In Resident Evil Requiem, actress Isabella Inchbald voices Selena Corey, a zombie with a tragic past and an unsettlingly beautiful appearance. Capcom conceived her as a minor character, without mentioning her name during recording, but fans adopted her as a favorite. She now generates cosplay, fan art, and even songs. Inchbald, surprised, interpreted her as a mix of a girl and a siren: an attractive zombie seeking attention.
Behind the voice: the technical process of an undead 🎙️
To bring Selena to life, Inchbald worked with a Neumann U87 microphone and an Avalon VT-737 preamplifier, capturing whispers and moans in a soundproof booth. Capcom used the RE Engine to synchronize facial expressions with audio, adjusting the 3D model's mouth shape in real time. Sound engineers applied a low-pass filter and reverb to simulate a zombie's rotting throat, achieving a vocal texture that blends fragility and threat.
A zombie with more fans than the protagonist 🧟♀️
While Chris Redfield keeps killing monsters with a grumpy face, Selena dedicates herself to being a photogenic undead. Fans have dedicated more digital art to her than to Nemesis himself, and there's even a group that sings serenades to her on YouTube. The irony is that Capcom barely included her as filler, but now plans a DLC for her. Who would have thought: a minor zombie has more of a future than half the main cast.