As the trio starts exploring the abandoned school, we get a strong sense the demo is squarely focused on proving the series is still capable of scaring the pants off players.
Save for the occasional crack of thunder and flash of lightning, the campus' interior, immediately evocative of the original Resident Evil's creepy mansion, is quiet and dark. Especially eerie is the banquet hall where the president's post-speech reception was to take place; bright bouquets of helium balloons, champagne glasses, and place settings await guests who will now probably feast on human flesh rather than fancy hors d'oeuvres. As Leon, Helena and the mystery man with the nagging cough continue to search the building, they encounter scurrying rats in an abandoned kitchen, a bloody handprint on a closed door, and plenty of hallway windows we half expect a virally-infected canine to come crashing through. There's also plenty of empty rooms to explore, corridors to cautiously creep down, and closed doors—with god knows what behind them—to open. The demo's first half is completely devoid of undead enemies, yet it affectively gets the hairs on the back of our necks dancing an uneasy jig.