In a series full of terrifying creatures, we highlight some of the especially frightening ones that you wouldn’t want to run into in a dark alley

The Resident Evil series has made a name for itself off of sending its hapless gamers into terror comas while largely setting the standard for the survival horror genre of gaming. With the series steadily growing in size, checking in on some of the scariest foes that have been created so far seemed like an appropriate task. And listen, we all know that Lickers are terrifying as hell. We’ve all been startled or disgusting by the likes of Nemesis or Resident Evil 4’s Bitores Mendez. And there’s a pretty understandable communal groan heard whenever Giant Spiders/Moths/Alligators/Sharks/Snakes are stumbled upon in any of these titles. Nobody needs to hear more about those guys, so let’s dig into some of the really scary abominations that this series has given us.

Regenerators/Iron Maiden

Appearances: Resident Evil 4

Let’s kick this thing off right! Arguably Regenerators and their more ferocious counterparts are the scariest part of Resident Evil 4, period. Their scream-worthy entrance is surely cemented in all of our brains at this point. Stemming from the Illuminados’ experimentation with the Plaga virus for bioweaponry purposes, these creatures pretty much seem invincible the first time you encounter them. The key to taking these guys out lies in infrared technology, allowing you to identify where their leech-like Plaga viruses are, letting you take them out accordingly. Otherwise, these beasts are just going to keep re-growing limbs and coming at you at an alarming rate. Iron Maidens appropriately amp up the ick factor by having long nails burst out of the host’s skin, because we all need that many more nightmares in our lives.

Albinoid

Appearances: Resident Evil Code: Veronica

One of the scariest things about the albinoid from the criminally underrated Code: Veronica title in the series is that you get to see it at several different developmental stages in its life. Seeing this monster evolve and implicitly understanding it better makes it all the more disturbing. Apparently the creature came to be by Umbrella experimenting with the T-Virus in salamanders, and it’s not surprising when you see their sleek, aquatic bound physique. They look like Clive Barker tried to “improve” a tadpole. It’s too bad that these guys didn’t turn up in more titles because the adult form (which has the ability to electrify water, no less) is really scary stuff.

T-00 (”Mr.X”)

Appearances: Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles

So our favorite trenchcoat-sporting Tyrant may not look like the most frightening enemy that Umbrella’s ever cooked up, but what makes T-00 a true force to be reckoned with is the element of surprise that accompanies him. Resident Evil 2 is full of classic moments, but few are more memorable than slowly combing your way through a room, when all of a sudden someone smashes through the wall. T-00 sure knows how to make an entrance, and that combined with his seemingly invulnerable appearance make him a worthy addition here. He’s all about the suspense and tension rather than grossing you out.

Scarmiglione

Appearances: Resident Evil: Revelations

But hey, speaking of grossing you out, there are few things as frightening and disgusting as some sort of shark-man hybrid that’s clawing away at you in a tight hallway. Unsurprisingly the creature’s genesis comes from testing done on sharks, but the fact that this creature can split its body into separate halves, makes it all the more frightening. Resident Evil: Revelations may have flown under a lot of people’s radars, and granted, it’s far from a perfect title. One thing that Revelations absolutely nails though is its monster designs, with the T-Abyss Virus being a welcome addition to the mutation family. That and setting a survival horror at sea, on an ocean liner, is all sorts of awesome. Plus, the word scare is basically the first part of the creature’s name. You can’t argue with that.

Chainsaw Man (Dr. Salvador)/Executioners

Appearances: Resident Evil 4/Resident Evil 5

So Dr. Salvador and the executioner enemies that are much in the same vein as him might not appear to be that frightening, but it’s definitely a case of less being more here. Cryptic touches like the cloth over the enemies’ heads—making it unable to see their faces—causes your imagination to run wild on these tortured souls. The details that you can see, like the many nails that are jutting out of their exposed flesh, only raise more disturbing questions. These lumbering enemies are always intimidating, but Dr. Salvador manages to be particularly effective due to the iconic noise of his chainsaw. It’s incredible how frightening it can be to be going on your way and suddenly hear his weapon revving up, not knowing where it’s coming from, until it’s too late. It’s a testament to how far sound design can go in these games, too.

