Resident Evil Village art director doesn't know why you're all so thirsty for Lady Dimitrescu

Gamers and non-gamers alike have fallen for the towering vampire lady, the 9' 6" Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village, but the game's art director doesn't get what all the fuss is about.

The gigantic villain from the upcoming horror game is over 2.9m tall, according to Capcom itself, and has driven the internet into something of a frenzy. A cursory Google search will show you she's already prompted quite the 'fan art' outpouring.

But Tomonori Takano, Resident Evil Village’s art director, doesn't quite get why the 'bewitching vampire' has caused such a stir online.

"I don't think anyone [on the team] could have predicted how wonderfully fans have reacted to Lady Dimitrescu," Takano revealed in an interview with IGN. "Personally, I was particularly struck by comments like, 'I want to be chased by her.'"

Obliviousness to the world at large's appetite for the big lady aside, Takano intended Lady Dimitrescu to make an impact – and her height was always a part of that. "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 explained. "From that moment, I knew I had to do that scene."

Her design has been catered and considered to be more impactful than the usual survival horror fare we've seen in games up until now, according to Takano. “We analyzed the characters and elements in the Resident Evil series so far to see if they were truly scary, or if they had become so conventional that they lost their effectiveness in scaring players,” he added.

To that end, a tall lady partly inspired by Japanese folklore, partly inspired by Morticia Adams, and partly inspired by serial killer Elizabeth Bathory came to be born.

Resident Evil Village is out May 7 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.