.webp)
Table of Content
Ever watched a horror movie that couldn't decide whether it wanted to scare you or make you laugh?
Zach Cregger, the director behind the new Resident Evil movie, ran into exactly that problem during test screenings, and his solution was surprisingly simple: cut the jokes.
|
Movie Details |
|
|
Movie Name |
Resident Evil |
|
Release Date |
18 September 2026 |
|
Lead cast |
Austin Abrams, Kali Reis, Paul Walter Hauser |
|
Language |
English |
|
Genre |
|
|
Director |
Zach Cregger |
Wait, the Movie Resident Evil Was Too Funny?
Yes, really. Ahead of its September 18 release, Cregger sat down with The Hollywood Reporter and revealed that early test audiences genuinely liked the film, but they felt it leaned too heavily into comedy for a horror movie. Instead of brushing that feedback aside, Cregger went back and trimmed out a big chunk of the humour scene by scene.
His reasoning is worth paying attention to. According to Cregger, once the jokes came out, both the test audiences and Cregger himself ended up liking the movie more. He's pretty blunt about it too, saying a little humour goes a long way in a horror film, and that there isn't a single joke he removed that he actually misses now. That's a fairly rare thing for a director to admit, since most filmmakers tend to defend every creative choice they originally made.
What Is the Story of This Resident Evil Movie?
Unlike past Resident Evil films, this one isn't trying to retell a specific game's storyline. It's an original screenplay written by Cregger alongside Shay Hatten, set within the world of Raccoon City but following an entirely new plot.
The story centres on Bryan, played by Austin Abrams, an ordinary medical delivery courier who takes on an out-of-the-area job during a heavy blizzard, hoping to make some extra money. The delivery takes him into Raccoon City, and what should have been a routine night quickly spirals into chaos once an outbreak breaks loose around him. With limited ammo, scarce resources, and no shortage of mutated creatures standing between him and safety, Bryan spends the rest of the film simply trying to survive until morning.
Cregger has described the tone as closer to Evil Dead II than his previous films Barbarian and Weapons, leaning into a scrappy, resourceful kind of horror where the hero isn't some trained soldier but just a regular guy caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. That everyman angle seems to be the whole heart of the story - less about zombie lore and more about the raw panic of trying to stay alive through one impossibly bad night.
Who's in the Cast?
Leading the film is Austin Abrams as Bryan, reuniting with Cregger after previously working with him on Weapons. Joining him are Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, and Paul Walter Hauser in key supporting roles.
As mentioned above, none of the cast is playing established Resident Evil characters like Leon Kennedy, Jill Valentine, or Claire Redfield. Every character in this film, including Bryan himself, has been created fresh for this story, which is very much in line with Cregger's approach of building a standalone tale rather than adapting an existing one from the games.
Why This Matters for a Resident Evil Movie
If you know Cregger's earlier work, this move probably won't surprise you. He's the filmmaker behind Barbarian and Weapons, two horror films that were widely praised for building genuine dread without leaning on constant comic relief to break the tension. Comedy has its place in horror, sure, but too much of it can undercut the scares, and it sounds like that's exactly the trap this movie was falling into before the edits.
This new Resident Evil movie is set during the timeline of Resident Evil 2, but it isn't a direct retelling of that game's story. Instead, it introduces a completely new set of characters, which is already a bold departure from what longtime fans might expect. Trimming the comedy down was likely Cregger's way of making sure the film feels appropriately tense and unsettling, rather than tipping into something that plays more like a horror-comedy hybrid.
Also Read: Fall 2: Deadpoint: Harriet Slater’s Survival Thriller Explained
No Leon, No Claire - And Cregger Isn't Worried
Here's the part that's probably going to spark the most debate among fans: this Resident Evil movie doesn't feature any of the franchise's well-known legacy characters. No Leon Kennedy, no Claire Redfield, none of the familiar faces the games are known for.
Cregger addressed this directly, explaining that Resident Evil fans generally fall into different camps. Some fans, like himself, are drawn to the pure gameplay experience and the feeling of playing through the games, while others care deeply about the lore, the characters, and the smaller backstory details. He openly admits his film doesn't spend much time on that second category, and he understands some fans will be disappointed that yet another Hollywood adaptation skipped over the characters they were hoping to see.
Still, Cregger isn't losing sleep over it. He was refreshingly honest about the fact that trying to please every corner of a fandom usually backfires, and that focusing on making the strongest version of his own vision was more important to him than chasing universal approval.
Also Read: 5 Marvel Upcoming Movies 2026: Spider-Man, VisionQuest & More
What This Means Going Into Release
With the film arriving in theatres on September 18, Cregger's comments give a pretty clear sense of what audiences should expect. This isn't shaping up to be a jokey, self-aware horror-comedy. It sounds like a tighter, more atmospheric take on the Resident Evil universe, one that trusts dread and tension over punchlines.
Whether trimming the comedy actually makes for a better film is something we'll only really know once reviews start coming in. But given Cregger's track record with Barbarian and Weapons, his instinct to prioritise tension over laughs is at least coming from someone who's pulled it off before.
Zach Cregger's decision to strip the jokes out of his Resident Evil movie says a lot about what kind of horror experience he's aiming for - and if his past films are anything to go by, that instinct might just be exactly what this franchise needed.
| You May Also Like | ||
| Best Sea Adventure Movies | Dark Romance Movies | Slapstick Comedy Movies |
