others.
Horror comes in many ways and Resident Evil: Village does a great job honoring the genre. Next time you play, try to take notice of the various themes strewn about each of the Lord’s respective areas. It might give another reason to appreciate such a wonderful game.
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