Resident Evil may not have invented the survival-horror genre, but it is without question the most successful horror franchise in gaming history. Since it debuted in the mid-90s, Resident Evil has seen countless sequels, spinoffs, novels, film adaptations, and more, giving fans of the franchise no shortage of bone-chilling content to enjoy.
When one considers the sheer number of Resident Evil games that have been released, it's no surprise that the franchise has produced a ton of freaky monsters to haunt players' nightmares over the years. Out of all the Resident Evil monsters, though, the following 20 stand out as especially creepy.
20 1. Brain Sucker/Drain Deimos
While they're not exactly the same creatures, Brain Suckers and Drain Deimos are both the result of arthropods becoming infected with the T-Virus. Appearing in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, these horrific-looking creatures are like giant fleas, pouncing on their victims and sucking the blood from their body. While they may not be the most famous monsters the series has produced, they're definitely some of the ugliest.
19 2. Cerberus
The Resident Evil franchise is filled with zombie dogs of all types, but the most recognizable are the dobermans that the Umbrella Corporation transformed into monsters as part of the Cerberus project. In the first Resident Evil game, these disfigured monsters murder Joseph Frost, and chase the rest of the S.T.A.R.S. Alpha team into the mansion, where they end up facing off against even greater horrors. The first time players encounter a Cerberus in-game occurs shortly after the start when one bursts through a hallway window in a scene that we named one of Resident Evil's scariest moments.
18 3. Chainsaw Man
Resident Evil 4 may be the highest-rated game in the series, but it has also been criticized by some fans for straying too far from the franchise's horror roots. However, that doesn't mean it lacks scary monsters, and in fact, Resident Evil 4 is home to some of the scariest monsters in the entire series. One of the most memorable is the burlap sack-wearing Chainsaw Man, who is capable of decapitating protagonist Leon S. Kennedy with ease, and whose revving chainsaw is enough to strike fear in the hearts of even the bravest gamers.
17 4. Chimera
To create the Chimeras, Umbrella kidnapped homeless women and impregnated them with an embryo comprised of both human and fly DNA. The result is an absolutely grotesque creature not unlike Jeff Goldblum from the classic body horror movie The Fly. Luckily, most of the Chimeras were destroyed in the mansion explosion at the end of the first Resident Evil, but they have still managed to pop in other games in the series over the years.
16 5. Comms Officer/Scagdead
The unfortunate Comms Officer in Resident Evil: Revelations was transformed into a ghastly monster known as a Scagdead thanks to the T-Abyss virus. A strange, two-headed, bulky creature, the build-up and initial encounter with this enemy stands as one of the most effective parts of Revelations.
15 6. Crimson Heads/Zombies
The classic zombie deserves a spot on this list, especially considering the creepy first encounter players have with them in the original Resident Evil game. The sight of a zombie munching on a dead S.T.A.R.S. Member only to slowly turn its head around and eyeball the player is undoubtedly one of the most iconic moments in horror gaming history. However, the Resident Evil remake on the GameCube somehow found a way to make the mansion's zombies even scarier.
Enter the Crimson Heads. In the Resident Evil remake, players have to burn zombies' bodies after killing them or else they may evolve into faster, clawed creatures called the Crimson Heads. Since players have limited inventory space, they have to decide between carrying around the supplies to burn any zombies they happen to kill, or running the risk of having a mansion full of these nearly unstoppable monsters.
14 7. Eveline
Considered the next generation of bio-weaponry, Eveline was created to be a devastating force on the battlefield. Taking the form of a seemingly harmless little girl, Eveline is capable of mind control and morphing people into blob-like creatures called Molded. Eveline's true form is a mess of grey flesh and black mold, and it's a disturbing sight to behold.
13 8. G (William Birkin)
One of Umbrella's key scientists and the man behind many of the company's terrible experiments, William Birkin winds up infected with the G-Virus, turning into a constantly-evolving monster named G. He begins hunting down his daughter, Sherry Birkin, and causes the citizens of Raccoon City to become infected with the T-Virus, turning many of them into bloodthirsty zombies. G's creepy appearance alone earns him a spot on this list, but his importance to the franchise's lore is also notable.
As it turns out, G will be making a comeback to the franchise as part of the Resident Evil 2 remake, and we've already seen him do battle with Claire Redfield in various gameplay trailers released for the upcoming game.
12 9. Hunters
One of Umbrella's most successful bio-weapons is the Hunter, a species created by combining reptiles, humans, and the T-Virus. In the video games, Hunters are some of the deadliest creatures players can come across, capable of one-hit kills through graphic decapitation. Far smarter than run of the mill zombies and most of the other monsters on this list, it's no surprise other bio-weapon corporations have continued to produce their own Hunters since Umbrella's demise.
11 10. Jack Baker
"Welcome to the family, son!" The patriarch of the Baker family, Jack Baker is a surprisingly tragic character in Resident Evil 7. Under the control of Eveline, Jack becomes a virtually indestructible monster who stops at nothing in his quest to murder Ethan Winters.
Over the course of the game, Jack is mutilated, shot numerous times, and even lit on fire, but nothing seems to slow him down. Eventually, Jack mutates into a huge Molded creature, but his human form that taunts and stalks Ethan throughout the plantation is arguably far scarier.