It’s been 20 years to the day since Resident Evil launched on GameCube in Japan — can you believe it? The once-exclusive remake of the 1996 original has since achieved legendary status, with many fans declaring it as the strongest entry to the franchise. I happen to agree; yes, Resident Evil 4 is arguably more influential and truly shaped the third-person shooter genre, but in my opinion, Resident Evil (y’know what, let’s just call it REmake from now on) REmake is survival horror in its purest form. It’s got fixed camera angles, limited inventory space, door loading screens, and zombies. So many zombies.
If you were to ask anybody who’s played REmake what the scariest scene in the game is, chances are you’ll hear the usual suspects: the first zombie encounter; Lisa Trevor’s agonising wail echoing through the night; Neptune the shark stalking you in the Aqua Ring; the dogs; the giant tarantulas.
For me though, the scariest scene came fairly early on in the game, and it’s one that generally isn’t mentioned in the wider conversation. As a 13-year-old boy playing REmake for the first time in 2002, however, it’s a scene that stuck with me for days on end.
Now, the first thing I should clarify here is that the scene I’m about to talk about will play out very differently depending on which character you play as. As such, this may drastically affect how ‘scary’ you perceive it to be. If you choose Jill ‘Sandwich’ Valentine, the cutscene plays out and then you’re simply left to be on your way. If you opt for Chris ‘Boulder-Puncher’ Redfield, however, the game thrusts you into a tense gameplay encounter that will test both your nerves and reflexes. I chose Chris for my first playthrough, so naturally I got the more difficult and ultimately scarier scenario.
The scene in question comes almost directly after you make your way through a familiar L-shaped corridor; you know the one — the corridor. It’s here that the game throws its first major curveball by refraining from introducing the aforementioned Zombie Dogs. This alone is enough to strike fear into the hearts of Resident Evil veterans; what had (through replays, of course) become a scene of comforting familiarity has been wrenched away, instilling a deep sense of unease and anxiety. After all, you know you’ll need to revisit the corridor on multiple occasions, so exactly when the dogs will eventually make their entrance is completely up in the air. It levels the playing field for both veterans and newcomers.
In the following corridor, a door leads into a small, unassuming bathroom, complete with its own tub. In the original 1996 game and its ‘Director’s Cut’, this room was completely devoid of any enemies, but housed a Small Key if you drain the bathtub of its 'muddy' water. In REmake, following the same cue will bag you a similar item, and one of the game’s more vital collectibles — an Old Key.
During Chris's campaign, collecting old keys is required to unlock certain doors, the closest of which leads to the Plant Chemical, a mandatory key item. Unfortunately, however, in order to obtain said key, you’ll need to trigger a scene that — in my opinion — is the scariest in the entire game.
Upon inspecting a bathtub full of dirty water, the game prompts you to pull the plug. "Sure", you think, "there must be an item hidden in there". You’d be right, of course, but as you watch the water drain away, your reflection staring back at you in deep contemplation, you’re interrupted by a rotting, stinking hand shooting up in the air towards your face. As your character stumbles backwards, a zombie slowly ambles out of the water, reaching out and groaning in hunger.
The walking corpse tumbles out of the tub and onto the floor. It’s here that — if you’re playing as Jill — the cutscene depicts our favourite Master of Unlocking promptly stomping down on the zombie’s head before, erm, bringing up her lunch in the toilet bowl. It’s an abrupt end to the nasty surprise and lets you grab the item (a dagger, in Jill's scenario) and make your way out of the room.
If you opted to play as Chris, the zombie will tumble out of the bathtub and stand up, ending the cutscene and bringing you face-to-face with the corpse in perhaps the smallest room of the entire mansion. After 20 years, such an encounter doesn’t offer a lot in the way of challenge, but in 2002, it brought my game to a swift end; I panicked, and while the most sensible option in this scenario is to simply turn and leg it out of the room, my first encounter with this zombie caused me to frantically push whatever buttons I could on the GameCube pad in a desperate attempt to get a few shots in. Needless to say, thanks to the cramped space, the zombie got its way and ‘You Are Dead’ faded in momentarily.
