The new trailer for Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City has just been released, and it’s already clear that this will be a real treat for fans of the original video games. In the new trailer, there are certain Easter eggs that would go unnoticed by the more casual viewer while longtime fans will find them to be pretty awesome. At least I did. Watch the trailer for yourself below.
There are certainly some very obvious callbacks to the video games, including the designs of certain characters, along with locations like the RPD station and the Spencer Mansion. Longtime Resident Evil fans may appreciate the more subtle references even more so. With that said, let’s go through and highlight five of the Easter eggs in the new trailer which particularly stood out!
1The First Zombie
In the original Resident Evil video game, the story begins with S.T.A.R.S. making their way to the Spencer Mansion to avoid infected dogs on the outside. The very first zombie encountered certainly made for one of the game’s most memorable moments. After hearing a gunshot, the player finds this zombie munching on a fallen comrade before it slowly turns its head to peer directly at the screen.
There’s a very similar moment that can be seen in the Welcome to Raccoon City trailer. The scene has been recreated as a direct nod to very first big scare of the franchise, as two characters come across a zombie who reacts in exactly the same way as his video game counterpart. Such an iconic moment, that scene was also featured in the Resident Evil video game remake.
2That Creepy Ashford Twins Video
Resident Evil: Code Veronica was the last real sequel of the franchise set in the original continuity before it was rebooted on the game cube with RE0 and the REmake. In that regard, it marks the end of an era, and it’s fondly remembered by old school fans who have nostalgia for those classic tank controls.
At one point in the game, players discover a video of Alfred and Alexia Ashford, twin siblings raised by Umbrella researchers who wind up subjected to experimentation. In the footage, the two take glee in ripping the wings off of a dragonfly and watching it suffer. That’s before they gaze into each other’s eyes before the clip comes to an abrupt, unsettling end.
This very video has also apparently been recreated for Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. While watching through old footage, Claire is shown snippets of a video that looks to be almost an exact replica of the one from the game, though this one comes with a researcher taking notes in the background as the two do their thing. It’s fun to see a nod to Code Veronica featured in the trailer, as the game doesn’t seem to get the love it deserves.
3Itchy Tasty
Going back to the original Resident Evil, anyone who’s played through the game will definitely remember the researcher’s journal. These games are filled with various documents for players to read that further expand the lore, but there’s perhaps nothing more memorable than that creepy diary. In it, a researcher — slowly turning into a zombie — details how he’s growing increasingly itchy and hungry. By the final entry, he’s a full-blown flesh-eater, with one of his final pages reading the simple phrase, “itchy. tasty.”
You can’t really have viewers of a movie reading a journal like players of the game, but writer-director Johannes Roberts still found a fun way to feature a throwback to the researcher’s journal. In the trailer, we can see that someone has used their bloody fingers to write the phrase on a glass window, easy as day to read. It makes for a creepy moment for those unfamiliar with the original Resident Evil game, but for the fans, it’s a good time to pull out that “Leonardo DiCaprio pointing at the TV screen” meme.
4Exploding Truck
A similar idea applies to the semi truck in the new trailer and fans of Resident Evil 2. Some fans would argue that RE2 is even better than the original game, and because it’s still so popular with fans, it was followed up with a very successful video game remake. In both versions, the story begins with Claire Redfield and Leon S. Kennedy getting separated when an infected truck driver crashes in front of the RPD station, generating a massive explosion.
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City‘s trailer shows us both the infected truck driver behind the wheel along with the vehicle rolling on its side and slamming into the police station. It’s another clear nod to the game that will be instantly recognizable for and who recall that same scene in RE2 more than two decades ago. You can almost even hear the guy say, “That guy’s a maniac. Why’d he bite me?!”
5Enter the Licker
Remember that first zombie encountered in the original Resident Evil, and how he basically served to give that first real jump of the game? The “licker” introduced in Resident Evil 2 served a similar purpose. By this point, players were familiar with dispatching zombies, so making it to the police station wasn’t too much problem. Even the most confident player, however, would soon after feel their heart stop once that licker first shows up.
In the game, Leon or Claire (depending upon whom you’re playing as) will find a decapitated corpse before noticing something dripping from the ceiling. Slowly looking up reveals the freakish, long-tongued monster peering back down with a growl, ready to strike. You’re not given much reaction time before it then jumps down and launches into a full attack, and the horrifying moment sets the tone for the rest of the game.
Again, Johannes Roberts made sure to incorporate this scene as closely as possible. Both Leon and Claire together seem to stumble upon the licker as they both slowly and nervously look up, just for the creature to splat down on the ground and pounce. Even knowing it’s coming, this moment will still probably be even more horrifying seeing it happen on the big screen.
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City will be released in theaters on Nov. 24, 2021.
