The Necromorphs. Reanimated corpses twisted into horrific new forms by an alien infection; genetically puppeteered by an ominous artifact called the Marker. These undead killing machines stop at nothing to end Isaac Clark’s escape in the Dead Space remake. They were scary when they first emerged in 2008, but the remake propels these iconic foes to new, terrifying heights.
The remake has done a fantastic job of showing us just how gruesome the Necromorphs can be. Their AI has seen an improvement; with some actively dodging your attempts to dismember them. However, they have never looked this scary, and here are the ones that frighten the most under the remake's glow.
10 Slashers
These are the most common forms of Necromorphs you’ll encounter, and they’ve been given a seriously grotesque make-over. Their fleshy appendages and claws ooze detail, and it’s a terrifying sight to watch these scream and power walk toward you.
Some Slashers still adorn the uniforms worn by the inhabitants of the Ishimura and the remake's graphical fidelity shines when it shows off the tattered remains of clothing ripped apart by mutation. A reminder that these creatures were once human. Shooting them, which you should do immediately, shows off the game's flesh-tearing physics - greatly adding to that body horror vibe.
9 Lurkers
The idea of a reanimated baby was already such a dark design when Dead Space hit in 2008. The remake reminds players just how brutal the alien infection can affect an infantile human.
Their small bodies appear fractured, revealing harrowing graphical details as they perform their signature move: clinging to a wall and shooting you from protruding tentacles. Getting too close will even prompt a Lurker to rush you down - an attack new to the remake - causing a fast flee in the opposite direction.
8 Dividers
They were the scariest Necromorph in the original, and the remake has ensured they’ve kept that title. Taller, faster, and probably lankier, Dividers are still the pinnacle in Dead Space horror monster design, and that eerie, spine-chilling moan they perform once they’ve spotted you is even more haunting thanks to a revamped soundscape.
Destroying the body still has them splitting (or dividing) apart into a set of attacking limbs. The fluidity in these aggressive appendages has been upped as they slither hastily to chip away Isaac’s life. Thank goodness there's only a handful of these you’ll have to contend with.
7 Tentacles
These slimy death traps will usually attack Isaac unsuspectingly and attempt to drag you away for a quick kill. In these sequences, detaching yourself from the tentacle is your only hope to survive, and if you’re successful, the entrails reveal a horrifying detail.
Due to graphical enhancements, peering inside a cut-off tentacle will reveal an assortment of human heads. It's moments like this that truly emphasize the most gruesome details in Dead Space and reinforces the Necromorphs' assimilation qualities far greater.
6 Leapers
Leapers are dog-like Necromorphs that crawl and leap toward you, hoping to stab you with their sharp tail spine. They are formidable bullet sponges (especially the super versions) that appear much larger and more built in the remake.
The detail on the face area is gruelingly noteworthy. The cheeks have torn apart à la Predator, and their eyes glow a sickly yellow. They’re fast too, just to add to its growing checklist of horrific features.
5 Aiden Chen
Chen is one of the crew members aboard the Kellion, alongside Isaac, which crash lands on the Ishimura. His character arc plays out identically in the remake to the original, that is until he comes back as a unique Necromorph and is given way more screen time. And the results are terrifying.
Chen’s story events still play out the same (infecting an entire ship), but it's his final moments that reveal Chen's horrific design. The horror lies in still being able to tell its Chen - somewhere underneath all the grisly claws ripping through him.
4 The Hunter
Dead Space toyed with the idea of having a formidable creature that pursued you and, above all else, was unkillable. EA wanted its own version of Resident Evil 3’s Nemesis, and the result was the Hunter. The remake reminded us how fear-inducing this Necromorph is.
Not too dissimilar to its 2008 original, the Hunter now appears much fleshier and bulkier. The newest detail seems to be the long, spaghetti-like tendrils that droop from its exposed skeletal jaw; giving the appearance of a tongue. Now, the Hunter looks like it's salivating for your demise.
3 Wheezers
Wheezers technically don’t pose much of a threat. Former humans turned into pulsating poison emitters, Wheezers can only be stopped when you inject them with an enzyme. However, the remake has gone to town on making them look more horrifying than ever.
The most noticeable gruesome detail is the eye. That one eye that’s popped right out. Coupled with the creature's diabolic situation, the remake really makes us feel sorry for the humans that they were before the transformation.
2 Twitchers
What do you get if you fuse Stasis with an alien infection? Flash Necromorphs. Twitchers are former soldiers of the USM Valor which crashes into the Ishimura towards the end of the game. Formidable opponents, Twitchers have seen a sizable change in appearance.
Gone is the naked, ape-like look from 2008, and replaced with something that makes more sense to its design. They still adorn the military suits they were killed in, which make them armored. And what’s left of their Stasis pack is on display – a visible cue to shoot.
1 Spitters
Spitters were not a very common Necromorph in the original version. In fact, you could argue they looked the most underdeveloped and human. But in 2023, Spitters have been given a nightmarish make-over.
Seeing them at first is hard to distinguish them from Slashers. However, get close enough and you can see the entire face, and most of its body, has been corroded by the same acid it spits at you. Paired with the fact that the remake features more Spitters, you can tell the devs really wanted to make a standout design this time around.