Ouroboros (First Form)

Appearances: Resident Evil 5

Resident Evil 5 rightfully receives a lot of flak and can be attributed to many of the larger missteps that the franchise has taken after the fact, but of all the mistakes made, you can’t argue with the fact that leeches are gross as fuck. The entry knew how to deliver some sufficiently creepy foes, even if the scares might have been largely absent in the rest of the game. The title brought on the next chapter of the series, introducing the Ouroburos Virus to the series, with RE5 pitting you against the contaminate at several stages in its evolution. Surprisingly though, it’s Ouroburos’ first form that might creep you out the most. It’s essentially just a writhing mass of leeches, making it unpredictable and sufficiently eerie. Through most of this battle you’re just left wondering what the hell you’re up against, and hoping that none of that ick gets on you and ruins your cool tough guy exterior.

Ooze

Appearances: Resident Evil: Revelations

More confirmation that the T-Abyss Virus is just truly the worst, Ooze is one of the most disgusting creatures to come out of the entire franchise. Ooze, which is named after its experiment subjects resembling bloated corpses, operates almost as a liquid. The monsters move between cracks and gaps, appearing almost anywhere, making them even more unsettling. If that weren’t enough, they attack with a tentacle-like tongue, attempting to drain your blood (don’t spend a lot of time focusing on their faces, because ew). These abominations are all about maintaining their bodily fluids, and so unlike zombies, they won’t eat you but they will drain you dry. The fact that several variations on Ooze exist (including one that’s pretty much just globs of fat with arms and legs) mean that this enemy can even surprise you with all the different ways it can disgust you.

Ogroman

Appearances: Resident Evil 6

So this monster’s name might translate to “enormous” and “gigantic” in Serbian, but even if that wasn’t the case this guy’s size would be heavily apparent. You face off against this 30-foot foe fairly early in Resident Evil 6, but that doesn’t reduce how unsettling the C-Virus has made this creature. While Ogroman might feel like it’s heavily pulling from the popularity of El Gigante from Resident Evil 4, this tries to intentionally outdo all of that, giving the creature a more disturbing facelift as the icing on the cake. Ogroman’s purpose was to take out entire sides of the enemy forces, and it takes considerable efforts like air strikes to even take the guy down. The sheer rampage factor of this beast, combined with his endurance, make him a particularly intimidating battle.

Lurkers

Appearances: Resident Evil 0

Throughout the many Resident Evil games we’ve gotten to see a number of different takes on the infamous Hunter that was introduced in the original game. It makes sense that the series would mess around with this classic monster, spicing it up in several ways, but its deviations that strayed furthest from the mark are some of the most effective. A lot of people are experiencing Resident Evil 0 for the first time right now due to its recent HD re-release, but whether you first played it all those years ago or are doing so for the first time right now, one thing you won’t forget are the game’s infernal lurkers. Continuing to bank off of RE0’s big leech theme, picture some sort of leech/frog/hunter hybrid that takes the worst aspects from each. These things more or less seem like giant frogs, and their advanced tongues are able to swallow you whole in a particularly brutal insta-kill. That alone puts these unusual monsters on your radar and you certainly won’t want to get too close to them at any point.

Scagdead

Appearances: Resident Evil: Revelations, Resident Evil: Revelations 2

There’s a lot of the bestiary of Revelations getting featured here, but when the game is turning out monsters like Scagdead, how can you argue with it? The Scagdead’s creation occurs when the T-Abyss Virus experiences a second mutation within its host, a rarity that only occurs about one in a thousand subjects. This thing is basically just Cronenberg run amok, with the further mutation terribly disproportioning the human body in a way that would make John Merrick cringe. Limbs shift, lumps grow, and gaping fanged openings and “buzz saw-like” protrusions adorn this husk of a body. The truly horrible thing here is that the human part of the Scagdead still seems to have consciousness, pleading with you to not hurt it, with most of the monsters that you fight having already lost their humanity. Oh yeah, and they vomit up bear traps. Enjoy.

