In this episode of the Movie Files Podcast, Elliott reviews RESIDENT EVIL (2026), the new survival-horror adaptation from Barbarian and Weapons director Zach Cregger, starring Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, and Paul Walter Hauser.
For the first 30–40 minutes, Resident Evil had Elliott convinced he might be watching one of his favorite horror movies of the year. The tension is incredible, the atmosphere is suffocating, the scares actually land, and Austin Abrams delivers a fantastic performance as Bryan a character who essentially feels like the PLAYER dropped directly into a Resident Evil game.
I break down why Zach Cregger is so effective at building suspense, how the film captures the feeling of actually playing survival horror, the impressive creature designs, body horror, gore, and why Abrams continues to be one of the most exciting young actors to watch.
But as Resident Evil gets bigger, crazier, campier, and more comedic, does it lose some of the fear and anxiety that made that opening stretch so effective? Elliott discusses the difficult balance between horror and comedy, why some of the humor worked while other moments took him out of the experience, and why the ending ultimately left him wanting more.
So is this the best Resident Evil movie adaptation yet? Does Zach Cregger finally capture what makes the games so terrifying? And why did a movie I really enjoyed still leave him wishing he had loved it?
Find out in this spoiler-free review.
Topics: Resident Evil review, Resident Evil 2026, Zach Cregger, Austin Abrams, Resident Evil movie, survival horror, horror movies 2026, video game adaptations, Resident Evil games, body horror, creature design, horror comedy, Movie Files Podcast.
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