The Resident Evil series has always been a source of scares for its players. The Umbrella Corporation’s careless experimentation into Bio-Organic Weapons (or BOWs, as we call them) has given the studio the scope to create some truly terrifying concepts, designs, and creatures for us to discover as we made our way through a long list of great games in the franchise.
But some of the places we’ve been to along the way have managed to stay with us long after we rolled the credits on the game that hosted them. Be it the environments, the general anticipation of another horror waiting around a corner, or a multitude of vicious creatures waiting to rip us to shreds, there are locations in several Resident Evil games that come to mind when we think of how scary titles in the franchise could be.
We’ve put together a list of some of them, and you might want to brace yourself before you get to them if you’re currently playing through your favorites in preparation for Resident Evil Requiem. Let’s jump in!
15. Heisenberg’s Factory (Resident Evil Village)
Let’s set aside Heisenberg’s sinister plan to overthrow Mother Miranda with Rose being his ace in the hole for a second, although that entire idea did have us feeling goosebumps at the sheer callousness of it all. Let’s forget that the man wanted Ethan to be a willing participant in his own daughter’s destruction.
But exploring the underground facility and watching so many villagers being processed into cybernetically-enhanced BOWs was a sight that gives us the creeps even today! The Haulers and Soldats may not have been too tricky to take on, thanks to Ethan’s skill set at the game’s later stages, but watching our bullets bounce off the Strum filled us with dread from the minute we were thrown down the hole.
Of course, Heisenberg’s mutated form was as grotesque and horrifying as we expected. This one was definitely a place we’re loath to revisit.
14. Raccoon City Streets (RE3)
The tension is almost a part of this title’s very DNA, with Jill being forced to try and find a way out of Racoon City whilst dodging the relentless Nemesis in the process. That desperate race to safety is impeded by Racoon City’s very residents, who have been transformed into mindless zombies by the T-Virus.
The factors work very well to make the streets of Racoon City quite unsafe for any normal person, and with Jill losing companions left, right, and center, the city’s streets look and feel very unsafe to navigate. Evidence of the T-Virus devastation is on display, with overturned vehicles, destroyed barricades, and, of course, a ton of corpses to underline the dire straits she is in at every turn.
It almost made the city feel like the most ominous threat all on its own, and the threat of an air strike hanging over our heads didn’t help matters in the slightest!
13. Castle Dimitrescu (Resident Evil Village)
Taking on Dimitrescu and her daughters requires a trek through a castle whose Gothic architecture and Baroque-style minimalism can make your time in it quite oppressive. With the only light coming from lit candles and chandeliers, and the windows shut tight and thick curtains over them make exploring its hallways feels like you’re shut off from the outside world.
Of course, the castle’s grim history, its inhabitants are a major part of why this one makes our list. Of course, there’s no need to mention the ladies of the castle and the constant expectation that one of them was going to pop around a corner and take us out of the equation entirely.
This is definitely among the more well-designed and scary places we’ve been to during our time with the franchise.
12. NEST (Umbrella Lab) (RE2 Remake)
Leon’s search for the G-Virus leads him to take a solitary trip through NEST, an underground lab where the pristine halls are now splattered with blood, and the threat of zombies lingers as you make your way through it. Learning about the horrific events that transpired there, along with the fact that you have to leave Ada behind for this leg of the mission, adds to the tension.
That isn’t helped by the presence of zombies that are more than willing to come at you with everything they have, forcing you to think fast and act faster if you’re going to survive. The desolation of the lab spreads across all of its levels, and can wear down even the most seasoned franchise veteran, a facet of the experience made even better by the remake’s visual and graphical upgrades.
11. Ecliptic Express (Resident Evil 0)
As the staging ground for the early hours of this prequel to the events of the franchise, exploring the Ecliptic Express as Rebecca and Billy is a great way to introduce the horrors that await them as a result of the T-Virus being combined with leech DNA. The game’s camera angles work well to limit your view, while the pouring rain outside makes you feel trapped within the narrow confines of the train.
