The 10 Most DISTURBING Deaths in Resident Evil Games

10 Most Disturbing Deaths in Resident Evil Games

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re looking back at the most unsettling deaths in the “Resident Evil” series, whether they be brutally violent, remarkably sad, or both. To be clear, we’re only including actual character deaths. You won’t find any of the many vicious deaths we as players can suffer because, well, we already have a list of those.

Elliot Edward

“Resident Evil 2” (2019)

Although you might not remember his name, we feel pretty confident you remember his death. Elliot Edward only shows up in the opening of the “Resident Evil 2” remake, during Leon Kennedy’s initial encounter with the outbreak. While navigating the RCPD offices, you find security footage of Elliot being chased by a zombie. And while you do reach him, you’re too late to save him. Trapped on the other side of a fire safety door, Leon tries to pull Elliot through the crack at the bottom. As you hear the undead descend upon him and Elliot begins to scream, you already know what sight awaits you when you finally pull him to the other side: some of the most nauseating video game entrails we’ve ever seen.

Luis Serra

“Resident Evil 4” (2005)

Luis Serra is a likable ally in “Resident Evil 4,” which only adds to the disturbing nature of his death. A biologist hired by the game’s villain, he eventually aids Leon in fighting against Osmund Saddler, which, naturally, gets him killed. During the original game’s third chapter, Serra is gruesomely impaled from behind by one of Saddler’s gross, pointy tentacles before being flung to the ground. Although he gets some final words, it’s a pretty gnarly way to go out. The remake made the death less disturbing in terms of violence, with Luis instead being stabbed in the back by Jack Krauser’s knife. But, by having more time with Luis this time around, it was still undeniably sad.

Kenneth J. Sullivan

“Resident Evil” (1996)

Another name you might not remember, Kenneth J. Sullivan played a vital role in one of the franchise's most defining moments. The opening of the original game sees the S.T.A.R.S. Alpha Team chased inside the Spencer Mansion by a pack of vicious, undead hounds. Only moments later, Kenneth acts as an example for what horrors lie inside. With Barry and Jill investigating a strange noise, the latter finds Kenneth…being devoured by the series’ first zombie. The gross munching sounds and slow head turn towards us became iconic. While it’s a small moment compared to many others we’ll talk about, it was peak horror at the time, and was a strong early step in “Resident Evil” terrifying us for decades.

Brad Vickers

“Resident Evil 3: Nemesis” (1999)

If you had an ally in an old “Resident Evil” game, it was a pretty safe bet to assume they wouldn’t be reaching the end of it. In “Resident Evil 3,” you have Brad Vickers, a nervous member of the S.T.A.R.S. Alpha team, sadly perfect fodder during a zombie outbreak. Brad aids Jill in surviving Raccoon City’s undead as the Nemesis hunts members of their team down. Eventually, Nemesis catches up with the pair, grabbing Brad by the face before forcing a tentacle into his mouth and out the back of his head. Brad’s horrible final moments are unfortunately skipped in the remake, where he’s instead bitten by a regular zombie before being shot by Carlos.

Emma Kendo

“Resident Evil 2” (2019)

‘Disturbing’ doesn’t always have to mean violent. Although, the two do often go hand in hand in the “Resident Evil” series. Still, in the case of Emma Kendo, her death disturbs us even though we never see it. She’s the young daughter of Robert Kendo, a gunsmith in Raccoon City who helped supply the S.T.A.R.S. team. In the original game, Robert had no daughter, and met an unfortunate end at the hands of some zombies. In the remake, Emma and her mother become infected. And by the time Leon and Ada meet them, Robert has already had to perform one mercy kill. He argues against Ada taking Emma’s life, choosing to do so himself. The gunshot that rings out from a nearby room is heartbreaking.

Clancy Jarvis

“Resident Evil 7: Biohazard” (2017)

Early in “Resident Evil 7,” you find footage of a reality TV crew exploring the Baker house. Naturally, things go South quickly, and they’re captured by Jack Baker. As Ethan searches for his missing wife, you find remnants of what happened to them, with cameraman Clancy getting perhaps the cruelest fate. By finding and watching a tape labeled ‘Happy Birthday,’ you briefly take control of Clancy as he’s put into a trap room by Jack’s son, Lucas. You solve several puzzles linked together, suffering a few injuries along the way. With you in the driver’s seat, it almost lures you into a false sense of safety…until the puzzle literally blows up in Clancy’s face and he’s burned alive. C’mon Lucas…that’s just mean.

Salvatore Moreau

“Resident Evil Village” (2021)

So far, we’ve focused on the harrowing demises of the good guys that have stuck with us. And while they do tend to get the more disturbing deaths, Salvatore Moreau from “Resident Evil Village” is such a gross enemy with such a nasty death that we felt the need to include him. He’s, at the very least, slimy in every one of his scenes. But then he transforms for his boss fight, mutating into a gigantic frog monster with a pulsating body and tendency to vomit on you. We know, it’s a list of disturbing deaths, not designs. Still, everything about Moreau makes our skin crawl, including his death, where he inflates before popping like a balloon and raining guts everywhere.

Lisa Trevor

“Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles” (2007)

A new plotline in the first game’s remake concerns Lisa Trevor, who has one of the saddest stories you can think of. Daughter of the man who designed the Spencer Mansion, Lisa was abducted by Umbrella when she was a little girl, along with her mother. While the experiments she was subjected to killed her mother, they turned Lisa into a hulking monster, able to withstand Umbrella’s further tests using biological weapons. This is the only life Lisa would know for decades, until the inciting incident that kicks off the series. While she is certainly an unsettling enemy to encounter, her death doesn’t come until “The Umbrella Chronicles.” She’s a boss fight for Albert Wesker. And since the player must come away victorious, Lisa is killed by one of the very representatives of those who held and tortured her.

Chief Brian Irons

“Resident Evil 2” (1998)

Whether you’re playing the original or the remake, Chief Irons is a nasty, corrupt piece of work. And while it’s satisfying to see him get his comeuppance, someone this cruel naturally gets a pretty gruesome demise. Actually, he gets a few. In the original game, there were two options for his death. He would either get infected, and ripped apart from the inside by a monster. Or he’d get grabbed from below and torn in half, with his torso thrown back at the player for an extra scare. In the remake, there’s just one scenario. Irons is once again infected, with the monster bursting from his gut in a vicious recreation of his original death.

David Anderson

“Resident Evil 7: Biohazard” (2017)

As things begin to go further south in “Resident Evil 7,” players meet David Anderson, a sheriff’s deputy on patrol near the Baker house. And almost as soon as he’s introduced, he’s gone, with Jack Baker driving a shovel through the back of his skull and removing the top of his head. Although it’s fast, it’s a great, incredibly vicious way to begin the claustrophobic fight against Jack that follows. Not for nothing, it’s also disturbing what happens to David post-mortem. You can later find his body being consumed by that horrid black mold. His head is also used to deliver a message to Ethan, who then must retrieve a key from David’s neck stump. The way the game uses David as a prop to horrify us multiple times makes his death one of the franchise’s best.

Did we leave off a disturbing death that made your skin crawl? Share your thoughts in the comments, and we’ll see you next time!