Duvalia

Appearances: Resident Evil 5

There’s a lot of disturbing grossness oozing out of Resident Evil 5, but Duvalia should be a monster that plagues your mind whenever you close your eyes. Imagine what would happen if an advanced stage of the Plaga virus happened to crossbreed with the Duvalia flower from Africa. The result is a bulb-heavy, protected creature that gives the Ivys from the first Resident Evil a real run for their money. Duvalia certainly ascends beyond its plant-like trappings, resembling a super scary humanoid in its own right, too. Just seeing how much the world is being perverted, and what is prey to Tricell/Umbrella’s wave of destruction is a scary concept to grasp in its own right.

Titan and Stalker

Appearances: Resident Evil Outbreak: File #2

Uh, so where were these guys in Resident Evil 5? You know, the Resident Evil game that’s actually set in Africa and could have fostered a lot of good will by having you race against a herd of zombie wildebeests, or require you to take down a towering zombie elephant as a boss (yes, I’m aware of the organization, PETA, why do you ask?). Important precedent was set here, and while Outbreak might have merely scratched the surface of these terrifying ideas, RE5 could have really gotten to run with them. That being said, your first encounter with a zombie lion and zombie elephant in Outbreak are pivotal moments in the game. This sort of out of the box zombie thinking is reason alone to check out this lesser embraced, online Resident Evil title. Not just because you can’t believe the ridiculous threat that you’re up against, but that a regular lion or elephant would be a match in their own right. It’s like giving a bear some chainsaws, and it’s so fantastic.

U-3

Appearances: Resident Evil 4

This thing is really a mish mash of fear, but I suppose that’s what happens when you splice human DNA with a reptile’s and an insect’s, and then add a pinch of Plaga for flavor. Very much acting as an experimental bodyguard, this creature is just unleashed id that won’t stop until you’re taken down. U-3 has a lot of moving parts and ways to disembowel you, and just trying to keep track of the skittering creature is enough to give you panic attacks. One more of the many hybrid failures that would come out of Resident Evil 4, U-3 is just a particularly complicated mess that won’t fail to get under your skin.

Globster

Appearances: Resident Evil Revelations

Maybe the scariest and grossest enemy to come out of Resident Evil: Revelations, simply due to its simplicity, this creature is pretty much The Blob (plus, a razor mouth). Blowing limbs off an enemy provides some sort of catharsis and progress, but a huge gelatinous blub is a whole other can of worms. Trying to take this thing down can feel like a lost cause, but getting absorbed by the creature, and watching the beast move on its way with its swallowed humans still present in its core is deeply unsettling. Globster is a reminder that as ornate as these villains may get at times, sometimes a classic throwback to ‘50s horror is all that you need.

Nyx

Appearances: Resident Evil Outbreak: File #2

One of the most upsetting monsters from the series closes out the list here, and even though it’s named after the Greek goddess of the night, Nyx is far from being picturesque. Adopting much of the usual look of the amorphous Tyrant types that the games have gotten into (with a particular resemblance to the G-Virus’ bulbousness), Nyx doubles down on that infinitely. This already dangerous beast ends up absorbing an entire UBCS team, as well as a Tyrant, so it just has constant danger dripping off of it. I mean, its arm is basically a dozen corpses cobbled together as a swinging device. This monster is pure excess, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Honorable Mentions: Cephalo (Headshot Ganados), Crimson Heads, Leech Queen, Chimeras, Reapers, Nosferatu (if only for the disturbing creation backstory, involving Alexia and Alfred)

We’ve done a good job here to highlight a lot of Resident Evil’s monstrosities, but with practically a dozen games under its belt, there’s still plenty more out there. Which enemies frightened you the most? Which creatures are still resonating in your psyche and rendering you a blubbering mess? Sound off in the comments below, lest Nyx absorb you, or you get swallowed whole by a Lurker or Globster.