While the Resident Evil franchise has experienced its fair share of ups and downs, one aspect of the series has been consistently excellent over the years.
From humans (sort of) such as Albert Wesker and William Birkin to the outright monstrous Nemesis, Mr. X and Lisa Trevor, Capcom’s character designers have conjured up some of the medium’s most memorable villains and the best, it seems, is still yet to come. Following her reveal in promotional trailers last year, Resident Evil Village antagonist Lady Dimitrescu (AKA the Tall Lady) has become an overnight sensation online due, in large part, to her unconventional size.
At 9’6″, the vampirically-inclined castellan easily towers above not just her own well-endowed daughters, but even the tallest of ‘normal’ people. Indeed, protagonist Ethan Winters, seemingly of average height for a white male, is shown to barely reach his new foe’s waist when standing upright and, what with this being an entry in gaming’s most-revered survival horror franchise, we can only presume the latter’s form is the result of some shady – and definitely unsanctioned – biological experiment.
Fans will no doubt learn the truth in that regard when release day rolls around, but suffice it to say, Capcom is fully aware of Lady Dimitrescu’s popularity and has revealed in recent comments to IGN what inspired her design.
According to art director Tomonori Takano, the team looked to both historical and fictional characters to create the antagonist, including Anjelica Huston’s Morticia Addams as seen in The Addams Family. Likewise, Japanese urban legend Hasshaku-Sama and real-life serial killer Elizabeth Báthory are cited, the latter of which was rumored to have exhibited vampiric tendencies on her victims. That being the case, we’re expecting the Tall Lady’s outwardly friendly sensibilities to hide something quite sadistic indeed.
Discover the truth for yourselves, if you dare, when Resident Evil Village launches on May 7th for consoles and PC.
