Who is Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village?

It's nearly time to dive into the wintery wilderness of Resident Evil Village and take another trip to Capcom's shuffling zombie shooter series. Following the success of Resident Evil 7 and a much-needed return to form, we're back to pick up the story of Ethan Winters. 2021 is a huge year for the franchise, as it marks 25 years since we first opened the doors and stepped inside the Spencer Mansion. Although Resident Evil has come a long way since 1996, Village promises to hark back to the claustrophobic horror of the OG in a big way.

As well as the return of Chris Redfield and Ethan, there's the usually limited inventory and crafting obdstacles, as well as RE7's beloved first-person viewpoint. However, the big talking point of what we've seen so far is the towering temptress known as Lady Alcina Dimitrescu. Since the game's first reveal in 2020, fans have become increasingly obsessed with "Tall Vampire Lady" and her brood of bloodthirsty daughters. She's sure to take a "bite" out of the hungry Resi fan base, but just who is Lady Dimitrescu?

• Related: Resident Evil Art Director Can't Get Over Our Love For Lady Dimitrescu

Who is Lady Dimitrescu?

Countess Alcina Dimitrescu is Lady D's full title, and she's the fearsome matriarch of the Dimitrescu family. Even if her castle isn't the best-kept we've ever seen, it's still in pretty good condition and looks like it's packed with more valuable furniture than your average episode of Antique's Roadshow. Alcina inherited the castle from her family, which originally operated it as a fortress in Medieval times. In terms of who resides inside its walls, Lady Dimitrescu lives with three women she calls her daughters - it remains to be seen if they're biologically related to her.

Even though Lady Dimitrescu's origins are a mystery, she was part of a vampiric cult in the 1950s. By 1958, she'd been linked to a number of violent murders and was already making a name for herself. It's unclear whether she was born with her vampiric tendencies or was infected with them at a later date. Alongside other families like Heisenberg, Beneviento, and Moreau, the Dimitrescu family formed an uneasy alliance and took control of the region with their own barbaric ways. Since then, Castle Dimitrescu has become the stuff of legend. When it comes to kicking back, Lady D loves nothing more than supping her favourite tipple, which is a blood-enhanced wine called Sanguis Virginis, aka Maiden's Blood.

We're guessing at least one of her daughters kicks the bucket, thanks to the glimpse of an enraged Lady D speaking to Mother Miranda and hurling a desk across the room because Ethan escaped her clutches. Finally, the latest trailer featured Lady Dimitrescu mentioning her "little brother's idiot games", which implies he's the mystery man with the round glasses. Either way, Lady Dimitrescu's retractable claws and huge height make her a frightening force that's not to be messed with.

How tall is Lady Dimitrescu?

After her imposing stature already made her stand out from the crowd, fans soon made it their mission to try and figure out how tall she is. From measuring period furniture to the average size of a castle door, we first settled on the idea she's 8ft tall. Then, official word came from on high that she's even taller than that. Village Art Director Tomonori Takano confirmed Lady Dimitrescu is actually 9'6" (2.9m) tall - making her much taller than the world's tallest woman. It also made her taller than video game favourites like Bowser and even Resident Evil 2's Mr X. 

Lady Dimitrescu's height is definitely something to be proud of, but it turns out she's not the tallest creation to grace Capcom's wicked world. Resident Evil: Outbreak's Thanatos just pips Lady D to the post and towers above the rest of the competition at a lofty 12ft. There is technically an even taller monster thanks to the 0.13 Tyrant series lording it over everyone at 14'1". As it only features in the CGI Resident Evil: Damnation and not a playable game, not everyone counts it. Still, Lady Dimitrescu is pretty damn tall.

How do you pronounce Lady Dimitrescu?

Aside from her height, the other big question is how to pronounce Dimitrescu. The general school of thought was that you'd say "Dee-muh-trees-koo", the Capcom showcase had host Brittney Brombacher calling her "Dee-muh-treesk". The internet couldn't believe we'd been saying it wrong all along, but even then, not everyone was convinced. Several fans took to Twitter to say Dimitrescu is an actual name in Romania, and you definitely pronounce the "koo". 

Bromabacher has addressed the controversy online and told critics, "I’ve received a few questions about the pronunciation of Lady Dimitrescu! Capcom briefed me on how to say it properly (believe me, I asked) and they approved the take, soooo take that for what you will. ;)". Even if you could add the "koo" on the end, Capcom is adamant this character is pronounced "Dee-muh-treesk". 

Is Lady Dimitrescu real?

While the events of Resident Evil Village are very much fictional - well, we hope there aren't caverns of werewolves and cellars filled with blood in the backroads of Europe - Lady Dimitrescu can find her roots in real life. Takano confirmed to IGN that she was inspired by the Hungarian murderer Elizabeth Báthory, a Japanese urban legend called Hasshaku-sama, and Anjelica Huston's legendary turn as Morticia Addams in The Addams Family.

The legend of Hasshaku-sama revolves around an incredibly tall woman with long hair and a ghostly complexion. Similar to Slender Man, she lurks in the shadows and attacks people when they least expect it. Hasshaku-sama apparently lures men to their death, which might explain why Ethan Winters is Lady D's target. As for Lady Dimitrescu's outfit, the designers didn't want to “lean too heavily into gothic horror designs for the entire village", so added elements of the Great Depression-era into the overall design".

Will Lady Dimitrescu die in Resident Evil Village?

The obvious question is whether Lady D will be making it out of Village alive. We haven't even got to sit down to play Village yet, but Capcom is already looking ahead at Resident Evil 9. Apparently, the ninth main entry will be the concluding chapter of a trilogy that started with RE7 in 2017. We're guessing that means Ethan Winters will escape the bowels of Castle Dimitrescu and live to fight another day. The trailers have already confirmed Mia Winters won't be so lucky, while it's anyone's guess what's really going on with Chris Redfield. As for Lady Dimitrescu, it's not looking good.

Even if Dimitrescu isn't the big bad of the game, we're guessing she'll be a final boss battle on a part with Resident Evil 3's Nemesis or THAT iconic boulder punch battle with Albert Wesker in Resident Evil 5. Even though the series has had a number of recurring villains - like the aforementioned Wesker - it's hard to imagine a scenario where Lady D will move to a different setting for the next game. We're betting she'll come unstuck and have her castle burned the ground as Ethan is forced to stake her through the heart. Then again, she's one of the most marketable Resi characters we've met, so it's possible the writers want to keep her around a little longer.