Netflix's Resident Evil series debuted on July 14, 2022, and includes 8 episodes of fast-paced, monstrous action. Many fans of the franchise are likely to spot creatures from previous Resident Evil movies and video games, with each varying in size, strength, and fear factor.
The monsters in Netflix's series each present different levels of threat and challenges to the main female protagonist, Jade Wesker, as the audience follows her journey from growing up in New Raccoon city with her sister Billie, to her post-apocalyptic future where Jade struggles to get home to The University to continue her research on the T-virus. This article contains spoilers.
8 More Funny Than Scary - Giant Caterpillar
In episode 1, Jade is caught off guard by a Zero attack that awakens a giant, infected caterpillar that chases her through the city, showing that even small creatures like insects aren't safe from the T-virus. The monster is surprisingly fast, grabbing Jade who cannot hide from its grasp and slamming her high into the air in a shocking take-down move.
Although its size and strength are somewhat intimidating, the caterpillar is arguably more funny than scary and is easily killed by a round of assault rifles. If renewed for a second series, it remains to be seen whether they'll be any giant moths as seen in the Resident Evil 2 game.
7 Strength In Numbers - Zeros
Zombies, or zeros, turn up frequently throughout the series, whether in hordes or as individual foes. The zeros aren't typically slow though, but fast runners once they either spot or smell their prey and can easily overwhelm in large numbers, where they can be their most terrifying.
Episode 6 features a zero which turns out to be particularly deadly, which Jade plucks out of the water to study. This scene shows just how frightening and harmful even one zombie alone can be, though most zero behavior is anticipated, and they are eliminated with a single headshot.
6 Deadly Dog
In episode 1, Billie makes the mistake of releasing a caged animal at the Umbrella lab in New Raccoon City which turns out to be an infected dog, a monster that most fans of Resident Evil will instantly recognize from many of the games and movies to date.
The Netflix series only features one dog but shows how much stronger the T-virus has made it. It can smash through windows and provides a decent if somewhat predictable jump-scare as Billie and Jade try to hide under a table. Running from the dog infected with the virus turns out to be futile, but like Zeros, its main weakness is a blow to the head.
5 Mother Knows Best - Mother Zero
In episode 4, fans of the Resident Evil series are introduced to Mother Zero, a gruesome-looking zombie who appears after an executioner kills a prisoner with a chainsaw. Many fans will recognize the latter as looking similar to the Chainsaw Man from Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5.
Mother Zero's blood-curdling scream is what makes her so frightening, and she can control other Zeros through mind control. Although she turns out to be no match for Jade, she doesn't go down instantly, taking a few hacks of a chainsaw to destroy.
4 Big Croc
Sheer size and speed are what make this giant crocodile one fearsome foe. The crocodile is kept hidden by The University as a secret weapon, and it's easy to see why. When unleashed, the monster destroys everything in its path.
In the games, large killer crocodiles are seen in Resident Evil 5, and there's even a comparably giant version in the Resident Evil 2 remake. Although it doesn't look particularly gruesome, the crocodile is a difficult creature to escape and performs a devastatingly lethal tail-whip.
3 Lickers Lead The Way In Packs
In episode 3, Jade joins a small family of survivors in crossing the Chunnel, but their journey is thwarted by the arrival of a large pack of lickers recognizable from both the Resident Evil movies and games. What makes the lickers especially scary is how they hunt from the shadows in silence, picking off their victims one by one and this scene captures their abilities perfectly.
The sharp teeth and gory, frightening appearance of lickers is nothing pleasant to look at, and their appearance is very faithful to the franchise.
2 Zombie Spider
A giant, infected spider that stalks the tunnels of the Chunnel in episode 3 is another surprise for the heroine, but not a new monster to the franchise appearing in several of the games. Fast and ferocious, it hides in the shadows as it's bravely confronted by one of the survivors, and kills with a piercing attack.
Anyone frightened of spiders will understand why this made the top two. Although it doesn't entangle its victims in webs in the show, that doesn't bear thinking about. However, despite its size, it's certainly not immune to being squished, with Jade managing to time its execution just right.
1 Metaphorical Monsters - Humans Are The Scariest Of All
Although there have been some negative reviews of the series, one of the things the show arguably does very well is its portrayal of how monstrous humans can be, both in a metaphorical and physical sense. Throughout the series, viewers get to see how Billie slowly supposedly transforms into a monster after she is bitten, and how this affects not just her physicality but also her behavior.
The calm, controlled demeanor of the main antagonist, Evelyn, is even more frightening as she slowly reveals her true nature to the other characters, plus what her ambition and greed make her capable of. Humans can often be the scariest monsters of all.
Resident Evil is now streaming on Netflix.