via The Verge
Resident Evil Is a Comedy First and a Thrilling Nightmare Second
Zach Cregger's take on Capcom's zombie franchise is a testament to how video game movies have evolved.
The Resident Evil series has always walked a fine line between terror and absurdity. What began in 1996 as a survival horror game about a special tactics team trapped in a mansion infested with zombies and bio-organic weapons has, over nearly three decades, mutated into something far stranger: a blockbuster action franchise, a six-film film series, a Netflix show, and now, under director Zach Cregger, a new big-screen reboot that leans into the inherent comedy of it all.
Cregger, best known for his work on the sketch comedy group The Whitest Kids U' Know and the 2022 horror hit Barbarian, understands something that many adaptations of Resident Evil have missed: the series has always been funny. Not intentionally, perhaps—at least, not at first. The original game's dialogue, voice acting, and infamous "Jill sandwich" line have become beloved internet memes. The later entries, particularly Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil Village, embraced a deliberate blend of horror and camp, with villains like Lady Dimitrescu and Heisenberg chewing scenery as much as they menace the player.
In 2026, the stakes for video game adaptations have never been higher. Following the success of The Last of Us, Fallout, and Arcane, studios are finally learning that fidelity to source material—and respect for its tone—matters more than star power or budget. Cregger's Resident Evil appears to be the next step in that evolution: a film that doesn't run from the franchise's goofy, gruesome heart but instead puts it front and center.
Early reactions suggest a movie that is as much a comedy as it is a horror film. That's not a bug; it's a feature. Resident Evil has always been at its best when it acknowledges the inherent ridiculousness of a world where a pharmaceutical company's mismanagement leads to global bioterrorism and a man in a trench coat punches boulders. The tension only works because the premise is so absurd—and the best entries in the series know how to let that absurdity breathe.
Whether Cregger's film will balance the two tones as effectively as the games remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: after years of taking itself too seriously, Resident Evil is finally laughing along with its audience—and that might be the smartest move yet.