Resident Evil was not the first survival horror video game, but it perfected the formula and spawned a wave of copycats. And yes, the series is not wholly original beyond video games. We would not be in a zombie renaissance right now if it wasn’t for George Romero’s series of zombie pulp classics.

RELATED: 10 Facts You Didn’t Know About Ada Wong In Resident Evil

That said Resident Evil does bring a lot of original content to the table. One of those being its truly inspired gaggle of horrific monsters. Someone at Capcom has a thing for the twisted. Which of the many constantly fill us with fright and which are easily laughable? Let’s get to ranking!

10 Scary: Crimson Heads

Crimson Heads were first introduced with the remake of the first Resident Evil on GameCube. Zombies are THE classic enemy in the franchise, but they aren’t really scary. They aren’t lame either. Anyway the point is this evolution made them a threat to be wary of. If one did not burn a body after a zombie was “defeated” it had the chance to spring back to life stronger than ever. The first time players experienced this must have been a shock to say the least.

9 Lame: Zombie Dogs

Technically dogs were introduced in the first game. They were in the opening cinematic and if players tried to leave the mansion they were treated to a tease of dogs before the door closes. They were not true enemies until the sequel though. While they can be scary, especially when they burst through windows, they are a pain to deal with in the classic games where aiming was tricky. Even with the improved controls in the further sequels, they are still a pain more so than they are frightening.

8 Scary: Yawn

Yawn is the giant snake boss in the first game. While scary in the original, it didn’t become truly terrifying until the remake just like the Crimson Head example. This may be less scary to those that like snakes, but even the most diehard fans have to admit a snake of Yawn’s size is indeed creepy. Of all the normal animals that transform into enemies, Yawn is the king of Umbrella’s screwed up jungle.

7 Lame: Alligator

To counter Yawn, the giant alligator that attacks players in the sewers in Resident Evil 2 is a comically poor reptile. Sure, when it emerges for the first time it can be startling and even more so in the remake since it looks more realistic.

RELATED: 10 Things We Want In Resident Evil 8

The reason why we think it is lame though is due to the fact that this sequence is less than a minute long. One has to simply run towards the camera before blowing it up at the end. It’s super easy!

6 Scary: Las Plagas

The thing that terrifies us more than zombies in terms of main, normal type enemies are the Las Plagas. To be clear, we are referring to the villagers in Resident Evil 4 before their tentacle mouths reveal themselves. It is truly unsettling when the mob of villagers chase after Leon while chanting in Spanish. It was a mark of pure genius on Capcom’s part. When they exploded to reveal what was controlling them inside, well, that was icing on a horrifying cake of despair.

5 Lame: Ooze

No, we’re not talking about Ivan Ooze from Power Rangers: The Movie although that would be a funny mod. Let’s make a mental note of that for would be modders out there. Anyway this is the generic adversary players fight in Resident Evil Revelations. They basically look like skinless bloated sacks of meat with big suckers for heads. They are hard to take seriously when they look like rejects from some low budget SyFy series.

4 Scary: Lickers

RESIDENT EVIL 2_20190125234429

3 Lame: The Molded

RESIDENT EVIL 7 biohazard_20170128003636

The Molded are the main enemies in Resident Evil VII, which is without a doubt the scariest game in the franchise. The graphical engine pushed the limits on what we could handle in a video game. It’s even more unsettling to play it in VR on PS4.

Besides the graphics, the demented family chasing after players is what really made it stand out. That’s why these molded monsters are so disappointing. They look like the Swamp Thing except cuddlier. It’s especially hard to take them seriously when they melt in front of a save room.

2 Scary: Mr. X

RESIDENT EVIL 2_20190126040113

Had the remake of Resident Evil 2 not have come out yet, this entry would have been filled with Nemesis from Resident Evil 3 instead. Mr. X in the original version was a good idea, which was improved with Nemesis in that sequel. Capcom then perfected this formula with the revamped version of Mr. X in said remake. The big reason being is that he is literally relentless. Players can make him take a knee if shot enough, but he will be up again in less than a minute. He is the scariest thing in the series of that we have no question.

1 Lame: Leeches

There is an obvious pattern one can see with these last three lame entries. The Ooze was generic and so were the Molded. The worst incarnation of these sort of swarmed beasts are the leeches from Resident Evil 0. Seriously, what? Who thought leeches were a good idea for a main threat? Sure they suck, literally, in real life when they attach themselves to legs, or toes, but they are easy to get off. Even in giant form they are pitiful.

NEXT: 10 Plot Holes In Resident Evil That Were Never Explained