History ShoutOut / ResidentEvil4

** The faces of both sets of characters cannot be seen due to an eye-slotted paper bag for the former and head bandages for the latter, referencing Leatherface.

* The deadly LaserHallway is taken straight from a similar scene in the first ''Film/ResidentEvil'' film.

** This is also a shout-out to VideoGame/ResidentEvil2 as the main gun itself is the [=VP70=] handgun Leon used in that game. You could find the parts to upgrade Leon's handgun to the Matilda, and Hunk had one listed as the Matilda in his inventory in "The 4th Survivor" subplot.

[[folder: Video Games]]

[[folder: Miscellaneous]]

* The Las Plagas Parasite is basically the same as the ones from ''Manga/Parasyte'', right down to more mature hosts having blades come out of their heads when they split open from their hosts.

* The non-canon secret weapon [[InfinitePlusOneSword P.R.L. 412]] can be seen as a shout-out to the [[Franchise/MegaMan Mega Buster]]. It fires weaker single shots and blast off stronger, charged shots that can kill almost every enemy in one hit.

* Sometimes the zealots chant, "Cerebros, cerebros, cerebros" (Latin for "Brains, brains, brains"), a shoutout to 1985's ''Film/TheReturnOfTheLivingDead''.

** He's also warning you about the longer reload time there, which can get you very killed if you're not careful.

* There are many similarities to the monstrous mutations and Creator/JohnCarpenter's ''Film/TheThing1982''. Most noticeably the Colmillos, the wolves in the game, which look almost exactly like the dog in the film, and the second head bursting out of "It" looks an awful lot like a mutation at the climax of ''The Thing''
* Bitores Mendez heavily resembles Grigori Rasputin. In fact, Jessi Corti's voice work for him even bears an uncanny resemblance to Grigori Rasputin from ''Film/Hellboy2004''.
** Not to mention that, like Rasputin (at least somewhat), it takes [[RasputinianDeath a lot to kill Bitores completely]] (unless you've got the Infinite RL or Typewriter)

* ''Film/InvasionOfTheBodySnatchers''
-->'''Saddler:''' [[AGodAmI Don't you think this is a revolutionary way to propagate one's faith?]]
-->'''Leon:''' [[LampshadeHanging Sounds more like an alien invasion if you ask me!]]
* Krauser's use of a bow and explosive arrows, both during his boss fight and in The Mercenaries may be a shout-out to the Rambo films. Heck, the guy is an '80s action movie personified.
* [[http://www.relyonhorror.com/latest-news/resident-evil-4-deeply-inspired-by-lovecraftian-film-dagon/ It's been noted]] that the game contains a lot of similarities with ''Film/{{Dagon}}'', an adaptation of ''Literature/TheShadowOverInnsmouth''. The inhuman villagers armed primarily with melee weapons stalking a lone protagonist, the setting in rural Spain, and the religious cult revolving around betentacled abominations are all similarities. A random villager even looks almost exactly like the Merchant.
* The Verdugo looks like a cross between the Franchise/{{Alien}} (body) and the Franchise/{{Predator}} (head), complete with the latter's [[LaserSight laser vision]], and also uses JawsFirstPersonPerspective while stalking Leon. To defeat him, you'll have to use liquid nitrogen tanks to freeze him, like how the T-1000 was initially defeated in ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay''. And on top of that, if you try to take him down by normal means (even if you fire a rocket at him), he may even [[FingerWag condescendingly wag a finger at you]], just like the T-1000.
** The Type III plagas, when detached from a Ganado, strongly resemble crawling facehuggers from ''Franchise/{{Alien}}''.
* Salazar's throne room TrapDoor is similar to Jabba's in ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', although instead of being FedToTheBeast, the victim is dropped onto SpikesOfDoom.
** Osmund Saddler looks and talks like [[StarWars Emperor Palpatine]].
* Dr. Salvador resembles both [[Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre Leatherface]], and [[Franchise/FridayThe13th Jason Voorhees]] when he [[Film/FridayThe13thPart2 wore a burlap sack mask]].
* When Leon and Ashley reach the Castle, they're chased into it by [[Film/{{Frankenstein1931}} a mob of angry townsfolk carrying torches and pitchforks.]]

