Film director slams Resident Evil Village for allegedly stealing monster designs

Alan Bernal

A movie director slammed Capcom for Resident Evil Village’s monster design after a side-by-side comparison of creatures showed striking resemblances to one another.

Richard Raaphorst directed Frankenstein’s Army in 2013. The film featured dozens of grotesquely imagined monsters who were maimed and then put back together with mechanical parts.

Well Capcom’s new entry in their Resident Evil franchise has monsters in the same theme, but people noticed that a few of the characters were too similar to the other.

This got the attention of the director who was surprised to see his film being an apparent inspiration for one of the biggest video game releases in 2021.

“In 2013 I directed my film Frankenstein’s Army,” Raaphorst said on a LinkedIn post. “It’s a crazy monster movie filled with my own creature designs, one of which has been used – completely without authorization or credit in the newest Resident Evil game.”

A Twitter thread by user ‘CloneKorp’ showed the designs from RE: VIII on one side and those from Frankenstein’s Army on the other.

The biggest similarities came from Strum, aka Propeller Head, who has three blades from an aircraft imposed on where their face would be.

In the movie and the game’s boss fight, there are moments when the creature’s head engine lights on fire. This is another similarity in design that’s caught the attention of people around the net.

“Oh dude, this is worse than I thought. First I felt angry, then proud, but now I see this, I feel sad,” Raaphorst said after seeing CloneKorp’s thread.

The filmmaker told PCGamer that he isn’t seeking legal action against Capcom for their monsters in Resident Evil Village. He did say if he was a source of inspiration, that he wished Capcom would have told him beforehand about the creature designs and credited him for his work.

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About The Author

Alan is a former staff writer for Dexerto based in Southern California who covered esports, internet culture, and the broader games/streaming industry. He is a CSUF Alum with a B.A. in Journalism. He's reported on sports medicine, emerging technology, and local community issues. Got a tip or want to talk?