Like most encounters in REmake, there are plenty of routes you can take to easily dispatch the zombie and grab the hidden key. Hightailing it out of the room is the most viable option, and although the zombie will follow you (yeah, that’s another addition to REmake that deserves its own discussion), you’re at least afforded a lot more space to manoeuvre. Alternatively, you can bypass the room entirely for a while, perhaps until you’ve bagged the shotgun.
Finally — and this is really for experienced players only — you can manipulate the zombie into grabbing at nothing but air by carefully moving backwards and forwards, like live bait. Of course, this is an advanced technique and is significantly more challenging in such a small space, but if you pull it off, it gives you an invaluable opportunity to get a few pistol shots in.
Nevertheless, this scene is just one of the many ways that REmake played with our expectations. What was once a completely safe bathroom now plays host to one of the most nerve-wracking scenes in the entire game. It’s proof that, even after the classic trilogy and its follow-up Code Veronica, the humble common or garden zombie is still a fearsome enemy that can easily take you out if you let it.
And that's without factoring in the Crimson Heads...
So, there you have it. That, in my opinion, is the scariest scene in REmake. But what about you? Think there's a better pants-wetter of a scene in the game? Could it be Yawn the snake? The first Hunter encounter? Share yours with a comment down below and join us in wishing REmake a very happy 20th.
- Further reading: Best Resident Evil Games Of All Time
Comments 32
For me it was definitely the first time you run into a Crimson Head. Man those things are fast, especially if you don't expect them to be.
The first 'proper' remake (taking the original and improving upon it in every way). I still want to play this someday because I love the world and atmosphere RE has put up as an outsider looking in. That file size on Switch is rough though....
@Pillowpants Yep. For a returning fan, especially, they were a truly nasty surprise. Added a great extra layer to the survival aspect of the game, though, because you had to be very strategic about which zombies you ended up killing.
That was terrifying. There were many scary moments throughout the game, but there are a number of times when a door would be shaking when a zombie was pounding away on it, then if I walked by again after picking up an item, BOOM!, door whips open and the zombie is after me. Epic game.
For me this game would be so much better if they gave 4 more inventory slots for the characters, and the loading through the doors stops me from going back soon xxx 4 is the best xxx
I'm still waiting for the price of this game to match other consoles. The true horror of resident evil on switch is the price discrepancy.
@Pillowpants I've played almost every RE game, even the terrible gun survivor ones and the first Outbreak one. The crimson heads are still one of the nastiest enemies ever in an RE games.
Fast, deadly, tough to kill, cant outrun, random.
First time i met one of those i lost my ***** haha. You get so used to just running past zombies an here were these nasty ***** lol
The dogs got me. I thought they jumped through the first time you pass them and when they didn’t I basically forgot about them until later… DOH!!
I’d argue we just don’t get games like this anymore. It’s a master piece.
@Pillowpants Same! This really made me freak out "wHaT iS tHiS?!?"
Same as what @Pillowpants mentioned. The Crimson Heads. Specially when you're not thinking about it and pass by what you assume is a downed zombie you put down shortly ago actually turns out to be one that's long since dormant and mutating.
But aside from scares, the one scene that stands out most is the opening intro. The part we never got in it's original gory detail even in the "Director's Cut", Joseph Frost's untimely end with the Cerebus dogs. It's something about the way it's choreographed and played out that stays with me no matter how many times I've played it since 2002. The way the music serenades in a sadly fateful tone as the gang of dogs rip and tear at Joseph's limbs and throat...while the rest of Alpha Team and Jill specifically watch on in frozen horror until one of the mutated mutts turn it's attention to the audience before leaping at Jill for seconds so to speak, as the music changes to the frantic chase to the Mansion. Just those moments in time where you're drawn into the morbid beauty of Frost's grisly death is glorious.
Yep, still my all time favourite RE. I've lost count of how many times I've played through. Pretty much epitomizes everything I love about the series.