* Luis' manner of death, impaled in the chest by surprise, from behind, by an previously unseen enemy, is a shoutout to Bishop's (non-fatal) evisceration in ''Film/{{Aliens}}''.
** Foreshadowed when Luis had earlier quoted ''Aliens'' in the cabin scene: "It's game time."

** [[DamselScrappy Ashley]] shares several traits with Kim Bauer.
** Leon's pose for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 and 2007 PC [[http://mlm-s1-p.mlstatic.com/resident-evil-4-play-station-2-ps2-nuevo-2626-MLM2864816194_072012-O.jpg covers of the game]] are very similar [[http://cdn.staticneo.com/w/24/thumb/4/4a/Season4jack.jpg/300px-Season4jack.jpg to the spine graphic of season four's DVD set.]]

* The early parts of the game seem to have been somewhat influenced by the Village of the Crazies from the cult movie ''Film/{{Gymkata}}''. In particular, there's a shot in the film of a victim impaled to a door with a pitchfork that is very closely matched by the dead woman you find pinned to a wall before entering the village.

** [[ChainsawGood Both sets of characters wield their chainsaws]] [[OneHitKill with iconic precision]].

* [=Killer7=], a .45 pistol with an enormous laser sight is nearly identical to the handgun used in the first ''[[Film/TheTerminator Terminator]]'' film.
** In the cutscene before the fight with Mendez, Leon says "Hasta luego" as he takes aim at a drum of gasoline and immolates him. While not an exact quote, it means that same thing as "Hasta la vista" and was surely inspired by Arnie's famous use of it in ''Terminator 2''.

