Resident Evil Village's Lady Dimitrescu Was Based On Morticia Addams And Other Wicked Women
A serial killer/noblewoman, a Japanese urban legend, and the Addams Family matriarch were all influences for Resident Evil Village's villain.
In an interview with
IGN, Resident Evil Village art director Tomonori Takano elaborated on how the design for Lady Dimitrescu came to be. The team started with the concept of a "bewitching vampire" and went on to pull inspiration from several femme fatales including Anjelica Huston's Morticia Addams, Japanese urban legend Hashaku-sama, and 16th-century Hungarian noblewoman/serial killer Elizabeth Báthory.
"In the early stages of planning, we decided on going with [a] castle and vampires motifs," Tomori told IGN. "However, we did not want to be constrained by how vampires have been portrayed in various forms of popular entertainment."