Minor spoilers for Resident Evil "Maiden."
We all want to be stepped on by Resident Evil Village's Lady Dimitrescu (whose name was revealed by official Capcom art,) but we really don't know much about the woman behind the stilettos. We know that she lives with a coven of hooded murder witches and that she has a penchant for kidnapping people, but her backstory is a bit murky.
But while actual details about the antagonist might be sparse, it's useful to look at other aspects of Lady Dimitrescu to figure out more about her. This includes taking a peek at potential sources of inspiration, and figuring out how they might have something to say about the character herself.
Really quick, though, let's run down what we know about Dimitrescu. We know that she's tall, dresses in white, wears a big hat, and kidnaps children. She has jet black hair and speaks in a soothing, almost maternal voice. Based on her overtly sexual design, it's fair to say that the character artists put a lot of focus into ensuring she was gorgeous - not to mention well-endowed.
Now, keep these descriptors in mind for a second - I'm going to pivot and tell you a bit about Hachishakusama (Eight Foot Tall.) Hachishakusama is a Japanese urban legend that probably originated in 2008, and has gone on to become a bit of a cult figure. Hentai artists, in particular, have lavished loving attention on her in recent years. In fact, Jyoka's Hachishaku Hachiwa Keraku Meguri - Igyou Kaikitan was adapted into an extremely popular hentai anime, which PewdiePie popularized a video in 2016.
Hachishakusama is known for being "impossibly tall," according to her Villains Wiki entry. She always dresses in white, wears a big hat, and kidnaps children to eventually eat them. Her hair is jet black and imitates the voice of parents to lure her prey away from their families. Erotic artists tend to focus on enlarging her bosom and hips to make her more maternal, and always make her beautiful in the eyes of the kids she's targeting.
Does all of this sound familiar?
That's right, I think that Lady Dimitrescu is probably based on Hachishakusama. Obviously, I have no way of proving this, but the similarities are just a little more than uncanny. In fact, my theory is backed up a bit by the fact that Dimitrescu literally drinks the blood of her victims, and stores them in wine casks. Considering that the narrative impetus of Resident Evil Village is Ethan Winters getting back his daughter, not to mention the fetal imagery in much of the marketing, it's fair to say that Dimitrescu kidnaps young children in order to consume them in some way, shape, or form.
Of course, Lady Dimitrescu's actual story is much different than her source material, and the way she ties into the extended Resident Evil lore is probably much more complicated. That being said, it's interesting to think about the origins of the character and where her creators might have drawn some inspiration from.