* There are ''tons'' of similarities to ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'':
** Leon receiving radio calls on a regular basis, shifting to a new screen with two faces talking to each other.
** One item that consistently puzzles players are the crates containing snakes. How would you get a full grown [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid snake in a box]]? It crawled into the box as a tiny snake, and grew to full size there. This implies enough creatures coming to the box for the snake to live and grow on.
** During a radio conversation in which Salazar mentions "chasing down a couple of rats", Leon replies: "There's an intruder besides me?"
** The limited-weight elevator that Leon rides up to the top of the Tower in Chapter 4-4 won't rise because it's at its weight limit [[spoiler:due to invisible enemies being on board]].
** Krauser's super-soldier philosophy "charting a new course for the world." In fact his entire character shares many similarities with Grey Fox from ''VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake'', as discussed [[http://i.gyazo.com/23192956da7bd83c52e0e565acb3c91c.png here.]]
** When [[spoiler:Mike is taken down from the air with a RPG]], Saddler will call Leon and tell him that "It's no different from swatting a bothersome fly," mimicking the euphemism used by Liquid Snake.
* In one of the castle rooms, you can find some fire-spitting statues of dragons. They are almost identical to the weapon Ifrit from the first ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' game.
** The ending is exactly like the one for ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'', though a jetski is used rather than a biplane which Dante used to escape. In fact, one of the early builds of ''Resident Evil 4'' was turned into ''Devil May Cry'' due it straying too far from being ''Resident Evil''.
* Help the trapped dog early on and he'll come back to help Leon in the first El Gigante fight. The dog is none other than Hewie from ''VideoGame/HauntingGround''.
** The situation and result are a reference to the ancient Roman fable ''Androcles and the Lion''.
* The final part of the game in "Separate Ways", when you need to get Leon the rocket launcher, seems to be based off of part of a map (oil rig) in ''VideoGame/CounterStrike''.
* Not only is there an underground lab section with [[Film/ResidentEvil a nearly impossible-to-pass laser grid system]], but afterwards there's a chair with two candelabra in which Leon can strike a pose similar to [[Franchise/{{Castlevania}} a certain dark lord]].
* Having to navigate up ladders and stairs while someone rolls barrels down the stairs in the Tower in Chapter 4-4. Some of the barrels are on fire. Early 2D ''Franchise/DonkeyKong'', anyone?
** Speaking of 2D platformers, the Cathedral --if viewed from the exit -- would look like an old 2D platformer, with the statue's hands being elevators between platforms.
* "It", aka U3, looks like a centaur from the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' series of games, particularly the earlier games. Its second form even ends up with two heads, like the Fallout centaur.
** Discussed [[http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Talk:Centaur#resembelance_to_.22IT.22_in_resident_evil_4 here]] on the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}} wiki.
** The section right after the encounter with It is a couple of large tents set up with barrels around them, with crates and boxes stacked inside. Set in a nook between two cliffs, the way forward is down a ladder into the ground. Like some areas and random encounters in the early ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' games.
* Leon being chased by a boulder (twice) is a shoutout to the same chase in the original ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil''. They may both be shoutouts to the boulder chase in ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk''.
* The paintings of the dead in the portrait puzzle room seem like a clear reference to ''Franchise/SilentHill'', and its many ominous paintings. Or possibly even to VideoGame/ResidentEvil2 and Brian Irons' creepy art collection.
* The giant swinging axe-like blades that Leon must pass through after dealing with the Novistadores in the sewer are a shoutout to the very similar series of traps in the first ''VideoGame/TombRaider'' game.
** Ada's swan dive off of the drilling rig at the end of the game is a shoutout to Lara's iconic swan dive move.
** Ada also climbs onto a ledge up by doing a forward handstand, like Lara Croft's special handstand method of climbing up onto a ledge.
** When Leon's dealing with the ancient underground ruins, there are a couple of sarcophaguses in an underground cavern. He loots a jeweled scepter from one grave, which means he's literally raiding a tomb for treasure. He later does some platforming in above ground ancient ruins in the final confrontation with Krauser. Both are ironic aspects of the ''Franchise/TombRaider'' games.
* Leon, Ashley, and Ada get short of breath after running a ways. Harry Mason did the same in 1999 in ''Franchise/ResidentEvil''[='=]s main rival ''VideoGame/SilentHill1''.

* The Merchant's "Welcome!" and "Heheheh, thank you!" lines are lifted almost straight from the merchants in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight''.
* When Leon first finds Ashley, she throws a lamp at him and says, "Don't come!" just like various [=NPCs=] from ''VideoGame/HouseOfTheDead''.
* One of the weapons is not only titled ''VideoGame/{{killer7}}'', but it also resembles KAEDE's gun from said game. Shinji Mikami both produced and helped Suda write ''killer7'', and it was one of the other games in the "Capcom 5" set of (what were supposed to be) Gamecube-exclusives.
** Additionally, the way Leon rests the handcannon on his shoulder with the barrel behind his neck is identical to how Dan Smith carries his gun in ''killer7''.

* After reaching the Castle, Leon and Ashley are frequently attacked by figures in black robes and cowls, wielding scythes to take Leon's life. [[AC:death]] personified.

* In addition to the aforementioned ''Tomb Raider'' reference, there's also the simply fact that the room having a pit and the blades swinging is reminiscent of Creator/EdgarAllanPoe's ''Literature/ThePitAndThePendulum''.
* The way the Plagas look when they burst out of someone's head, with a quickly-whipping mass of bladed tentacles and eyestalks sticking out of their necks, bears more than a passing resemblance to the parasites in ''Manga/{{Parasyte}}''.

* The deadly laser hallway is taken straight from a similar scene in the first ''Film/ResidentEvil'' film.

* Dr. Salvador resembles both [[Franchise/TheTexasChainsawMassacre Leatherface]], and [[Franchise/FridayThe13th Jason Voorhees]] when he [[Film/FridayThe13thPart2 wore a burlap sack mask]].

