The first time I saw the trailer for Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil, and it cut to the far-away shot of the woman sprinting towards the house in the snow, my instant thought was “What the f*ck?” immediately followed by “I need to see that.” Films such as Obsession and Leviticus have had us all in the theaters this year, so I was excited to see another horror movie enter the scene.
Now, if you’re here for an analysis of all of the references to the iconic Resident Evil video game, I hate to say that my experience with gaming stops at Mario Kart. But, regardless if you’ve played the game or not, I highly recommend Resident Evil for its perfect mix of horror, comedy, and sci-fi.
Welcome to raccoon city
This movie is so intense that I had my knees pulled to my chest for almost the entire showing. Some horror films take a little while to build up, but Cregger doesn’t give viewers much time here. Before the title even appears on the screen, the protagonist, Bryan (played by Austin Abrams), hits a woman with his car on the way to deliver an important package to a nearby hospital on an icy road. In a quick sequence of events, there’s lots of blood, zombies, and jump-scares, leaving Bryan stranded, in the middle of nowhere, at night, in the cold.
The suspense in this film is perfectly curated. I jumped in my seat multiple times, even when the moment wasn’t technically “scary.” On top of this, when the suspense is broken, the reveals do not disappoint. Every visual is creepy, unexpected, and ultimately, disgusting. Movies don’t often make me nauseous, but seeing the rolling pile of bodies, the (thing?) in the sewer, and the destruction in the hospital nursery made my stomach turn. All of the zombies are genuinely scary even when you can see them, and that only makes any following suspense even worse.
horror meets humor
To my surprise, I was laughing while watching Resident Evil just as much as I was internally screaming. Austin Abrams gives an incredibly hilarious performance as Bryan that accurately portrays modern reactions to horror. The repeated cursing, the constant denial, and the unmasked fear are so current, yet not cringe whatsoever. He seems to make every wrong move and every stupid decision, yet still makes it so far–it’s unbelievably funny. Along with Abrams, Zach Cherry as Carl and Paul Walter Hauser as Paul add significant comedy to the film, despite having limited screen time.
I think what makes the comedy so successful is the fact that it doesn’t take away from the horror of the film. It was still so scary, and the fact that I was laughing so much had me constantly asking–is this supposed to be funny?
spoiler Warning!
A few days before seeing Resident Evil, I saw Insidious: Out of the Further. I thought the movie was great, and while the “happy” ending allowed me to sleep that night, I’m not sure that I love when that happens in horror movies. I don’t want to feel like everything is going to be okay–I want to leave the theater looking over my shoulder. Obsession’s ending definitely shook me, and even Leviticus’ “happy” ending has an overshadowing sense of impending doom.
So, while my friend dislikes the ending of Resident Evil, I’m grateful it isn’t “happy.” The scientists are so, so close to creating the cure and saving Bryan from his growing infection, but it just doesn’t work. The character we grow to love and root for over the course of an hour-and-a-half becomes the roaring, flailing, disgusting monster in the final frame. That’s how you end a horror film.