The unique "Turning Around
Zombie" is the very first
Zombie encountered in the Resident Evil series. It's the official name of the
Zombie - named because of the way it slowly turns to face the character (either
Chris Redfield or
Jill Valentine) who interrupt it while it is feasting on the corpse of S.T.A.R.S. member
Kenneth Sullivan, who had entered the
Spencer Mansion before the two and finally gave out in a small rest / smoking area adjacent to the main dining room.
It is one of the few Zombies that seems to be able to open and close doors, as it will follow Chris or Jill into the dining room if they run away from it. However, that is the only remarkable thing about it - it acts like a regular enemy otherwise and will even transform into a
Crimson Head under the right conditions (this transformation only occurs in the Remake).
The
Zombie is one of the most well-known creatures in the series, as a lot of players remember the first encounter, particularly the cutscene where the
Zombie is shown turning its head in full motion video.
At the time the original game was released it was a huge step forward in terms of graphical fidelity, as before then the closest approximation would be something like Alone in the Dark, which used very low density, flat-shaded polygons (pictured), thus making it that much more impressive. The image of the
Zombie is also used as the icon for PC versions of Resident Evil Remake.
Interestingly the entire scene where S.T.A.R.S. members first meet this
Zombie is copied almost verbatim in the recent Resident Evil movie, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City.
