{Fantastic Fest 2026} Resident Evil (2026) Neither Pastiche Nor Homage But SO MUCH FUN

Zach Cregger catching grief for his comedic instincts feels like ancient history at this point, but there was a stretch there where critics did not exactly know what to do with “the funny guy from Whitest Kids U Know” who started to make absurd horror films in the same comedy vein. Barbarian and Weapons both have an edge but use comedy as a the delivery system. Resident Evil doesn’t have that edge but it doesn’t need it. When a movie is this fun it doesn’t need to have an edge. The new Resident Evil has all the hallmarks of Cregger’s sensibility, and it’s really, genuinely funny almost from the jump.

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Austin Abrams plays Bryan, a medical courier having quite possibly the worst night any glorified uber eats driver has ever produced, and it’s a nice bit of stunt casting coming right off his turn as a strung-out addict in Weapons. Both characters are a bit bumbling but there is a wholesomeness to Bryan that we haven’t seen in Abrams before. Watching him get thrown into a night of zombies and mutated horrors in Raccoon City, all while keeping his shit together for a hospital drop-off, gives the film its comic engine, and Abrams plays the panic with exactly the right blend of sincerity and slapstick.

The lighting design pops from the very first frame, giving the film a moody, snow-dusted atmosphere that never lets the audience settle in too comfortably. Cregger clearly understands that comedy and dread aren’t opposites in a movie like this (he shouted this connection out in the after screening Q & A), they’re the same muscle, and he flexes it constantly. There’s real body horror craft on display too, particularly in the creature and gore effects, where the tentacled mutations feel like a direct, loving homage to The Thing, all that squelching, transforming practical work that makes you simultaneously wince and lean forward. Don’t get me wrong there is a fair amount of CG but it all feels corporeal which is a testament to the VFX folks working on the film.

Cregger and co-writer Shay Hatten wisely keep the scope tight and the stakes personal, letting Bryan’s escalating night carry the entire film (and his entire kill count) rather than burying it under franchise mythology. That restraint pays off right up until the ending, which makes its intentions clear. This is a movie built to start a franchise, and after watching it, it’s hard to be mad about that prospect. If Cregger wants to keep playing in Rancoon City, you can sign me up for the DLC.

Resident Evil received its Gala Screening as part of Fantastic Fest on Thursday, September 17, with Zach Cregger and Austin Abrams walking the red carpet ahead of the film’s wide theatrical release the very next day. Get out and support big swings like this one when they land, because this one absolutely does. Tickets and the full Fantastic Fest schedule are at fantasticfest.com/film-guide.