DEAD RISING - Who Are The "True Eye Cult" 

They were creepy when I first met them. Then I fought them and was afraid knowing "pocket sand" could happen at any moment and you have about half a second to react.

Honestly, the True Eye Cult having a small amount of screen time and a lack of an explanation is something I see as a positive since it helps add more to the horror element Dead Rising had that the others lacked. Their mystery is what helps make them such memorable and creepy villains, to the point where I'd say they are more unsettling than Adam or most of the other psychos. People like Adam and Cliff had their psyches broken by the zombie outbreak, it brought out the worst in others like Joe Slade and Cletus, but the True Eye Cult? The only idea we have of them is that they're taking advantage of the situation, but apart from that what is there to know? In horror literature it's often agreed that the lack of a detailed explanation helps keep something scary (Michael Myers, the Lovecraft Mythos, and Silent Hill come to mind) and in this instance I think it's true. I'll always prefer some form of a backstory to these things, in fact I think F.E.A.R. and Resident Evil do a good job at that, but we got that with the zombies so I don't mind that a single element from the game remains an enigma.

A day StiP0 uploads, is a good day!

I always assumed the True Eye Cult was formed AFTER the outbreak, and Sean was a normal pastor/priest who went crazy and recruited other survivors to form the cult

"trenchcoat mafia" you like playing doom?

I think the fact that we don't know that much about them is what makes them so effectively scary

DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY!!!

Its amazing to see somebody this enthusiastic to do research for one game (series). I respect that a lot!

I always just figured it was a "cult" that sprung up around Sean as a result of collective paranoia amidst the growing zombie outbreak. Not something that had any ties to before the outbreak. Sean himself probably could have been a normal pastor dude, that goes crazy like many of the other psychopaths in the game. If he were the leader of an actual cult, I think they'd have a more cohesive look with their branding, but this isn't so. Looking at the raincoats/masks they seem like something thrown together rather quickly than something thought out beforehand, and Sean's icon being made of blood makes me think that it was something that's a product of the outbreak itself. After all, if he's this defacto leader, you'd think he'd have proper robes and stuff with the icon properly on it, and not have to make it out of blood. Overall, it seems more to me like scared survivors grouping around a personality with authority taking on a fever pitch as a result of what's going on around them. Becoming martyrs and zealots willing to do anything to stave off the ongoing apocalypse. I've never found them to be directly "satanic", rather just having a skewed version of a god that fits what's going on around them. If you've ever seen the movie "The Mist" a really similar thing happens among the group in which a bunch of the survivors group up around a religious nut, to the point of murdering those who stand opposed to their views. I think that's more likely a scenario.

the true eye cult was really why i never completed deadrising when i was younger, they scared the shit out of me

The creepiest thing about these guys in my opinion is that they had to have existed long before the outbreak, lurking in the dark corners of Willamette. It's really unsettling to think that a group this large and sinister can exist in such a relatively small town.

there are just a "few" surviver, but there is a ton of cult member, I just wonder what did they do to prevent infection?

i wish we could get their outfit

Aye dude thank you for doing deadrising content, it's probably my 2nd favorite game of all time right behind megaman legends, its so interesting and the feel is so different from every other entry in the franchise.

The True Eye cult are what keeps Dead Rising from being like all of the other zombie games. The air of mystery that surrounds them is just part of their charm. What I want to know is - why don't zombies attack them? What lore reason is there behind that? And why can't Frank utilise it?

Their little mist throw then capture move was such bs anyway enjoyed the video get em coming!

One interesting thing to note is the supermarket in North Plaza is called Seon's and the Cult Leader is named Sean. If you're right in assuming they had a bigger role originally, maybe he was somekind of founder to the mall but when the story shifted during development they changed a letter in his name to erase his bigger role?

I’ve been waiting for this topic for a long time stipo thank you

I get free chicken, and now stipo vid what a day.

It’s obvious They’re just Jim Carey “the mask” fans

Or as I call them, "free XP"

Personally I would guess that originally the true eye cult might have been either the source of the outbreak(a.k.a instead of Carlito being the main antagonist they were behind it all), considering they are basically satanists they might have seen in as jump starting the apocalypse, or they were somehow linked to Carlito. All things considered it is a bit silly to think that Carlito and his sister alone were able to start and outbreak that would almost instantly engulf the whole city. It would make more sense for them to have some sort of help like a cult that would spread the virus around. Maybe originally the cult was directly working with Carlito or they were manipulated by him to spread it around. It would certainly make more sense for a whole group to be behind Willamette than just Carlito.

Oh these guys mean something. Every time I see them XP XP XP XP XP XP XP XP XP LEVEL UP!

Man, I remember how scared I was when they caught you and you lose everything in your inventory. The feeling of being in the little room with them all turning to look at you while you stand there with nothing but a soccer ball. Great video as always.

