Resident Evil Village is certainly one of the most anticipated games of 2021. However, after the Resident Evil Showcase event in January, there has been little new information unveiled on the title. While that event gave fans a lengthy trailer and a first look at gameplay, it still leaves a number of questions unanswered. Part of the magic of a survival horror game is not spoiling everything before players get their hands on the game, but fans are very curious about two big areas of the Village that are still shrouded in mystery: House Beneviento and House Moreau.
With so much time in the trailers devoted to the titular Village and Castle Dimitrescu, fans have a good idea of what to expect from the content found in these sections of the game. The infatuation with Lady Dimitrescu continues unabated, and leading with her was certainly a good move on Capcom's part. But much like previous Resident Evil games, the trailers, game footage, and teasers have a history of hiding areas completely, making them a surprise for players to discover.
House Beneviento and Italian Folklore
When it comes to the two houses that have not been showcased in any way in the Resident Evil Village trailers, fans are having to make guesses as to what the houses represent. After the Collector's Edition of Resident Evil Village was revealed, fans quickly took note of the map included in the package. It has on it four "Houses" named on it, with House Dimitrescu appearing to be the focal point. House Heisenberg was identified as the likely House behind the werewolf-like creatures seen in some game footage. Many fans believe Heisenberg to be the man wearing sunglasses wielding the large hammer in the trailer.
Also found on that map were House Beneviento and House Moreau, yet nothing has been revealed about either house. Fans have speculated about Resident Evil Village's mystery Houses, but with so little to go on, it's hard to know where to start.
Beneviento is an interesting name choice in that it is likely a reference to the Witches of Benevento, an element of Italian folklore that dates back to the 13th Century. Stories tell of witches that kidnapped newborns and drank children's blood. In Resident Evil Village, Ethan is trying to find his infant daughter, so could it be that witches are after his child or perhaps some kind of riff on that theme.
The witches in the stories set in Benevento were said to appear as normal women during the day, before transforming into witches at night and becoming incorporeal. Shape-shifting is a common enemy trait in Resident Evil games, so a witch capable of taking on a different form or disappearing could be possible. Lastly, the Witches of Benevento were believed to fly during stormy nights by leaping off of a bridge in the town. On the Village map, there is a suspension bridge near to where House Beneviento is listed.
House Moreau and H.G. Wells
With House Moreau, there is a similar lack of information available, but a fairly obvious connection to the famous work by H.G. Wells, The Island of Dr. Moreau. This could be a very interesting connection if fans are to believe that the House names do hold reference to real world people, stories, and folk tales.
The Island of Dr. Moreau follows Edward Pendrick, a shipwrecked man who is rescued and left on the mysterious island of the titular doctor. Moreau is a mad scientist who creates a range of human-like animal hybrids via vivisection. Moreau's creations bear similarities to the enemies of Resident Evil, many of which are human-like hybrids. If ever there was a literary reference point for some of the engineering Umbrella has been responsible for, Moreau is it.
On the Village Map, the area where the House Moreau crest appears is listed as "Moreau's Reservoir." This could refer to a body of water, and given the map indicates that there is a lake there, this could be fairly straightforward. A reservoir can also be a supply or source of something other than water, so this could be the site where Moreau's human-like hybrid monstrosities are kept. There have only been a few enemy types for Resident Evil Village revealed so far. Resident Evil has a history of leaving its laboratories out of promotional materials, so an area fans haven't seen yet housing some kind of bio-organic weapon testing facility seems plausible.
There is still so much that fans don't know about Resident Evil Village, so many secrets lurking in darkness awaiting Ethan. It is likely fans won't learn much about these Houses before the game is released, but maybe that's part of the fun. Not knowing.
Resident Evil Village will terrorize fans on May 7th for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.