Still living on the high of Zach Creggers’ latest ‘Resident Evil’ film, fans of the classic Capcom horror game franchise have been blessed with yet another adaptation – this time set in ‘Resident Evil 7: Biohazard’.
Written and directed by ‘The Walking Dead’ alum Chandler Riggs, ‘BIOHAZARD’ is a fan-made short film featuring the protagonist Ethan Winters as he tries to find his missing wife while trapped in the home of the infected Baker family.
The almost 20-minute film focuses on Ethan’s iconic fight with the family’s patriarch, Jack Baker, and is guaranteed to put anyone on the edge of their seats.
‘BIOHAZARD’ stars Riggs as Ethan Winters, Jason Douglas as Jack Baker, Mary Rachel Quinn, Eugenie Bondurant, Johnathan O’Neil, and Sam Coyles.
It is now available to watch for free on YouTube.
Releasing a ‘true-to-the-game live-action’ adaptation
In an interview with IGN, Riggs admitted that the plan was to release the short film before Creggers’ ‘Resident Evil’ starring Austin Abrams, which hit the theaters in early September.
Riggs explained how they were in pre-production at the time the news of the new Resident Evil adaptation came out.
“We were trying to beat the clock and get it out about a month ago, but parts just didn’t align that way,” said Riggs, who is famously known as Carl in AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead’.
Riggs is a huge fan of the game, and ‘BIOHAZARD’ is pretty much a passion project and his love letter to the franchise.
Admitting that he has been looking forward to Creggers’ movie for so long, he added, “I mean, one of the big reasons I even made this is, you know, I was just dying to see a good, true-to-the-game live-action adaptation of Resident Evil.”
Impossible to please everybody
There have been numerous attempts to adapt the Resident Evil games – some successful, some not, depending on the fan you are going to ask.
While Creggers’ take on the material was widely well-received, particularly due to his decision to deviate from the game lore and tell an original story, it is the same reason that brought dissatisfaction among fans who wish to see a faithful adaptation of the game.
Riggs is more than aware of how fans might feel about his short film.
“Look, it’s impossible to please everybody, you know?” he said.
“I think there’s always going to be a crowd that is unhappy, but I think that it’s a great way to try to get more people into the series, into the franchise, and tell a story that you want to tell.”
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On playing Ethan Winters and first-person POVs
One of Riggs’ main concerns is whether to shoot the film in first person or not.
Resident Evil 7 is played in first person, meaning the player rarely ever sees Ethan Winters’ face.
However, in ‘BIOHAZARD’, Riggs and his team chose to show the protagonist throughout the movie.
“We’re trying to do so much else super faithful and true to the game, but this is a huge aspect that we are breaking from it,” said Riggs, who admitted that playing Ethan Winters is an “absolutely intimidating thing.”
“But there isn’t really another good way to tell [the story] in a live-action format.”
“I was going back and forth like ‘Okay, could we do first person the whole time? Could we avoid getting his face in or anything?’”
“But the more we went back and forth on it, the more I was like, ‘I mean, if we are going to do this and are going to appeal to a wider audience — more than just the people who played the games — then we’re going to have to break those rules.”
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Possibly with Cregger on another RE film
Riggs also expressed his dream to work with Cregger on another Resident Evil movie, should the director choose to return to the franchise.
“If [Cregger] wants to continue in the universe, I’m all for it. Listen, my phone is open. Hit my line!” he told IGN.
Cregger, however, bluntly stated in a conversation with Deadline last month that he is done with working on another franchise film.
“I’m doing this [Resident Evil] and that’s it for me,” said the director behind critically-acclaimed horror films ‘Barbarian’ and ‘Weapons’.
“I don’t want to write something where I have to make sure I’m tagging different data points to satisfy X. I just want to satisfy me,” he added, explaining that he is fine with doing Resident Evil because he is “enthusiastic” about the game.
Despite Creggers’ statement, the potential behind Resident Evil’s expansive universe still makes future adaptations possible.
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