I think the cult is a product of game mechanics. This is two points, so bare with me. 1, the devs decided to include an enemy type beyond zombies. Bosses are few and far between, and the zombies are lacking in threat level. So by making a tougher enemy type that can appear more often than bosses. You touched on this idea. 2, they wanted to introduce the mechanic of the special forces before that super tough enemy showed up. Like the special forces, the cult will kidnap you and take all your items. Like the special forces, they are an enemy somewhere between zombies and bosses. The special forces are very tough for anyone without a small chainsaw, and so the devs wanted to introduce the mechanic before you have to deal with this tough enemy.

I once stood around in Paradise Plaza and let the the scoop expire, I heard a scream.

you should've mentioned how the zombies completely ignore them. The zombies don't ignore the special forces. I think their weird behaviour and zombies ignoring them indicates that they partly undergone zombiefication and perhaps Sean and other high ranking cult members promised a cure to the zombiefication if they joined and engaged in the practices of the cult and out of desperation and fear they agreed

Amazing how you can make so many videos on one game and them be so enjoyable. Much love Stip0

I always seen them as a cult who 'knew end times were coming'. Also, them having limited time in the game is probably for the best, as the focus is obviously on the zombies and the 1 on 1 Psychopath encounters.

Wonder if there's more info on them in a Japanese guide book. Capcom has always put tons of lore in guidebooks for Japanese audience that hardly ever sees the light of day outside of Japan unless a fan translates it. Maybe something worth looking into one day.

Got my money's worth from Patreon for the "Stupid as fuck" soundbite at 8:30. Love you man!

The uniform might work as protection against the zombies. I might be wrong, but it looks like their coats/boots are made from some sort of leather/plastic, which would offer some degree of protection against bites or scratches. As for where they get them from, there might have been a store they raided either in or away from the mall - that one camping store in Paradise might be the one, but I'm not sure. Since zombies do seem to maintain a sense of smell, my guess is that the cult is using some kind of incense or smelling salt to repel them. The masks might help in confusing them more, but that's just a guess.

I honestly have so much respect for you continuing to make these vids. Though mainstream attention for Dead Rising has died down, you’re still giving respect to the game and adding info to the community. I’m glad you do because not every game has a fan so loyal

Just like the Flood in Halo:CE, the True Eye cultists were the reason I didn't finish the game until I gained a few more years of maturity. There's a level of terror that goes beyond what any horror game achieves. When you don't expect something, when it appears out of nowhere in a setting you don't steel yourself against and thus have your guard down, that's when things are at their most unsettling. That was true terror. Goofy looking and random, but terrifying nontheless.

it would have been cool if you got to see the cult and Special forces & zombies fighting later on like the cult ambushes them and everything like they didn't leave they where just hiding. also it always creeped me out how the zombies NEVER attacked them.

What I find most interesting is how the zombies never go after these guys. I think it's because the outfits they wear mask their scent, which is probably what the zombies are attracted to and want to attack/eat. A concept that never seemed to cross any of the survivors minds.

imagine doing halloween dressed as a cult member, blood stains on the coat, in group with a few friends. would be creepy af

I've been waiting for a StiP0 upload in forever. These videos are so damn good!

wait... HOW DO THEY STAND IN A CROWD OF ZOMBIES AND NOT GET EATEN???

Interesting how the zombies never attack the cult members either (but I'm pretty sure they never attack special forces either so it's probably just how the coded them and not intentional lore). Great video! As you said, I think them remaining as mysterious as they are make them a lot more special.

dont show footage of dead rising 4 you'll make me vomit

You see only the surface, journalist. We seek ascension, a transcendence beyond the limitations of this mundane world. The chaos is merely a catalyst for change. You lack the vision to comprehend. Our path is not for the narrow-minded. We embrace the chaos as others cower in fear.

It's been too long daddy STiP0 😍

Love this game because of this channel

Great video! 👍🏻👍🏻 It's a bit random but will you ever do a review on Dead Rising 3 ? And also, is there any chance of you playing & finishing the game (DR3) with Freako ?

I just guessed they were worshiping being part of zombies since they dont get attacked by them

I like to think the true eye cult went into hiding after Shaun died

You still have material for this game? AWESOME!

Always hated them. That rush towards you with the knife like one of the enemies in Streets of Rage or jumping at you to blow up always annoyed me.

3:05 I think I know why they wear the raincoats. The material is thick, and can't be bitten through. It's surprising nobody else has thought of that. Chuck's motorcycle jacket should also prevent bites.