Of course, it’s the dead passengers who are the star of the show, as you never know which one of them is going to wake up and try to deliver a fate worse than death to your doorstep. It’s just creepy and gets under your skin the more time you spend on the train. We’re not going to forget how a zombie’s low growl, made out of our view, made us jump out of our skin as we were looking for more information and a means to make our way forward.
This one was definitely among the most frightening areas of a Resident Evil title, made worse by the horrors we witnessed in the opening cutscene.
10. Queen Zenobia (Resident Evil Revelations 1)
If a ghost ship that acts as a staging ground for a large-scale attack using the T-Virus sounds like the perfect stage for a Resident Evil game to you, we agree. The Zenobia’s cramped hallways and terrifying atmosphere make it a crucial part of the gameplay loop on offer in Revelations.
Enemies moan and growl as you make your way around the ship, often forcing you to pivot and take them on before they get to you. There’s a sense of tense anticipation around every corner of this vessel, and it only grows with every minute you spend without encountering an enemy to take down. Their sea creature motif makes enemies in this game stand out from the usual zombies you take on, and their designs are truly grotesque and memorable.
As far as the scariest locations in the franchise go, Queen Zenobia is definitely up there with the worst of the lot!
9. Raccoon City Sewers (RE2 Remake)
Any sewer system is bound to feel dark, dank, and oppressive, and Racoon City is no different. Where it does differ from your traditional sewer, though, is the presence of a massive, T-Virus-mutated alligator that’s quite the threat, its maggot-infested maw making you worry about a very unsavoury death at every turn.
While we’re quite glad we weren’t subjected to an undoubtedly bad smell that we’re sure was a part of the trek through infested waters, we’d be remiss to comment on how the remake did a great job at bringing the sewers to life in comparison to the original experience, the atmosphere feeling way more suffocating right off the bat while the creatures we encountered being all the more imposing in the process.
Raccoon City’s underbelly is a place even the most grizzled warrior would be wise not to take lightly.
8. Orphanage (RE2 Remake)
While the Orphanage’s tragic history as a front for the Umbrella Corporation’s illegal experiments is reason enough to approach it with apprehension, the fact that you’re put into the shoes of Sherry Birkin as you wait for Claire to get there is another reason why this one was as scary as it was.
Guiding Sherry through its desolate hallways, signs of innocence tainted by the events that transpired within its walls, while expecting Chief Irons to make an appearance at any minute, was a harrowing experience we’d not like to repeat anytime soon. Combined with the game’s penchant for creating tension through silence, the remake’s visuals made the Orphanage a location that continues to give us goosebumps whenever we think about it.
And that’s quite often, given its morbid history.
7. Derelict Ship (Resident Evil 7)
Uncovering Mia’s memories and exploring the ship without weapons of any sort, with the Molded being a constant threat and Ethan’s fate unknown, was a memorable time, albeit one that had us feeling quite bleak about the prospects of our survival. It was Resident Evil at its finest, with the possibility of a grisly death constantly wearing us down while the story did well to underline just how dangerous the situation was.
Of course, Mia’s tragic end served to punctuate just how horrifying the entire ordeal was while also providing us with the motivation to keep moving forward as Ethan. Our time on the ship had us wondering about what was yet to come, and the Molded were quite terrifying, considering we were thrust into this location with only a mysterious bottle at our disposal.
The Derelict Ship earns its place on this list and doesn’t rank higher simply because the remaining places we’re taking you back to were even worse.
6. Rockfort Island Prison (Code Veronica)
The chaos of a T-Virus outbreak, combined with the obviously grim setting of a prison meant to house those the Umbrella Corporation deemed a threat, is certainly a great place for some good old-fashioned Resident Evil action. The Rockfort prison certainly doesn’t disappoint on that front, and Ashford’s dual personalities are a feather in its cap.
Claire’s time in the facility as an inmate was punctuated by imminent danger and a foreboding sense of impending doom with almost every step she took through its hallways, the constant expectation that a zombified denizen was going to spring at us, making us quite careful as we made our way to our next objective.
