Resident Evil Village has some of the most terrifying stages in recent memory. One of its levels, however, came by an old test level back in 2003.
Among the best levels of Resident Evil Village is House Beneviento, an estate full of killer dolls. This concept is not new to the franchise, coming up originally in a demo level for Resident Evil 4. This connection crystallizes the inspiration that RE4 gave to the current title.
Creepy doll stage comes from 2003 Resident Evil 4 demo
The House Beneviento location in RE Village is one of the creepiest locations in the game. In here, Ethan Winters experiences hallucinations brought about by the estate’s mistress, Donna Beneviento.
The primary gimmick of the stage are the many creepy dolls brought about by the mentally unstable mistress. These dolls are dark and rugged, many of which run after Ethan with murderous intent.
These murderous dolls are not original ideas within the franchise. Back in 2003, Capcom showed off a demo version of Resident Evil 4 in 2003. While the footage did not translate into the final product, one of the concepts stuck.
Among those concepts was a dilapidated storage room brimming with dolls and mannequins. Much like their RE Village counterparts, they are unbelievably creepy and offer a terrifying potential version to a classic title.
RE Village underscores homage to RE4
Resident Evil Village’s scary dolls are not the only connection it has to Resident Evil 4. The game is an homage to one of the most classic games in the franchise, from the combat to the storytelling.
Both games are set in a remote village somewhere, where the local lords infected the masses. Within the outskirts of the village are the monsters from the local parasites – the Las Plagas for RE4 and the Mold and Cadou for RE8.
The two games also have weird bosses, including a fish-like monster in the form of Moreau and the Del Lago. The use of the killer doll sequence offers a good look into the game’s rich development history. It also underscores many of the unused aspects of RE4.
The reimagining of Resident Evil’s most campy title into a psychological game is truly terrifying. Furthermore, the House Beneviento level can be disturbing for some, even if it’s one of the shorter levels in the game.
Capcom featured Lady Dimitrescu over the past few months of marketing. Even then, the dolls of House Beneviento show that Capcom had a good idea before. Resident Evil Village shows that this concept is still a good idea today.
Featured image courtesy of Resident Evil/Youtube Screenshot