Top 20 Scariest Resident Evil Monsters

“Resident Evil series” (1996-)

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and the Resident Evil series took that to heart with these iconic baddies. Appearing primarily in the first three games of the franchise, zombies have caused no end of grief for players who dare to pick up the controller. Be it in the Spencer mansion, police station, or the mean streets of Raccoon city, these T-virus infected humans always prove to be a challenge - taking so many bullets to kill that oftentimes it’s worth just running away instead. Even to this day, there is little as terrifying as being on the receiving end of a zombie’s teeth.

“Resident Evil 4” (2005)

Salazar’s castle is host to all manner of creepy and disturbing fiends, but these bugs rank among its most horrifying. Their nests are so large they occupy the huge halls and their numbers appear endless. It’s hard to imagine they were once human, but that was in fact the case before they were experimented on and fused with insect genes. While they go down with just a few shots, it’s their speed that really gets you panicking as they can dodge, get close, and, If you’re unlucky enough, grapple you in a way that’ll make your skin crawl.

“Resident Evil Village” (2021)

Frankenstein eat your heart out! From the moment you encounter one of these, you know you’re in for a bad time. Part machine, part mutated human, Soldats roam the dark and narrow corridors of Heisenberg’s factory. Covered in metal, most Soldat’s come equipped with large drills that are not only difficult to avoid, but can inflict crazy amounts of damage. They’re also a lot smarter than your average enemy. Despite having a clear weak point, they will often shield it with their drills. For as insane as he is, Karl Heisenberg is surely a genius, albeit an evil one.

“Resident Evil 2” (2019)

Found deep within Umbrella’s underground laboratory, these plant-like zombies are some of the toughest enemies encountered in Leon and Claire’s journey. This mutation was created by Umbrella implanting humans with the genetically engineered Plant 43 seedlings. Most of them will remain dormant on the ground, tricking you into believing they are dead, all before attacking you when you least expect it. The Ivy Zombies are completely covered in vines, and have a large gaping mouth, much like a venus flytrap, which will easily tear into you.

“Resident Evil 2” (2019)

Despite being a part of the Hunter species of monsters, this version that is encountered in the remake of Resident Evil 3 is unlike any of its kind. Taking on a more amphibian-like appearance, the Hunter γ is very reminiscent of the terrifying deep sea fish that are found at the bottom of our oceans. It’s also one of the biggest generic monsters encountered to date, meaning it’s very hard to avoid in the restricted tunnels within the sewers. It also has the ability to slip out of small passageways at a moment's notice, and if it gets too close to you, it’ll easily gobble you up with its large extending mouth.

“Resident Evil Village” (2021)

Resident Evil took a daring new approach in its eighth mainline entry by introducing monsters from various different classic horror tropes such as werewolf-types, and it really paid off. Their twisted form takes an archetype that could come across as creepy, and make them down-right terrifying. The Lycan’s howls and screams can be heard from a distance which is scary enough, but when they're close by the fear factor is amplified by how aggressive they are. Their mission is to hunt you down and kill you, and in many cases, they will succeed.

“Resident Evil 3” (2020)

Just when you thought Zombies couldn’t get any worse, along comes these guys! Despite being called Pale Head’s, this mutant’s entire body is covered in a grotesque white skin tissue. With no eyes to see you the enemy heavily relies on its hearing to pursue you with its relentless speed. To make things worse, the Pale Head is way more durable than your standard zombie, meaning it can take an incredible amount of punishment. It’s also capable of rapid healing, meaning if you don’t focus on taking it down quickly, it’ll get back up and render all your efforts against it meaningless.

“Resident Evil 5” (2009)

Resident Evil 5 is arguably a point in the franchise where it wasn’t quite as scary as it used to be… but that was just putting us in a false sense of security for when we bumped into these nasty insects. Drawing upon our fear of creepy crawlies, these creatures were once cockroaches until they were exposed to the uroboros virus. They stand over seven feet tall and boast speed and power, but what makes them truly terrifying is that they can take you down in a single hit. This means as soon as you spot one - you’ll start panicking big time.

“Resident Evil 4” (2005)

These guys are so fearsome, even their attendants had to lock them away. Amplifying a regular plaga infecttee's strength to unreal levels, the guards of Salazar’s castle had the brilliant idea of making things worse by attaching razor sharp claws to their fists, ensuring that everything caught in their path would be sliced to ribbons. It’s just a blessing that they’ve had their eyes sewn shut, because we imagine that without that little nerf Leon wouldn’t last five seconds. Their rage knows no bounds and hearing their pained grunts let you know you’re in for trouble.

“Resident Evil series” (1996-)

They’re mean, green and are literal killing machines. Created by Umbrella for the sole purpose of ending any survivor of a T-Virus outbreak, the Hunter is a signature enemy in the Resident Evil franchise. Reptile-like in appearance, the Hunter dons massive claws that can easily rip you apart. It’s also covered in armored skin, rendering most of your firearms useless against it. The Hunter is also incredibly nimble, meaning it’s very difficult to avoid and will pounce at a moment's notice, easily overpowering you.

