A couple of months ago, I heard Zach Cregger, a terrific, admirable filmmaker who mainly focuses on horror, would soon be releasing a Resident Evil film, based on the video games of the same name. I took it as a sign to do two things: start playing the catalogue of RE games that have been dormant in my PlayStation library for an embarrassingly long time, and finally sit down and watch Paul W.S. Anderson’s Resident Evil series, as well as the 2021 Johannes Roberts-attempted reboot. About three things I was certain before seeing Cregger’s film: 1. I love the games, having now played the first four (1996-2000) and being currently in the middle of the 2002 remake, and I totally get the hype; 2. I’m not a fan of the Anderson films on the whole, for many reasons you can read about in the Resident Evil Film Club, but mainly because the name Resident Evil was not earned; and 3. In Zach Cregger I trust. Fans of the games have long lamented a film adaptation they can enjoy and feel a connection with, and I am now one of them. Is Cregger the filmmaker to finally bridge that gap, or, much like an abominable creation of the Umbrella Corporation, have we once again been left blood-thirsty?

Director: Zach Cregger
Writer: Zach Cregger, Shay Hatten
Cast: Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, Paul Walter Hauser

Bryan (Abrams), a medical courier charged with transporting organ donations between hospitals, takes on one more delivery before calling it a night, heading to a hospital in Raccoon City. On a treacherously snowy road, he soon finds himself in a lot of trouble and being chased by mutated people as he does his darndest to complete his delivery.

I really have just one thought I want to begin with, and it’s not a thought that all RE players will agree with, but I know many others will: this movie is one that is finally worthy of the Resident Evil name. Cregger has said many times that he is a player and a fan of the games, he is one of us, and it shows within this film. He created a balance that allows gamers to feel a similar tone to the games and threw in a ton of fun Easter eggs, some for the beady-eyed (I smiled when I saw the first aid sprays, even if they were a little randomly placed!), but it also opens up the RE world to new audiences who are unfamiliar with the games by introducing original characters with original stories, something that is made to be big-screen entertainment, not just fan service. Cregger has also gone for more a darkly comical tone that may be disconcerting for more contentious fans – I enjoyed some of the comedy but found it a little too unserious at times, and that’s after Cregger having cut out many jokes because test audiences found the film too funny – but it’s generally well-balanced with the horror, keeping a nervous lightness amongst the shock and gore.

Visually, Cregger retained shots and angles that will be familiar to any gamer, not just RE gamers, to keep things tense and immersive while utilising more screen-worthy framing to keep from feeling too game-like. I am the kind of person who will watch any horror film, gore and guts and all, and barely bat an eye, yet I struggle to play modern horror games because that first-person/RPG style will make me shit the bed. Cregger makes way for both first- and third-person, again striking that balance very well and actually catching me out once or twice with a jump scare (not easy to do these days!). Throw in an atmospheric lighting design (everything happens at night), excellent VFX, set designs (some feeling very familiar and claustrophobic), prosthetics and costuming, and it’s like combining a red and green herb to make something full of life (iykyk) in spite of being surrounded by death.

It probably goes without saying that Austin Abrams carries this film – everyone else features for a few minutes at most – and he does an incredible job. Abrams’s career has been steadily climbing over the past year, with a role in Cregger’s 2025 critical and commercial hit Weapons, Resident Evil on track to be a hit also, leading another thriller in next month’s Whalefall, and previously having a prominent role in the TV show Euphoria. Having proven his versatility, his casting as Bryan seemed a no-brainer. He’s funny (physically and verbally), relatable in his hysteria and ‘noob’ status (as we all have been at one point or another when picking up a gun in a game) and brings credibility to a character that could have easily been nothing more than a conduit to bringing the world of Resident Evil to audiences. This film is as much about Bryan as it is about the Umbrella Corporation’s curiosity and self-absorption winning out over sensibility and safety (sounds horribly familiar in this day and age).

Cregger himself said (and I paraphrase but you can find his quote online) that he wanted to celebrate everything special about the games while not ‘cannibalising’ it. He created a spin-off of sorts, a love letter to the games that has a recognisable heart in a slightly different (mutated, if you will, in a good way) body. He has done what Anderson and Roberts were unable to, and that’s strike a balance between game and film (I cannot speak as to the television show because I am yet to see it, but its cancellation after one season says a lot), though it could probably have done with less of the humour that became repetitive and unfunny by the third act. It’s a shame Cregger doesn’t plan to continue this into a series, but I get it. Besides, if you want to know what happens next, play the games!