I like to think maybe in the original design they were planned as more involved than we thought maybe in the original beta version or the concept art version the true eye cult was created as being a main antagonist of sort like you know what I mean like Carlito was obviously one of the main antagonists but what if in the beta the true eye cult served a bigger purpose like example what if they were behind a big conspiracy that was trying to Onset the outbreak! Like what if any original version Carlito wasn't the only one who started the outbreak this cult also was mostly involved in a big way what if example let's say Carlito was the secret cult leader all along or something like that pulling the strings and the Reverend was just a pawn of Carlitos I mean I guess the only way you're going to get a definitive answer is if you ask the creators themselves and I'm sure that the Creator would be more than happy to fill in these details to because direct member there a lot of things he loved to talk about when it came to Dead Rising like how he wanted to make it a parody of all the classic zombie tropes and originally he never thought it would be as popular as it was or something like that But the Creator's always indulge in little details in the past it would be interesting just see what he would say about this info if you could give us any more divulgence into the true meaning behind the true eye cult

Everyone who are the true eye cult? 9 minute video : no idea

Keep up the great videos, I love these. You do an amazing job of explaining everything and then showing us all there is, you're probably one of my favorite RU-vidrs.

It's still strange and eerie that they just appear out of nowhere and they are everywhere and just like that they disappeared, completely vanished from the face of the Earth never to be seen again....

I always assumed The True Eye cult was born of the outbreak, as a reaction to the zombie apocalypse, rather than an existing group that took advantage of the resulting hysteria...

Maybe Dead Rising was supposed to be paranormal instead of scientific? The cult did appear on an old piece of artwork.

I would always forget the girl locked in the closet after fighting the boss

maybe the true eye cult where meant to be the original villains of dead rising but it was changed to Carlito/Brock

I'm wondering if you know anything about the survivor Michelle? She was the one that fell off the roof in the Prolog. Yet you can see that she is perfectly fine tied in a chair in the movie theater with the cult.

First, every time you upload it makes me feel better. Second, the cult always confused me when I first played the game through and yes they creeped my out, I never understood what they stood for or what they we’re doing, I wish we could get a directors cut of the original game or something, maybe like you, the developers can restore everything back. Third, I always wish the cult stuck around for further games being expanded on, more backstory, even if it was an off the record exclusive thing replacing the looters. Frank could maybe question why they came back and who their new leader is. If only

Apparently there's an entry for the cultists in frank's survivor journal in CTYD

I was happy to see the True Eye Cult return in DR4 but, that happiness quickly died when they did nothing with them except some quick cheap fan service. It feels like this is the entire talk they had. The game is set in Willamette, what are some call backs we can do? We can have the raincoat cultists return. Alright, let's just put them in the game and have Frank never acknowledge them. Shouldn't we do more with them though? Nah, it's just a callback. The fans will be happy to see them again that they won't care. While, I still like Dead Rising 4. That game has so many unnecessary problems and changes that could have been easily fixed.

As of recent, it's always better that they do not explain certain things from games or movies. Usually fans demand a backstory or explanation and sometimes you have to accept that the creators didn't think that far ahead. When they do explain it, it seems either forced or very underwhelming. I appreciate their mystery and I appreciate you STiP0 for making this video.

I like that they don't have a backstory or any lore. It let's the player fill in the blank and use our imaginations. It's really good world building because it doesn't spoon feed you some slop about religion or something. They're also really creepy and cool. I remember being freaked out by them when I was a kid, especially at night. What a great enemy type and perfect addition to the game. I think the trench coats and masks are pretty self explanatory. It's to protect their identity and protect them from zombies (and probably keep blood and gore off of their clothes.) Wearing masks is also a way to remove a person's identity. They're no longer themselves in the mask. They're the same as everyone else. No one is above or below the other. It's a way to unify and demoralize them all at once.

I wonder if there's a lore reason why the zombies don't attack them.

Great commentary, its great that such fans like yourself are keeping this games community alive, I`m greatful for that bro thank you.

It’d be pretty sick if they added some story to the true eye cult in the dead rising remaster

The only thing i ask to myself about the cult is, why the zombies don't attacks them ?!

Something really interesting about them is how zombies don't attack them. Like, zombies totally ignore their existence. At first I thought it was just bad programming, like all of them are scripted as enemies, and thus the game puts them all in the same 'team' to attack the player and the survivors. But... zombies DO attack psychos and soldiers, so zombies ignoring the cult was definitely intended. My theory, it has something to do with their rain jackets and masks, like they totally cover themselves to the point they don't look or smell like humans, so zombies don't see them as prey. It's so sad they found a way to be safe from zombies and decided to keep all the clothing necessary to themselves, only to start killing survivors randomly. Another sad thing is... how large their numbers are. They totally outnumber innocent survivors, meaning Frank was forced to kill a HUGE percentage of Willamette survivors, and it's all because of Sean's manipulations. That kind of makes him the worst psycho in the entire series, being the one who indirectly killed the most number of survivors of all Dead Rising.