My first encounter with a Crimson Head was definitely the scariest moment for me. It's terrifying roar, and the way it unnaturally stands up, immediately lets you know this is not your average zombie.
@Moistnado Its regular price now is $19.99 on the eShop, which matches the other consoles. Right now, its on sale for $12.99.
@WhatsUpFlapjack the usual sale price on PS4 is 4.99 similar or less on Steam
@Moistnado That's fine, but you didn't say sale price. The regular price does match still.
This game was a technical achievement on the GameCube and remains one of my favorites on the console!
As someone who played the original on Playstation quite a bit, the most alarming part of REmake for me the first time I played it was the first time I left a zombie in a room thinking he would safely be stuck in there like in the original game. Needless to say, I was VERY wrong and nearly jumped out of my seat when that zombie burst out that door! 🤣
Also, I agree with the author. As amazing as RE4 was, REmake remains my favorite entry to this day.
Walking into the pool table room in the groundskeeper shack, and the camera is framed perfectly so that you can see the giant spider crawling down the wall behind your character. I noped on out of there. I get why fixed angles have gone away nowadays but there was such an art to it.
My only gripe with this series is how the enemies are bullet sponges. It irks me so bad. Outside of that one thing I love the games I just hate how ammo is so limited but enemies take so much. As an example, I bought this game on GameCube when it came out. I never got past the attic snake because I ran out of ammo fighting it. Literally could do nothing so I never saw any of the game past that.
@ChromaticDracula The idea is that you are supposed to conserve your limited ammo and try to avoid fighting enemies when possible. It was part of the ‘survival’ aspect of the game. I know other people who have the same complaint about the classic RE games though, so you definitely are not alone in your opinion.
If only Capcom had given RE2 the 'REmake' treatment.
I think that the current remake, although technically accomplished, lacks that classic horror vibe with the fixed camera angles.
@Emperor-Palpsy agreed, however they had to appeal to a changed market. Personally I'd love a REmake of 2 AND 3.
Most scary scene is when you meet with Lisa Trevor for the 1st time in the eerie cabin...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZjbk7kb4KQ
The first time you encountered a Licker.
When your running down a hallway ans a zombie hits the window…then you come back an hour later and it breaks through and grabs you. Playing that at midnight for first time back then still gives me the chills. friend and I beat it in one sitting overnight and it will always be the best survival horror.
@Gwynbleidd I finally got around to playing 7 last year and was very impressed. They managed to update the POV and controls for a modern audience while still managing to give the game a very similar survival horror feel of the original game.
@Emperor-Palpsy
I hated the fixed camera and even moreso the tank controls.
RE just never was my bag. The newest vampire lady one is ok since they're basically first person shooters now but still not a fan.
Ummm, Lisa Trevor’s diary genuinely creeps me out until this very day. Especially when it becomes more unintelligible and cryptically suggests she’s wearing her mother’s face, which is hanging off her.
That’s real horror there!
Lisa Trevor was the scariest part of the game. This game is a horror masterpiece
This game is still too creepy for me to finish.
For me, it was the impeccable timing of the game. I remember entering a new corridor and there was a sound, so I stopped in my tracks, waited, waited, nothing. I returned at a later time to that same corridor, another sounds. Waiting, nothing.
I run around the corridor 10 more times with nothing, and the MOMENT I decide that nothing will happen in this corridor, BAM! Zombie dogs JUMPING through the windows!!
Or the corpse laying in front of that door. You aim your gun at it, it stays still. You walk past it, quickly turn around, aim again, nothing. You open the door, you turn around again, aim, nothing. You go through the door, nothing. You go through the door a million more times, nothing. And the MOMENT you decide that it's just a background corpse, BAM! It jumps up and you have your first redhead encounter.
Bloody shocked me to the core, that one.
Mine doesn't come from RE one, but Code Veronica, the first resi I played, on dreamcast I add. Its the scene when you go into the military base as claire and enter the sealed room where the guy starts slamming on the window as an alarm goes off before getting his head smashed in by something.
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