Summary
When speaking of the scariest aspects of aResident Evilgame, most people’s minds will understandably go straight to the grotesque monsters and B.O.Ws that have appeared throughout the series. However, there have also been plenty of regular humans seen inResident Evilwho manage to invoke fear in the characters and players without even needing to transform or mutate to look intimidating.
It’s a testament to Capcom’s designers that they have succeeded in conjuring up a fair few human enemies in the games who can effortlessly send chills down players' spines just by showing up every now and again in their respective stories. With that being said, it’s time to take a break from the mutated freaks and monstrosities in theResident Evilfranchise to instead focus on the creepiest humans that Chris, Leon, and the other protagonists have come up against during their nightmarish adventures. Before jumping into the list, it should be prefaced that superhumans, or humans who possess supernatural powers that don’t cause them to mutate and lose their human appearance, will also be counted.
Nikolai makes it clear right from the get-go ofResident Evil 3,especially in the remake, that all he’s concerned about is simply carrying out his mission to earn a handsome sum of cash from Umbrella. As a result, he’s more than willing to gun down anyone who tries to get in his way, making him a genuinely intimidating villain who succeeds in being a scary sight without needing to transform into a stronger form.
Though Nikolai does show some constraint throughoutResident Evil 3, his selfishness still makes him an unpredictable villain who seems like he’s always got an itch to pull the trigger on anyone who even looks at him the wrong way. Rather than mutating as a last resort, Nikolai is also one of the only villains to go down while still remaining fully human.
Lansdale is the leader of the FBC, a group that willingly torched an entire city to a crisp with a giant satellite laser only a few years before the events ofRevelations. However, even before this is revealed to the player later on inRevelations’bizarre story, Lansdale already gives off very creepy vibes. His mischievous facial expressions always make it clear that he’s up to no good, but being unaware of his true sinister intentions only adds to the scare factor.
Throughout the entireRevelationsstory, Lansdale never mutates and remains completely human from beginning to end. If anything though, he just goes to show that even a regular person with no mutations or abilities can still become a truly terrifying monster through their actions.
Alfred Ashford, the main antagonist for the first half ofCode Veronica, doesn’t need to inject himself with a virus or turn into a mutant to be creepy. There’s always something just a little bit off about him whenever he shows up to belittle Claire as she navigates her way around his palace. Whether it’s his unnerving voice or that condescending scowl that never leaves his face, it’s clear Capcom wanted to make Alfreda scary villain for players to take on, and there’s no doubt they passed with flying colors.
Once players venture a little deeper into the story and discover how weirdly obsessed Alfred is with his sister, Alexia, it all contributes to his unnerving persona, which is the biggest reason he became such a memorable villain in the series for many fans.
Though the mysterious Umbrella agentknown only as HUNKis seen as a pretty badass character by many fans, there’s no denying that he’s also a little scary to look at, especially that gas mask that always hides his identity. His bright red eyes make it feel as though HUNK is always staring directly into the souls of his enemies, and in some of the games, they will even be able to glow in the dark, making his appearance that much more eerie.
What also contributes to HUNK’s fear factor is his background as the ‘grim reaper’; an agent who is more than willing to eliminate anyone that stands in the way of him and his mission without mercy. While HUNK may look cool when he’s on the player’s side, he’s a truly menacing figure to behold if he’s on the opposite team.
When Krauser first appears alongside Leon in Operation Javier, even though he’s presented as a good guy, there’s still always a very sinister aura that surrounds him. This only amplifies when he joins Saddler and re-appears inResident Evil 4; his mind is now completely warped ashe strives to cut down Leonnear the end of the game after his old partner stumbles onto the island.
Leon may be able to hold his own in a knife fight, but as shown in the originalResident Evil 4, and especially the remake, Krauser is still more than capable of keeping up with him. He’s a deadly mercenary who can easily scare the pants off anyone he makes eye contact with, and that’s even before he activates his arm mutation.
Though Oswell E. Spencer only shows up in the flesh duringResident Evil 5, he’s a very important character to the core narrative of the series. From the Spencer Mansion seen in the first game to the creepy Wesker project that he spearheaded, Spencer has been pulling many of the strings from behind the scenes for a long time, which only adds to his eeriness when he does finally show up.
Spencer is on his last legs inResident Evil 5, but his maniacal speeches about being a god ensure that players never feel too comfortable when he’s on-screen. He may not be much of a fighter, but he really doesn’t need to be, as Spencer’s presence alone is already enough to fill an entire room with fear and dread.
Though Wesker did inject himself with an experimental virus at the end of the first game, he’s still technically a human. However, due to his god-like speed and strength, he’s far more menacing than the average person, and as fans will know all too well, Wesker is more than capable of killing someone in mere seconds if he really wants to.
What might be scarier than his power, though, is Wesker’s sick and twisted mind.He’s more than willing to manipulate charactersto bend to his will, such as with Excella and Jill, before sacrificing them to help him execute his master plan of world domination. Capcom would also tinker with Wesker’s design to make him even more spooky to look at as the games went on, especially the addition of the bright red eyes which made an appearance in Separate Ways and became a more prominent part of his design inResident Evil 5.
