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I have no prior knowledge of or experience with the "Resident Evil" franchise. I have not played any of the games, nor have I seen any of the previous movies. What I do know - and what I have experienced - are the movies of Zach Cregger. And the new "Resident Evil" (2026) is a Zach Cregger film through and through. The horror director once again blends terrifying moments with black humor in this playful, propulsive adaptation.
Cregger's two previous movies, "Barbarian" (2022) and "Weapons" (2025), were both original screenplays. For "Resident Evil," Cregger and co-writer Shay Hatten are adapting a previously popular IP. In the film, Bryan (Austin Abrams), a medical courier, is tasked with transporting what he believes to be an organ to a hospital in the mysterious Raccoon City. Along the way, he is terrorized by increasingly mutated human monsters. While keeping some important lore from the games, Cregger is telling a brand-new story within the franchise, something that gives him the creative freedom to put his own unique spin on this established world.
Still, "Resident Evil" is a horror entity at its core, so any adaptation needs to get the scares right. Thankfully, Cregger - only three films in - is already one of our best at composing and executing startling shots and moments. Both of his previous works are full of examples - the kids running with the arms outstretched at the beginning of "Weapons" is already an iconic image - and he carries that hot streak into "Resident Evil." The film's opening section, where Bryan is driving down a dark, icy road when he suddenly strikes what he thinks is a pedestrian woman, embodies the scariest scenes in the film. The scares get progressively wacky and slightly less thrilling from there, but only because Cregger begins leaning heavily into the comedic aspects of the story.
Yes, Cregger is better than most (if not all) of his contemporaries at blurring that fine line between horror and comedy. The opening section with Bryan and the woman (and a cop who eventually shows up) does contain lots of laughs, but it's clear Cregger is holding back at least slightly early on to build on that comedic streak later on. The consistent comedic throughline is Abrams' performance. From beginning to end, his reactions to and shortcomings in the increasingly absurd and terrifying surrounding circumstances give him both a funny particularity and a believable credibility. His character is not an action star, nor even a competent gun operator; he is simply a man trying to get back to his pregnant girlfriend (heard only over the phone and voiced by Sara Paxton). All of the supporting characters, ranging from a shady Umbrella Corporation employee (Paul Walter Hauser) to a scientist working on a cure for the outbreak (Zach Cherry), add to this distinct overlap of comedic tropes and chilling terror.
Many will judge Resident Evil on its status as a video game adaptation, a Hollywood genre that has faced its fair share of scrutiny. Movies of this ilk are tasked with not only pleasing general audiences, but also giving video game fans something to be proud of. Again, I have not played the games, so I am unsure of how well the movie lines up with the rest of the "Resident Evil" world. Fans of the games may not appreciate some of the creative and tonal choices Cregger makes. But to judge a film solely on its faithfulness to the source material is a faulty, lazy mode of criticism.
Fans of Cregger's work, and fans of this resurgence of horror/comedy, will have plenty to cheer for throughout this fast-paced 95 minutes. I was thinking about another movie that came out this year that features this tough balancing act between genres, Curry Barker's "Obsession." While I do think that film carries more thematic weight than this slick and slight adventure, I am encouraged by the current state of the horror genre because of the idiosyncratic voices of writer/directors like Cregger. His voice and style survive the mechanical nature of franchise filmmaking to deliver the best, quirkiest video game adaptation in recent memory.
Rating: 4/5
Joshua Stevens is a teacher, writer and film critic based in Marietta. He teaches high school English at Wood County Christian School in Williamstown. He is a staff writer at Loud and Clear Reviews, a Rotten Tomatoes approved publication. He has contributed to publications such as Think Christian and writes a Substack on film and the arts (The Culture Lens). He holds a BA in journalism and an MA in film and media studies.