"I wanted to make a movie that felt like the Resident Evil movie that I wish existed." That is the bold promise from acclaimed filmmaker Zach Cregger!
Coming off the massive success of Barbarian and Weapons, the director is taking on the legendary video game franchise. In an exclusive chat with Radio Nova, Cregger shared how his new instalment will terrify audiences by returning the iconic property to its gritty roots.
Taking on a behemoth like Resident Evil brings a staggering amount of pressure. Since 1996, the franchise has sold over 150 million games, inventing survival horror.
When asked if he was nervous, Zach admitted he felt the weight of the passionate fan base saying, "I think I had a healthy level of respect for it, you know. I didn't want to let people down because I know how frustrated I think this fandom has been."
His goal was to correct that course, returning the franchise to genuine terror. "I myself am a fan of the games," he revealed. "I wanted to make a movie... that put the survival horror first and that felt like it was unfolding the way the games unfold. And so that was the mission and, you know, to my mind, that's what it is. And so I'm very proud of it."
In an all-new story, Resident Evil follows Bryan (Austin Abrams), a medical courier who unwittingly finds himself in an action-packed, non-stop race for survival as one fateful, horrifying night collapses around him in chaos. Rather than focusing on highly trained cops or elite super-soldiers, the plot brilliantly places an everyday guy right into the middle of a catastrophic viral outbreak in Raccoon City.
Bryan is forced to figure out the rules of survival on the fly, fighting through sheer panic as he navigates the horrifying consequences of the Umbrella Corporation's disaster. Of course, he isn't totally alone in the darkness. While Abrams carries the vast majority of the tense ninety-minute screen time, he is joined by a fantastic supporting cast. Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, Johnno Wilson, and Paul Walter Hauser all make appearances in key roles tied to the sinister corporate catastrophe unfolding around them.
For Resident Evil, Cregger crafted a standalone survival story following an original character named Bryan. Fans will recognise Austin Abrams from Weapons stepping up to face the undead. Zach confessed he didn't initially write the script for Austin. "I quickly realised while I was making Weapons that Austin was the guy, you know. We had a really spectacular time together and... it was undeniable. There was not a decision to be made about Resident Evil. It was just like, not for me. I was like, this is the guy, this is it," he said.
Having that total clarity kept the director completely focused on set. "I don't get stressed out if I know exactly what I want," he noted. "So when I have clarity, I'm in the pocket."
Describing video games as his "primary vice," Zach admitted he has played Resident Evil an "unhealthy amount." This deep understanding of the medium perfectly informed the film's relentless tension and he gave a great pitch for seeing it on the big screen:
"This movie's a roller coaster ride. It's funny, it's scary, it's fun, you know? And I think that you don't want to go get on a roller coaster ride all by yourself, you want to go get on a roller coaster ride with a bunch of other people."
Will you be brave enough to grab your mates and get on the ride? Resident Evil is in Irish cinemas now.