5. The Underground Mansion (Resident Evil Revelations 2)
Barry and Natalia’s trek through this secret underground Umbrella research facility in the bowels of the Spencer Mansion is quite memorable, thanks to how it had us checking around corners in our own homes after we were done exploring its confines. It’s one of those places that stays with you even after you power down your consoles, the discoveries about Wesker and the results of the horrible experiments creating memories we sometimes wish we didn’t have.
The Revenants, Glasps, and Afflicted each play their part in creating a blend of tense, painstaking exploration as you constantly expect threats to come from every turn. The revelations you discover as you make your way through the area do well to underline the magnitude of Wesker’s actions, serving to add another layer of absolute horror to the entire thing.
We’re not keen to go back to this one, no matter how interesting the story and gameplay were the first time around, and with good reason!
4. Raccoon City Police Station (RE2 Remake)
An eerie silence broken only by the sounds of Racoon City’s finest, now zombified and out for blood, works well with the RCPD’s environments that showcase a tragic end to a valiant effort to defend against the T-Virus outbreak.
Being forced to take on police officers who were once the protectors of the weak is bad enough, but not knowing which of the corpses you pass is going to wake up to try and bring you to a less than savoury end ups the tension by quite a few notches. Once again, the remake’s improved visuals do very well to bring the enemy designs to life, while the lighting does you no favors if you’re a weak-hearted player whose curiosity has led them to explore the RCPD’s headquarters.
Tragedy and tension work very well to make this one rank high among the franchise’s scariest places to visit.
3. Spencer Mansion (REmake)
As the home of the founder of the Umbrella Corporation, this is one of the most iconic haunted houses we’ve explored in a game. The mansion’s very design seems tailored to have you going around in circles, your own panic distorting your sense of direction. It’s almost as if the environment you’re placed in wants you to fail, while the cleverly-placed enemies try to accelerate that failure to a large extent.
The remake did an excellent job of implementing lighting and shadows that made the whole thing feel even creepier, with moving shadows and decidedly darker lighting making the mansion’s oppressive atmosphere come to life in a way that made it even more frightening to explore.
The Spencer Mansion is a great showcase of what Resident Evil can do, and is proof of why it has managed to be a mainstay of the survival horror genre over the years.
2. Baker House (RE7 Main House + Basement)
The home of the Bakers, made all the more terrifying by the results of Eveline’s infection, is certainly right up there with the most horrifying places that Resident Evil has taken us to over the years. It almost made us wonder at how anyone could face down its threats and the general sense of entropy and decay that permeates its very halls.
Grotesque monstrosities and the threat of encountering even deadlier enemies adds tension to a gameplay loop made even more intense by the events that precede your time in it, while the foreboding nature of the mansion and the Baker family’s history work very well together to make this a place that’s going to have you on edge no matter how many times you make your way through its confines.
1. House Beneviento (Resident Evil Village)
The only thing we can say about this one after we shudder at the thought of making our way through its hallways is wow. From the foggy ravine that you need to make your way across to get to it, complete with hanging dolls, to the hallucinations that Ethan needs to endure thanks to the lady of the house and her insecurities, this one takes the top spot on this list by a very long mile.
There’s something about creepy dolls in a horror setting that makes our skin crawl, and Village did very well to take that apprehension to new heights as it forced us into a confrontation with Donna and Angie. Oh, and let’s not forget the mutated creature that reminded us of the Botchling from The Witcher 3 (we couldn’t even if we tried, to be frank).
It’s all so masterfully put together that we can’t help but grudgingly admire the developers for crafting a place that’s so memorable and yet so discouraging to explore, the possibility of finding yet another thing to be worried about being a part of the very air Ethan breathes. This one is a haunted house for the ages.
And that’s a wrap on our top picks for the scariest locations in the Resident Evil franchise. We can only wonder about what Requiem has in store for us next month, but you can be sure that we’re going to brave it all to bring you insightful takes on its many threats, twists, and turns when it finally makes its way into our hands.
