Photoshoot: Resident Evil 3 - Jill Valentine Cosplay
Added 2020-03-29 14:00:03 +0000 UTCI always remember the day, twenty years ago, that Resident Evil 3: Nemesis was released in the UK. I had been introduced to the series when Gareth and his best friend (Other Gareth) spent a couple of weeks helping each other through the original game. I would dip in and out whenever I visited and soon became obsessed with the story. Then they both bought Resident Evil 2 and even though none of us liked it as much, we were undeniable Resi fiends. In the lead up to Resident Evil 3, I devoured all the previews in magazines and to this day I don't think I have ever looked forward to something so much.
When release day finally arrived, the two Gareths picked me up from college (which made me the talk of my year group, because even in those days everybody was convinced I was having threesomes) and we rushed to Cardiff Virgin Megastore to secure our copies. For some reason, instead of doing the sensible thing and going straight home to play the game we had all been waiting for, we decided to go for an afternoon drive. Long story short, we ended up getting stuck sideways in a country lane after Other Gareth attempted an ill-advised three point turn on the way back from visiting Rockfield Studios.
Anyway, once we finally made it back to Gareth's house the fun really began. After hooking the Playstation up to the surround sound, it was not long before the room was full of screams. And that was just Gareth. By today's gaming standards, it's difficult to understand why we would have been so scared. But we had never experienced anything like it before. The Nemesis monster could appear at any time and could even open doors, meaning that the old method of leaving the room was no longer an option. As the evening went on, it all became too terrifying and we had to turn it off.
Over that weekend, we managed to battle through and complete the game. Then we played it again and again and again. I don't think a year has gone by when I haven't replayed the game. It is a part of my life and despite being a fictional animated character, Jill Valentine is one of my biggest role models.
Two decades on, here we are in the middle of a real-life virus outbreak and a remake of Resident Evil 3 is about to be released. I'm not sure which of those scenarios I would have found more implausible a few years ago. To celebrate, I have finally fulfilled my ambition to cosplay as my heroine. I had originally intended to do the photoshoot in a derelict area of Liverpool that looks remarkably like Raccoon City. Sadly the virus lockdown has scuppered those plans so I opted for the next best location: my Victorian back yard in Bootle.
I made the costume myself, mainly by customising items of clothing from Primark. However the harness was created totally from scratch, as were the knee high boots. But I am most proud of the gun, which you might recognise from my Wedding List photoshoot. I crafted it from EVA foam using the blueprints for an actual Samurai Edge handgun. Everything is accurate except the weight. To make it authentic to Resident Evil 3, I printed out the S.T.A.R.S. logo and glued them on. The look is completed with the bob wig first modelled in my Glasgow photoshoot. Props include a green herb for healing (actually a weed from my yard), a first aid spray, an ink ribbon for aving progress and the small wrench that Jill uses to gain access to the petrol station. I am so pleased with the finished look and will enjoy channelling my inner Jill when I play the remake on release day next week, no doubt re-igniting another chapter of my Resident Evil obsession.
