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.'"
Wanting to be chased is easily among the, uh, tamer responses to Dimitrescu, and Capcom has been more than happy to commit to the bit. Last week, the studio revealed the vampiress' official height: a towering 9' 6". Like, damn, she wouldn't even have to try to step on you.
Beyond inspiring a million memes and cosplays, Lady Dimitrescu may have given us some big clues about the story of Resident Evil Village.
