Resident Evil 4: 25 Mind-Blowing Things You Didn't Know

13. Earliest Inspirations

Jacobs Ladder Horror Movie Freakout Scene
Tristar Pictures

It's fairly common knowledge that Resident Evil 4 went through a spate of different betas before becoming the game we all know and love. The footage of the "Hookman" version of the game is an interesting insight into the supernatural direction RE4 could've taken.

What's intriguing about these early looks is actually the inspiration for them. Writer Yasuhisa Kawamura has said that one of influences for these early ideas was the 1990 psychological thriller Jacob's Ladder, a film which coincidentally also heavily inspired Silent Hill.

Additionally, Resident Evil 4's early development was defined by the Japanese word "mogaki" which Kawamura described as "a situation in which you try to wriggle with your whole body in fear, but cannot escape."

Arguably, this is still one way to describe the overwhelming feeling of the Ganado horde in the final game.

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Coming from a content creation background that now spans over two decades, Psy cut her teeth on personal video production and community radio. Originally joining the team as a writer and presenter, she added video editing duties to her responsibilities over time and became the longest-standing editor of the irreverent gaming show Tues Your Own Adventure. Psy has worked on many previews and reviews, long-form editorials (either her own, or supporting as an editor), as a frequent quizmaster and more. Praised for the two-pronged attack of her hard work ethic and light-hearted editing style, Psy is otherwise known as a font of retro video game knowledge which has caused her to rack up many quiz wins. Outside of WhatCulture, Psy runs First Aid Spray Podcast - a long-running channel that focuses on Resident Evil in all of it's forms. You can follow her on BlueSky at http://psywhite.bsky.social and Instagram at http://instagram.com/therealpsywhite