14 Nightmarish Resident Evil Monsters

Las Plagas is the name given to the enormous parasites that are the cause of Resident Evil 4’s gallery of monsters, most notably the Ganados.

These rank-and-file humanoid enemies that replaced zombies in the series' fourth instalment have retained most of their brain functions, making the Ganados more intelligent and resourceful enemies than the dumb zombie hordes players were familiar with.

This greater scope for enemy tactics allowed for the memorable sieges in RE4, such as the classic heart-pounding opening sequence in the village where Leon is pursued from house to house as he struggles against the overwhelming number of foes in pursuit.

The Ganados are mostly human in appearance but the parasites driving them around like meat puppets will occasionally burst out of them - replacing the head with a squirming dog-sized parasite. There are other versions of these creatures added later in the game, and each is more upsetting than the last.