FromSoftware's 2015 masterpiece Bloodborne is chock-full of chilling monsters. With inspiration heavily drawn from the work of H.P. Lovecraft, the game's enemies represent the pinnacle of creepy design. Even minor foes stand out as nightmarishly memorable.
What makes something freaky in Bloodborne? Raw scare value and difficulty in combat, certainly, but, in a game so fixated on the metaphysical, there are other more subtle ways the game's monsters unsettle players—namely through inflections of the eldritch beyond that defies mortal understanding.
Bound Widow
In the parapets of Cainhurst Castle, tall silver specters float through the halls, weeping with daggers in hand. These are the Bound Widows, ghosts of the castle’s inhabitants, and members of the Vileblood lineage. Slow-moving and wraithlike, these enemies are most dangerous in packs, swarming the hunter and creating a dangerous maze in cramped environments like the Cainhurst library.
A particular headless variation has the ability to paralyze a hunter with a blood-curdling scream, leaving the player vulnerable to attack from the descending pack.
Cloaked Beast Patient
First encountered in the fire-ravaged Old Yharnam, the Cloaked Beast Patient is a variation of their more common uncloaked counterparts. These minor enemies most resemble werewolves and tend to wait in hiding to ambush unsuspecting hunters. Most unsettling about these creatures, however, is that they are covered by raggedy sheets, leaving the mind to its own devices when imagining what horrors dwell beneath the veil.
Cliche though it may be on paper, there’s something undeniably freaky about an obscured figure racing from the darkness to attack the player. The Cloaked Beast Patient’s creepiness is further emphasized by the presence of countless statues bearing their likeness. Even a skilled hunter may have difficulty differentiating between real and fake beasts.
Chapel Giant
Cathedrals hold a special place in the Soulsborne series, and Bloodborne's Cathedral Ward is no exception. In the inner courtyard, colossal Chapel Giants guard the secrets of the healing church. Players would be forgiven for mistaking these foes for a boss; towering over hunters and wielding an enormous axe or ball and chain, these enemies are not to be underestimated.
Belying their imposing stature, the Chapel Giants are impressively fast, able to stomp or strike a hunter before he or she can even reach for a healing blood vial. For inexperienced hunters, there are few things scarier than rounding a corner only to attract the attention of a group of these ghoulish titans.
Snatcher
After slaying the Blood-Starved Beast boss in Old Yharnam, tall hooded figures appear in the city's back alleys and dark corners. Covered head to toe in tattered black robes and wielding large burlap sacks as cudgels, these lanky enemies are known as Snatchers.
If grabbed, the player will not only lose their hard-won Blood Echoes, but they will also be transported to Hypogean Gaol, forcing a grueling fight through a legion of Snatchers and other enemies to return to familiar territory. A nuanced blend of design choices and gameplay mechanics makes this one of the game's most unsettling enemies.
Fluorescent Flower
One of Bloodborne’s least-understood foes, this chitinous enemy only appears outside the grounds of Byrgenwerth. Despite a pleasant-sounding name, these celestial enemies easily have one of the freakiest designs of Bloodborne's monsters. Their centipede-like body towers over hunters, revealing an enormous mouth of gnashing teeth that runs along the creature's neck, reminiscent of the Gaping Dragon from the game's spiritual and studio predecessor Dark Souls.
Even creepier, the monster appears to be engulfed in the aura of what looks like an ethereal nervous system, a celestial Kin, puppeteering the centipede from another dimension.
Vermin Host
Deep in the Forbidden Woods outside Yharnam’s city, the hunt intensifies. Here, the scourge of beasts takes on a new form, infecting would-be hunters with dozens of demonic serpents.
The Vermin Host is one such enemy. Though they look like a normal hunter at a distance, when the player approaches, a mass of snakes will erupt from this foe’s head, revealing a Medusa-like enemy that can inflict long-range poison strikes. These walking serpent vortexes are particularly dangerous in groups, so be sure to tread carefully when braving the forests leading to Byrgenworth.
Brainsucker
Fast, deadly, and with a face full of tentacles, the Brainsucker is an easy addition to this list. These enemies represent students of eldritch knowledge who went too far in assimilating the mysteries of the Great Ones and suffered physical transformation as a result. If they catch an unsuspecting hunter, they'll unleash an enormous, spiked tentacle that will impale the player's skull and siphon their thoughts.
In addition to inflicting damage, this also results in the loss of two points of Insight. Later in the game, a hooded variation of this enemy appears that has the power to cast paralysis spells, leaving the player open to their grab attack. The so-called Soulsborne games are known for their expansive lore and secrets, so there are few things freakier than a monster that literally eats thoughts.
Bloodlicker
These creepy-crawlies inhabit the outskirts of Cainhurst Castle where they wait for unsuspecting hunters on which to feed. Visually, the most arresting part of the Bloodlicker is the translucent, flea-like sack of blood on their abdomen that grows and shrinks as they drain the player or vitality. There are even variations on this enemy representing different degrees of engorgement, from "Starved" to "Bloated."
RELATED: 6 Reasons Why Bloodborne Deserves The Netflix Castlevania Treatment
They’re a nightmare in combat, using their insect-like legs to leap in and out of striking distance with staggering speed. As grotesque as they are deadly, this monster definitely deserves a spot among Bloodborne's freakiest enemies.
Cramped Casket
This terrifying ghoul can be found exclusively in the blood-soaked streets of Yahar'gul, the Unseen Village, and the Hypogean Gaol. Preying on an age-old fear of being buried alive, the Cramped Casket is, as its name might suggest, a coffin packed to overflowing with dozens of decomposing bodies, all gnashing and clawing at the player.
In terms of design, players are hard-pressed to find a more grotesque creature, even among the game's bosses. These enemies will not only grab and strike at passing hunters, but they will also spit bloody spikes as a ranged attack. Beware of any odd-looking boxes in the Unseen Village, or be sure to carry one of Bloodborne’s most useful items, fire paper, which is their weakness.
Winter Lantern
Deadly and ominous, the Winter Lanterns are an easy choice for Bloodborne's freakiest enemy. First encountered in the Nightmare of Mensis and later in the Nightmare Realm, just looking at these otherworldly abominations inflicts damage and Frenzy status upon the player character. This enemy represents a corrupting degree of insight into eldritch matters, the full scope of which is incomprehensible to the human mind. It's impossible to get freakier than that.
Initially, they appear to be a tumorous mass of flesh and eyes, but closer inspection reveals that they are created of decomposing bodies of Messengers, resembling the Brain of Mensis. This enemy is also wearing, rather unsettlingly, the Doll's clothes. These subtle design choices suggest this monster may be a manifestation of the hunter's own subconscious, as this creature is composed of perversions of allies encountered in the Hunter's Dream.