The most terrifying zombie creature in the Resident Evil movie was actually performed by real stunt people, a new video has shown.

In the film, a horrifying amalgamation of all the zombified victims so far chases Austin Abrams's Bryan around on his quest to reach the Raccoon City hospital. It rolls around in a tangle of limbs, and it pursues Bryan all the way to the end.

The film's movement coordinator, Jakub Hudlický, shared a video to his Instagram of the performers tied together and producing the creature's creepy rolling motion.

"Let’s take it all the way back to the beginning – July '25 – when @filmka_stunt_team, @cirk_la_putyka and I first came together to explore one big question: how can the Merged Monster moooove?" he wrote in the caption to the post.

Now, it's not totally clear if the final version we see in the movie is performed practically, or if this was just a test for VFX reference. Still, it's very impressive.

The zombie monster can't actually be found in any of the Resident Evil games, fitting with Zach Cregger's assertion before the film was released that it would not be directly adapting the games but rather be inspired by them. The movie takes place "on the periphery" of Resident Evil 2.

The Resident Evil movie has been incredibly well received, scoring 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. Our own Resident Evil movie review awards the film 4 stars, and it reads: "Frightening, funny and exceedingly bloody, Zach Cregger's Resident Evil is a horror-comedy to match the best the genre has to offer, and an easy frontrunner for the best video game movie to date. Cregger's hot streak continues."

You can watch Resident Evil in theaters now. For more, check out our guide to the Resident Evil movie ending explained.

Four weeks before Clayface hits the big screen, it looks like the movie's first popcorn bucket has leaked, and it's definitely in keeping with the DCU movie's body horror theme.

Unlike many rather impractical recent popcorn bucket designs, the Clayface bucket, which was shared on Twitter by a superhero fan page, is an actual bowl that looks like it can hold a decent amount of popcorn. But you'll have to watch out for the villain's gloopy hand rising from the bowl, which reminds us of the character's appearances in past animated DC projects such as Batman: The Animated Series and Creature Commandos. Check out the bucket below.

However, we can't help but notice that the bucket looks a lot like what you would use to dish out Halloween candy to trick-or-treaters, hand and all. In that case, it has arrived just in time. After you finish eating popcorn out of it when the movie hits screens on October 23, you can repurpose it just days later.

The bucket has yet to be posted by DC, Warner Bros., or any major theater chains at this point, so we don't know if it is legit just yet. Either way, it's a great design.

Directed by Eden Lake and Speak No Evil director James Watkins from a story written by The Haunting of Hill House's Mike Flanagan, Clayface follows Tom Rhys Harries as the rising Hollywood star Matt Hagen, who is brutally disfigured by a crime lord. Desperately wanting his old life back, Hagen undergoes an experimental medical trial which results in strange bodily changes, slowly turning him into a sloppy monster.

Though recent trailers have given us a taste of the level of gore in the new DCU flick, Watkins has stated that although the movie will show the villain's final form, we won't get to see the transformation ahead of time in any marketing materials.

Clayface hits theaters on October 23. For more, check out our guide on how to watch DC movies in order, and keep up with upcoming DC movies and shows on the way.

In case you haven't heard, the Resident Evil movie rocks. Zach Cregger's singular adaptation of the beloved Capcom video games is a 95-minute shot of t-Virus adrenaline that does a better job of adapting the series to film than any of the previous seven movies, despite telling an original story and failing to include a single game character.

This caused something of a backlash ahead of release, leading Cregger to embark on a self-professed "apology tour" during interviews. But I'm here to tell you all that Cregger was right: more filmmakers need to be brave enough to tell their own stories when adapting video games, and stay true to the source material in other ways, even if it means leaving fan-favorite figures behind.

Despite taking place "on the periphery" of Resident Evil 2, on the day of the t-Virus outbreak, Cregger's Resident Evil movie doesn't feature the iconic likes of Leon S. Kennedy, Claire Redfield, Jill Valentine, Nemesis or any of the myriad characters and monsters we know are running around the streets of Raccoon City at this exact time. Instead, it focuses on medical courier Bryan, an average Joe who's comically out of his depth when faced with seemingly unkillable zombies and even gnarlier mutated creatures. His simple goal: to get the basis of an antidote for the infection from A to B.

The movie's only acknowledgement of Resident Evil's outrageously convoluted lore is a brief moment of exposition revealing that (who else but) the Umbrella Corporation is behind the t-Virus outbreak. This side of Resident Evil, along with the well-explored characters, evidently wasn't of interest to Cregger.

