Resident Evil Village art director Tomonori Takano was both overwhelmed and overjoyed with the internet's response to Lady Dimitrescu, the tall vampire lady in the upcoming horror game.
In a new interview with IGN, Takano discussed what went into Dimitrescu's design and what he and the team made of her reception. Vampires were a central motif for the game from early on, he explains, but Dimitrescu in particular began with the idea of a "bewitching vampire," with Takano incorporating themes and ideas from people and characters ranging from Japanese legends to Morticia Addams.
"The very first piece of concept art I drew was the scene in the trailer where Lady Dimitrescu ducks down to walk through the doorway," Takano told IGN. "From that moment, I knew I had to do that scene."
Overall, Takano says that Resident Evil Village uses "similar concepts of 'evil' like we did in Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, which was neither based on normal humans nor zombies." Takano himself sought to "think about the best ways to create fear" when designing the game's characters and baddies – and as we now know, he accidentally stumbled upon arguably the best way to make people horny on main.
"I don't think anyone [on the team] could have predicted how wonderfully fans have reacted to Lady Dimitrescu," he says of the sudden tall vampire lady fandom. "Personally, I was particularly struck by comments like, 'I want to be chased by her.'"