“Resident Evil: Revelations 2” (2015)

When you’re dealing with abominable creatures of the night, you’d expect them to have some scary faces. This is especially true for the Revenant, and don’t be surprised when you see one with two of those faces. They have a puppet-like composure, with their arms and head in rigid places, only there aren’t any strings. They look like a mish-mash of random corpses stitched together, and their sudden and erratic movements make them unpredictable. Not only will their grabbing animation drain your health, but it’d force the camera into a close-up of the creature, which is the last thing anyone wants.

“Resident Evil series” (1996-)

We thought dogs were supposed to be man’s best friend! Well, maybe the ones that don’t have their skin torn off and have been starved for a long time. These monsters are usually the second thing the player encounters after zombies, and their size and speed make them formidable opponents. The growl and snarl is your first warning, usually followed by the shattering of a window. Then, they pounce on your chest. You’ll have to time your shots carefully if you want to stop them from feasting on your jugular.

“Resident Evil” series (1996-)

Anything with water involved in survival horrors just plain sucks. No, we’re not necessarily talking about the gameplay, but really the fear-inducing knowledge that you can’t really fight back. This rings true for the first Resident Evil in particular. That infamous aqua ring contains loads of T-virus infected sharks. Hell, even if they were just regular sharks, we’d still be needing a change of pants. These annoying, ferocious creatures will bite at your ankles, slowing you down, so you’d be the main course for the biggest one of all.

“Resident Evil Zero” (2002)

If you thought Resident Evil had had enough with infecting seemingly innocent creatures, you’d be wrong! Next on the list is a Lurker, which you’ll notice at first glance is pretty much a frog; and a big one at that. Like the Hunters, they have a pretty high chance at instantly killing you, making your palms sweaty as soon as one appears. They’re ultra-fast, and they have incredible range. You’d better hope you’re next to a door for a hasty escape, or have a high-powered weapon equipped to take them down.

“Resident Evil 4” (2005)

What’s worse than zombies? Zombie-like creatures that can run at you with pitchforks and can throw axes at your skull; that’s what. As the Ganados are significantly harder to avoid than the usual slow zombies of past games, it makes every encounter with them a tense and anxiety-inducing one. One on its own is okay to deal with, but a group makes them incredibly dangerous. As you progress through the game, they become significantly enhanced, wielding dangerous weaponry with a more aggressive and focused nature.

“Resident Evil 7: Biohazard” (2017)

Resident Evil 7’s version of zombies has a pile of black goo take the shape of a humanoid figure, with a huge shark-like jaw. This slimy walking fungus can squeeze into any area, and appear out of the blue to attack the player. This means you’ll have to look at the ground, in vents, and even at the ceiling to catch a glimpse of one of these disgusting creatures being conjured up. Throughout the course of the game, you’ll encounter Molded with makeshift shields, and even humongous, bloated versions that spew hot vomit.

“Resident Evil series” (1996-)

Although you encountered zombie dogs, snakes, sharks, spiders, and hunters in the first game, witnessing this inside-out looking, brain exposed monstrosity drop from the ceiling with its slimy tongue whipping back and forth really made us question the game we were playing, and if we had the courage to face it. Stronger, more agile, and more resilient than zombies, the big difficulty spike when dealing with them had us so scared we desperately tried to recall the last time we used an ink ribbon while we fought it off.

“Resident Evil series” (1996-)

Forget the T-Virus; regular old spiders make us run for the hills as it is. Who’s idea was it to make spiders bigger, hairier, and more aggressive? The first encounter may very well freeze you in your place, as it descends creepily from the ceiling. Just the way it moves makes us cringe in disgust, and if you think it’s about to shoot some web at you, duck. It’s actually green, gooey acid that’ll burn through your health bar before you can work up the bravery to face the critter.

“Resident Evil Remake” (2002)

This new addition to the Resident Evil remake refreshed the experience in a new and terrifying way. Backtracking led to the unexpected, kerosene inventory had to be managed, and enemy incapacitation had to be strategic. Additionally, players now had another thing to be afraid of; corpses. No, not zombies, but zombie corpses. If you found yourself in a room with a dead zombie, and you haven’t set it on fire, the thing will rise faster and stronger than ever before. Even zombies should be afraid of these things, as if they’re in between you and the Crimson Head, it’s bad news for them.

“Resident Evil 4” (2005)

Oh good, it’s growing back its limbs we just shot off. That isn’t alarming at all. The simple ambient and atmospheric track that plays alongside the Regenerators really throws us for a loop, as our experience up until the point of the first encounter had been mostly action oriented. Players had to quickly adapt to the new play style that came with the monster. If you thought they weren’t so bad, then you’d probably change your tone when you encountered their variation, the Iron Maiden. They’re similar to the Regenerators, only with giant spikes protruding from their bodies.