Zack Cregger Wants the Resident Evil Movie to Show Your Odds of Surviving a Zombie Outbreak

3 days ago 4

Published May 22, 2026, 3:03 PM EDT

Miller Reynolds is a Writer at DualShockers specializing in news, reviews, guides, interviews, and lists. He began covering games professionally in 2025, bringing a journalism background and more than 25 years of firsthand gaming experience to his work.

Miller studied Advanced Journalism for online, print, and broadcast media at Loyalist College, where he received the Excellence in Writing and Production Award. Before focusing on games coverage, he gained experience writing across topics such as politics, entertainment, and sports. Today, he combines his journalism training with his long-running passion for games to cover current releases, developer interviews, reviews, and practical guides for players.

When it comes to horror games, the Resident Evil series is widely considered to be one of the pioneers of the genre, creating a wave of thrill-seeking gamers who, for whatever reason, enjoy the feeling of being terrified.

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These fear-loving zombie hunters are in for a treat in the near future, as the new Resident Evil movie hits theaters on September 18th, and is being directed by Zach Cregger, the mind behind the horror films Barbarian and Weapons.

Cregger is embracing a relatable approach to his Resident Evil adaptation, and parts of it will resonate with a lot of those who played the games.

Zach Cregger Embraces the Panic of Being Unprepared For a Zombie Apocalypse

From the early tales of Frankenstein to The Walking Dead or the award-winning movie 28 Days Later, zombie culture has been alive and well for as long as I can remember, and I've often asked friends out of curiosity: What would you do if a zombie apocalypse started right now?

Nine times out of ten, they've already thought about this scenario and immediately begin telling me every part of their strategy. "Boat and a sniper," said an unnamed friend.

While most of us would like to think we'd know exactly what to do when humans begin mutating into flesh-eating creatures, thanks to evil companies like Resident Evil's Umbrella Corp, the reality is that a lot of us would be severely unprepared and embarrassingly inaccurate with weapons.

Zach Cregger's Resident Evil movie is based around that exact feeling: "It's kind of like me. If I were dropped into a Resident Evil game, I'm terrible with guns, I wouldn't know how any of them worked, and I'd miss 99% of my shots."

The reality is that a lot of us would be severely unprepared and embarrassingly inaccurate with weapons.

Cregger revealed he has spent thousands of hours playing Resident Evil games, so he knows first-hand the feeling of being caught off guard by a grotesque creature trying to rip you apart, which in turn makes you miss half of your shots in a state of panic.

While this film will be an all-new story following a medical courier (Austin Abrams), it's safe to say the beloved Resident Evil series is in good hands with Cregger, who has the experience to ensure this movie stays true to the games fans fell in love with, "This is an opportunity for me to be loyal to the game, in spirit and in tone, and build a story that just puts you in that scenario again and again with increasing stakes."