Director Zach Cregger, best known for helming horror films such as Barbarian and Weapons, is set to return to the genre with a new Resident Evil film. Based on the video game series of the same name, the film is set to release in theatres on September 18 this year. Ahead of its release, Zach Cregger talked about what drew him to the film adaptation of the video game in a behind-the-scenes video.
In the Resident Evil BTS clip, Cregger described the game as "a flagship for survival horror." He emphasised that horror is the main draw for the game instead of action. "What I love about survival horror games and Resident Evil mostly is this overwhelming feel of dread," Cregger said.
The Weapons director expressed his admiration for the situation where a character haplessly navigates a dark passageway without enough ammunition and knowing the dangers that lurk in the other side. The filmmaker said that he got the idea for the film's story from this core concept of the eponymous video game.
Cregger said that the premise resonates with him as well. "It's kind of like me. Like if I was dropped into a Resident Evil game, I'm terrible with guns. I wouldn't know how any of them work. I would miss 99 per cent of all my shots," the filmmaker said. In addition, he revealed that he is a fan of the game. "I've played the games I don't know how many thousands of hours but too many."
With regard to the film, he called it his chance "to be loyal to the games in spirit and in tone and build a story that just puts you in that scenario again and again with increasing stakes."
Directed by Cregger from a screenplay he has written with Shay Hatten, the film stars Austin Abrams in the lead role, alongside Paul Walter Hauser, Kali Reis, and Zach Cherry, among others.
