Zach Cregger brings an original horror sensibility to Resident Evil
The director says his eighth instalment of the live-action franchise was conceived as a Resident Evil story, while using gameplay-inspired techniques to create an immersive experience.
Zach Cregger’s move from original horror to established intellectual property has unsettled some Resident Evil fans. The director of Barbarian and Weapons says his upcoming film was conceived as a Resident Evil story, rather than an unrelated project given the franchise name.
The film follows Bryan, played by Austin Abrams, a medical courier transporting a transplant organ from one hospital to another near Raccoon City, Colorado. A zombie outbreak is under way, and Bryan’s route takes him from a snowy road to a deserted farmhouse and a sewage tunnel as he searches for the resources to survive.
Cregger says he has designed the film to evoke a 90-minute PlayStation session. Third-person-shooter-style camera angles and constantly changing environments are intended to carry the sensation of gameplay into the cinema, including for viewers unfamiliar with the franchise.
Resident Evil began as a Japanese survival-horror game in 1996 before becoming a live-action film series. Cregger, who says he is a fan of the games, has not watched the previous films. He describes online criticism from fans who believe the Resident Evil name may have been added to a separate film in order to secure a larger budget.
The approach reflects Cregger’s wider interest in unpredictability. His comedy background, punk music and previous horror films have shaped a style built around surprise, interruption and unsettling images. The supplied material includes a positive assessment of a 30-minute preview, but the completed film has not been reviewed as a release.
Cregger’s next planned project is The Flood, a science-fiction film he says is the script he is most proud of. No release date, final title or budget has been provided for Resident Evil.