And who can blame him – we had six Milla Jovovich-led movies featuring cosplay versions of familiar Resident Evil figures in daft fan-fiction scenarios that sort of looked a bit like the games if you squinted. These movies were at least fun, which can't really be said about the disastrous 2021 movie Welcome to Raccoon City – an adaptation so misguided in its efforts to please fans that it featured originally cut character Lisa Trevor, but was somehow the worst of the lot.

Instead, Cregger, a clearly passionate Resident Evil fan who also happens to be one of the most accomplished and exciting contemporary filmmakers, has adapted Resident Evil in the ways that matter: translating the tone, atmosphere, structure, absurdity, and the you-know-it-if-you-see-it feel of the games to film in a way that feels practically groundbreaking.

Lone survivor

Everyman Bryan might be a new kind of protagonist for a Resident Evil story (more akin to Ethan at the start of 7 than one-man-army Leon), but the idea of following a single isolated character through a nightmare gauntlet is standard operating procedure for the series. No time for idle chit-chat when you've got mutated beasties to kill and arcane sub-objectives to complete.

There's also the undeniable fact that most of the games simply aren't suited for a 1:1 translation to film. Resident Evil 2 might be an all-time classic, but Leon or Claire running laps around the RPD building to stay out of Mr. X's reach is unlikely to lend itself to compelling cinema. And the less said about the B-movie stories and dialogue, the better.

Despite his passion for the series, Cregger is smart enough to know that if you want to experience Resident Evil 4, the best way to do that will always be to play the game. This has long been the case for video game adaptations – particularly on the big screen – which have typically loosely adapted the stories and the characters out of necessity in a way that satisfies no one. Beyond a handful of specific examples – The Last of Us on TV among them – that truly lend themselves to faithful adaptation, it's almost always going to be the case that using the worlds as a jumping-off point for new stories, while honoring the ethos of the games, will yield more satisfying results for fans and newcomers.

We're living through the golden age of video game adaptations, akin to the position superhero cinema was in around the early days of the MCU. And just like superhero cinema was no longer treated purely as disposable kids' fare by a generation of filmmakers who grew up reading comics, as a generation of filmmakers who grew up playing video games move into positions of power in Hollywood, the approach to adapting them has become increasingly sophisticated. There have already been a number of successful examples on TV, including Fallout and Arcane, neither of which adapts specific stories from the games, but still manage to stay true to their respective worlds. Resident Evil is the first true success story on film, at least one put out by a major studio.

Of course, there are examples of this approach not working out in the past. 2016's Assassin's Creed, starring Michael Fassbender, wasn't a million miles away from Cregger's Resident Evil in its use of a new cast of characters in a familiar setting and scenario. But without casting aspersions, it's fair to say that Assassin's Creed director Justin Kurzel – the extremely accomplished filmmaker behind the likes of Snowtown and The True History of the Kelly Gang – probably didn't understand Assassin's Creed in the same way that Cregger does Resident Evil, and it showed.

A new way forward

The discourse around Resident Evil has been a bummer to see as a long-serving fan of the games and an equally big fan of Cregger. Here, at long last, a series as storied and full of potential as Resident Evil has enlisted a filmmaker with the vision and talent to craft something that lives up to the legacy of the games – which he accomplished and then some – and the instinct of many is to tear the movie down because it isn't a 1:1 translation. I, for one, don't want to see the same thing again, simply in live action; that experience is open to me again anytime by booting up my PlayStation. I'll always opt for something new, as long as it feels true to the world it's bringing to the screen.

It's too early to say whether or not filmmakers will learn the lessons of Cregger's Resident Evil. We've yet to get a proper glimpse of Wes Ball's The Legend of Zelda movie, though given comments from Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto recently that the movie would be inspired by the history of the whole series, and some sneaky set photos that appear to feature a mix of costumes from different eras, I'll be surprised if it's a faithful rendering of a specific entry. Better it captures the spirit of the series first and foremost, followed by any specifics which support that.

As for Resident Evil, despite saying he's had ideas for a sequel, it doesn't seem all that likely Cregger will return – and who can blame him. While many consider the ending abrupt, you can't deny that it closes the loop on Bryan as a character, and serves as a tragic origin story for a hulking Raccoon City sub-boss; you could almost imagine Leon stumbling across his voice message for Michelle in Raccoon City General Hospital's subterranean car park before going on to take him out with a few well-placed magnum shots to that bulging eye. As far as adapting a video game goes, Cregger has achieved an easy S+ rank.