Why do you keep calling the cult Satanic? It’s been a while since I’ve played the game, but I don’t remember any references to Satan. Edit: the cutscenes, at least, are just generic religious phrases

"Lore culture" ruins good mysteries. Not everything has to spelled out for you dude. Let the audience come to their own conclusions and interpretations. There is nothing unfortunate about the cult (and the game's other psychos) being surrounded in mystery. MYSTERY is kinda the Hallmark of good horror, so why the hell are you advocating for this mystery to go away. it will only soften the game's horror if everything is spelled out for the player. I seriously hate this LORE trend in media

Also i wanna know more about connie and her connection with frank it feels eerily similar to Katie and Chuck so could Connie have originally been like Frank's daughter or was she just a little girl he was looking after I want to know more about this character's Story because it intrigues me If a little girl hids behind someone like that it's not just because there scared but the also trust the person there hiding behind So this brings to question what does Connie and her mom mean to frank? Is there some big story here? Is she a daughter or something or just a random survivor that feels safe around him and stick by his side And does she stay in the safehouse or is it like Ellie and joel from last of us were shes a ai companion thats helps out and joins you for the ride This concept art is new to me and raises alot of intriguing theories!

Imagine the cult helping Carlito start the outbreak. Seems pretty fitting all things considered. I mean those coats and masks probably protect from stings and bites

Dead Rising 4 is a joke

Good video

I always assumed the cult was just an end of days movement springing up in a really appropriate context.

frank : i ve covered wars you know Chuck : i need the zombrex for my daughter nick :i think we should calm down man

I’m a simple man, I see a new STiP0 upload, I stop what I’m doing and watch it.

Would’ve been crazy if the mannequin idle was a weapon like if Sean’s sword was mixed with the powerful mannequin torso

Wait, during the boss between frank and Sean. You can hear him speaking a different language. Maybe if you were to find out what accent he speaks and translate what he's repeatedly saying, that might give us something about his cult. He's either speaking his passage, or preaching his own prayer. Or maybe he's just threatening frank in his native tongue, who knows.

Think it's kinda funny that they're called "satanic" several times in this video, when the flyer for the cult at 5:01 says Sean's lecture at Movieland is about "AVOIDING Satan's temptation". I mean, yeah sure, they're 100% creepy af, but that doesn't automatically mean Satanic... have you ever met a devout Mormon, or a Scientologist? 🤣

They were bloody Terrifying as a kid! I love that you still do videos on DR1.

To be honest, I don't know what to say about The True Eye Cult. I mean, this guys were very intriguing and creepy to me, because of their questionable actions about sacrifing survivors, and their mysterious sect. But also they were very annoying to me when I tried to rescue survivors, with their hunting knives, their suicidal bomb attacks with TNT, and especially when they slept me with a kind of dust or something like that, and then they took my weapons and my clothes. Well, at least they were not so annoying, compare to the special forces.

Capcom should make a dead rising game on the psychopaths before and after the outbreak of the game they were in

0:19 i know im late but holy shit Dr. Barnaby turning into a zombie without context is so damn funny

Wanna hear something even more frightening? The Zombies do not bother with them at all, like they aren't even human o.o

Theory - They were an underground cult in the town and were bringing about the end of the world, the zombie outbreak most probably got them thinking they achived their goal and went to the mall to sacrifice people in the chaos.

One thing I hate about the dead rising games is how when there’s cutscenes, the zombies completely disappear. Like you are surrounded by them at all times, at least scatter some round to show they are there…

It's a good day when you wake up to a STiP0 video

One thing I find strange is after you kill Sean and the other green faced freaks in the movie theater, Frank says to Cheryl that there might be some underlings left but after this boss fight they’re gone. Maybe the remaster will have them stick around longer even after the boss fight?

How did you find the Dead Rising font? I've looked everywhere for it D:

I might actually know what this is. It’s a reference to the king in yellow. I think? The yellow sign which is known as an yellow eye symbol that when view turn people under the God’s control. The God himself is based on the decadence movement and Aestheticism over everything else. We know the game themes is of similarly cultural decadence, and consumption We know the cult is somehow tied to the theater In one of the stories based on the king in yellow was a zombie comes in murders a couple to receive a yellow sign necklace suggesting the King in yellow possessed a dead man. I am not too aware how their practices differentiate from how the stereotypical cult functions? Or if this is just a coincidence

Who’s hyped for Capcom’s E3 this year ? 😉

These guys are total creeps who stab you and throw dust at you while blowing themselves up! Period!

Its funny they added some mindless cult zombies to clash with the regular zombies.

my grandma watched me fight the cult leader and him getting a sword into his face good times

I hope true eye cult get more if dead rising is brought back (Not the dead rising 4 shit that was just lazy inclusion not actually doing anything with them)

Sometimes I let myself get captured just so I can beat up a bunch of em in a corner

DAD IS BACK!!!

hmm, instead of a cult, it was going to be a group of superfans.... interesting