The official Resident Evil Twitter account recently sparked speculation within the community after posting a tweet that read "4 Itchy. Tasty." Although Capcom is yet to explain exactly what it is teasing with the tweet, theories have already surfaced online, such as the possibility of a new project related to the original Resident Evil, or an upcoming announcement regarding the long-rumored remake of Resident Evil 4.
Although only time can tell what the tweet is teasing, it is worth mentioning that it is actually a reference to the Keeper's Diary found in the original Resident Evil. For new players in the franchise who haven't played the first Resident Evil game, or its 2002 remake, here are the origins of the Keeper's Diary and how it exposed what has transpired in the Spencer Mansion.
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The Origins of the Keeper's Diary in Resident Evil
Players who have played the original Resident Evil game would know that before the revelation of the underground laboratory, the biggest mystery in the first half of the game is how the mansion was infested with zombies and other monsters. Upon further inspection of the mansion, players will come across a diary belonging to its keeper. In it, players will see several entries that ultimately led to the keeper being infected with the T-Virus.
However, the creepiest part of the document is the last few entries which read, "Fever gone but itchy. Hungry and eat doggie food. Itchy itchy Scott came. Ugly face so killed him. Tasty." This was followed by the iconic line: "4 Itchy. Tasty." Given the wordings in the final entries in the diary, it is obvious that the keeper has either turned or was in the process of turning into a zombie when he wrote it. Thus, after reading the diary, Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine will face none other than the keeper himself, who would burst out from inside a closet as a fully-turned zombie.
How The Keeper's Diary Showed a Glimpse of the Mansion before STARS Arrival
Although much of the cutscenes in Resident Evil drove the story forward and ultimately revealed Umbrella's involvement with creating the T-Virus, it was the documents and journals scattered around the mansion that filled in the details. In a way, it did offer a glimpse of what has transpired before the arrival of STARS in the mansion from the perspective of its residents, workers, and researchers.
The first few entries in the Keeper's Diary started normal, such as him playing poker with one of the mansion's guards and researchers. However, the keeper then revealed how one of the researchers asked him to care for a new monster. This shows that, while the keeper is not involved with the actual research, he is privy to all the biological experiments happening beneath the mansion. Towards the middle of the diary, the keeper revealed how his buddy Scott woke him up one morning, asking him to wear a protective suit due to an accident in the lab.
The diary also revealed that the mansion didn't fall apart overnight, given that the keeper was still able to write several entries. For example, just three days after the keeper knew of the accident in the lab, he began complaining of feeling unwell, but he still decided to take a day off to see his girlfriend. However, he soon discovered that Umbrella, whose influence is still felt in the Resident Evil franchise today, has issued a quarantine disallowing anyone to leave the compound. The keeper also wrote about a rumor that a researcher was shot dead after attempting to escape.
In Resident Evil's 2002 remake, the Keeper's Diary was slightly altered, although the main gist remained unchanged. The only difference is that Capcom omitted the story about the keeper wanting to see his girlfriend. In the end, documents such as the Keeper's Diary have become an essential part of Resident Evil's storytelling. Although dialogue and cutscenes revealed key plot elements, the documents served as complimentary plot devices that told characters' stories off-screen.
In the end, these documents and journals even made the experience of playing a Resident Evil game even scarier, given that their stories and the horrors they witnessed were left to the player's imagination.
The Resident Evil remake is out now for GameCube, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Wii.
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