Because I used to dabble in Resident Evil video games back in the day. Because Zach Cregger of Barbarian and Weapons is my favorite up-and-coming horror filmmaker. And because it is that time of year when I watch horror movies both for entertainment and therapy.
These are the reasons I chose Resident Evil for my rare movie night out, and I’m glad I did.
In Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil, medical courier Bryan (Austin Abrams) stumbles into a terrifying flesh-manipulating outbreak that turns an ordinary delivery into a fight to survive the night. This is no vanilla Milla Jovovich extension or even a replica of a Resident Evil mission from the games. Think more The Thing (1982) meets Alien (1979) in a Gotham cityscape.
As entertainment, Resident Evil successfully blends gooey horror with intentional humor. The theater audience gasped, screamed, and laughed with each jump scare and the immediate absurdity that followed. Many of the special effects and cringy situations come straight out of The Thing‘s playbook, but with a video game sensibility. Several POV shots make you feel like you’re panning and scanning the open field or claustrophobic cabin with a PlayStation wireless controller. (Abrams’s cussing, frustration, and fear remind me of what we do when gaming in the dark.)
As therapy, that chosen, manufactured fear always feels manageable and even relieving afterward for me. I know I’m part of that odd, horror-stan minority, but I must say it was nice to sit back in my recliner, completely forget any stress or fatigue, and take a controllable uncontrollable journey down dark alleys (with falling zombie corpses that explode upon landing).
As an art form, Zach Cregger’s vision scores the hyper-subjective camera language, “de-elevates” the overdone heavy-grief/Midsommar trope, and successfully emulates the classic video game ecosystem. This is no three-act narrative. This thing moves as if your left thumb is stuck pushing the analog stick forward.
All in all, this has been a very successful year for horror flicks. There’s a good chance Obsession and Resident Evil will land on my 2026 Top Ten list.
Resident Evil (2026) ***1/2
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