* Checking the first "warning sign", which includes four human skulls, Leon says, "[[Film/StarWars I've got a bad feeling about this]]."

* Bitores Mendez heavily resembles Grigori Rasputin. In fact, Jessi Corti's voice work for him even bears an uncanny resemblance to Grigori Rasputin from the ''Film/{{Hellboy}}'' movie.

** This is also a shout-out to VideoGame/ResidentEvil2 as the main gun itself is the VP70 handgun Leon used in that game. You could find the parts to upgrade Leon's handgun to the Matilda, and Hunk had one listed as the Matilda in his inventory in "The 4th Survivor" subplot.

** The movie being referenced is [[Film/TheProfessional ''Leon'' aka ''The Professional'']]. The main characters are named Leon and Mathilda.

** The ending is exactly like the one for ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'', though a jetski is used rather than a biplane which Dante used to escape. In fact, one of the early builds of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'' was turned into ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' due it straying too far from being ''Resident Evil''.

** During a radio conversation in which Salazar mentions "chasing down a couple of rats", Leon replies: [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid "There's an intruder besides me?"]].
** The limited-weight elevator that Leon rides up to the top of the Tower in Chapter 4-4 is a shout-out to the first ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' game. Snake's on an elevator that won't rise because it's at its weight limit [[spoiler:due to invisible enemies being on board]].
** Krauser's super-soldier "charting a new course for the world" is a shout-out to ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid''. In fact his entire character shares many similarities with Grey Fox from ''VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake'', as discussed [[http://i.gyazo.com/23192956da7bd83c52e0e565acb3c91c.png here.]]
** When [[spoiler:Mike is taken down from the air with a RPG]], Saddler will call Leon and tell him that [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid "It's no different from swatting a bothersome fly"]], mimicking the euphemism used by Liquid Snake.

* The limited-weight elevator that Leon rides up to the top of the Tower in Chapter 4-4 is a shout-out to the first ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' game. Snake's on an elevator that won't rise because it's at its weight limit [[spoiler:due to invisible enemies being on board]].

* Krauser's super-soldier "charting a new course for the world" is a shout-out to ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid''.
* Krauser's entire character shares many similarities with Grey Fox from ''VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake'', as discussed [[http://i.gyazo.com/23192956da7bd83c52e0e565acb3c91c.png here.]]
* One item that consistently puzzles players are the crates containing snakes. How would you get a full grown [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid snake in a box]]? It crawled into the box as a tiny snake, and grew to full size there. This implies enough creatures coming to the box for the snake to live and grow on.
* When [[spoiler:Mike is taken down from the air with a RPG]], Saddler will call Leon and tell him that [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid "It's no different from swatting a bothersome fly"]], mimicking the euphemism used by Liquid Snake.

* During a radio conversation in which Salazar mentions "chasing down a couple of rats", Leon replies: [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid "There's an intruder besides me?"]].

* ''InvasionOfTheBodySnatchers''

* The Plagas bear more than a passing resemblance to the parasites in ''Manga/{{Parasyte}}.'' Specifically, a normal human walking towards you with a quickly-whipping mass of bladed tentacles and eyestalks sticking out of his neck.

* The Las Plagas Mutations are inspired heavily by the manga ''Manga/{{Parasyte}}''.

* The final part of the game in "Separate Ways", when you need to get Leon the rocket launcher, seems to be based off of part of a map (oil rig) in ''VideoGame/{{Counter-Strike}}''.

* In addition to the aforementioned ''Tomb Raider'' reference, there's also the simply fact that the room having a pit and the blades swinging is reminiscent of [[Creator/EdgarAllanPoe Edgar Allan Poe]]'s ''The Pit and the Pendulum''.

* Salazar's throne room TrapDoor is similar to Jabba's in ''ReturnOfTheJedi'', although instead of being FedToTheBeast, the victim is dropped onto SpikesOfDoom.