Interview: Discussing Video Game Influences and First-Person Cinematography with RESIDENT EVIL’s Zach Cregger and Austin Abrams

I don't often accept a junket interview without seeing the movie first, but every rule has an exception. In this case, I was allowed to see the first 30 minutes of Zach Cregger's Resident Evil before sitting down with both the filmmaker and lead actor, Austin Abrams. So far, a lot has been said about Cregger's approach to Resident Evil based only on trailer footage, especially since he's voiced his admiration for the franchise without having seen any of the film adaptations. This is Cregger's Resident Evil through and through, and I had to know more.

The first 30 minutes really captured the filmmaker's unique sense of humor and dread. Abrams' courier is a bumbling scardycat; he's no Leon or Chris. Everything plays out like a lengthy introduction where Abrams encounters his first zombie, finds shotgun shells in a green casing box (heh), ignores a typewriter, and gets a first-hand look at the T-virus' mutations. I chatted with the duo about the balance of action and horror we could expect, whether Abrams' lead ever acclimates to the apocalypse, and what the rest of the movie has in store for audiences.

Synopsis: "From the mind of visionary filmmaker Zach Cregger (Weapons, Barbarian) comes a thrilling — and terrifying — reinvention of the Resident Evil franchise. 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."

Directed by: Zach Cregger

Written by: Zach Cregger & Shay Hatten

Cast: Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, and Paul Walter Hauser

From TriStar Pictures, Constantin Film, and Davis Films, Resident Evil hits theatres September 18, 2026.