Resident Evil is out now. For more, check out our ranking of the best Resident Evil movies and our spoiler-filled Resident Evil movie ending explained.

The final trailer for Clayface has arrived, and it gives us our best look yet at the upcoming DCU horror, including a glimpse of his final form.

The latest trailer focuses less on how Hagen becomes Clayface, and more on the violent, tragic aftermath. Evoking the likes of Joker, it's clear that Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) is a victim of tragic circumstances in a cruel and unforgiving Gotham, as his ability to change his appearance pushes him towards murderous villainy. Plenty of gnarly body horror too; if you don't wince at the sight of Hagen about to cut open his eye flaps (gross) with a pair of nail scissors on a bumpy flight, you're made of sterner stuff than us.

Clayface is the next film in the DCU Chapter One, and stars Tom Rhys Harries as the movie star turned shapeshifting gloop monster. In extended DC media, Clayface is typically depicted as a Batman villain, though the DCU could be doing things a little differently, as Hagen has already popped up in the canon DC animated series Creature Commandos (and, yes, they are the same character).

Clayface is something a little different for the DCU, as it's smaller scale and, by the looks of it, a great deal more unsettling than any DCU feature or show to date. Director James Watkins (who helmed the excellent Eden Lake, and the recent Speak No Evil remake) has cited Sam Raimi's Evil Dead movies as an inspiration, which is all we really need to hear.

While the trailer gives us our best look yet at Hagen's gloopy final form, don't expect a clear shot of Clayface to sneak out before release, as Watkins confirmed a couple of months back it won't appear in marketing materials. "You don't want to show the shark," Watkins said. "I think people give away too much… I believe in the power of mystery and the power of suggestion and the power of people putting two and two together. I think it's more fun." Harries, however, has confirmed that it indeed looks "fucking sick".

Clayface hits cinemas on October 23. For more, check out our guide on how to watch DC movies in order, and keep up with upcoming DC movies and shows on the way.

Zach Cregger's new Resident Evil movie is the latest project to come under fire for allegedly using AI in its early stages of development. However, storyboard artist Simeon Wilkins has come forward to set the record straight.

"A small sampling of the storyboard work I did with Zach for Resident Evil. Not an ounce of AI here- all hand-drawn!," said Wilkins on Twitter, sharing a snippet of early drawings for the new video game movie. Check out the post below.

Rumors started to swirl after a bunch of Resident Evil storyboards made their way online, and some moviegoers, not familiar with storyboard art style, suspected AI was used.

Cregger's Resident Evil has proven to be a great hit with fans, scoring an impressive 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and earning $100 million internationally over opening weekend. In our Resident Evil review, we call the new horror movie "Frightening, funny and exceedingly bloody," and "an easy frontrunner for the best video game movie to date."

The film stars Austin Abrams as Bryan, a medical courier who is asked to deliver a package to Raccoon City General Hospital. However, when he sets off on his last job of the night, he unknowingly walks into an all-out zombie apocalypse. The film doesn't adapt a particular Resident Evil game, but is set at the same time as Resident Evil 2.

However, the AI scandal isn't the first time fans have questioned Cregger's take. Upon learning that the film would follow a new protagonist, many fans were angry that Resident Evil frontrunner Leon has been cut out. But Cregger has proven time and time again that he is an avid gamer and lover of the games, and has taken inspiration from the whole franchise.

If you ask us, making a video game movie that adds to the lore rather than simply replicates it is way more exciting. The proof is in the pudding. Just see where the new movie places in our ranking of the best Resident Evil movies.

Resident Evil is in theaters now. For more, check out our and our Resident Evil movie ending explained, and keep up with new video game movies on the way.

Self-proclaimed gamer Zach Cregger has not only managed to produce one of the best video game movies of all time with his new Resident Evil movie, but he has also had the chance to share his love for games in the process. The director was recently put on the spot and asked to do what all gamers fear most: list his top games of all time.

When asked to list his top four games in an interview with Regal Movies, Cregger said, "Off the top of my head: Binding of Issac, Dark Souls 3, I would say Resident Evil 4, and, God, my last one? This is brutal. The Last of Us 2." It's an impossible task, but the horror helmer sure does have great taste. Here are Cregger's top four games:

• The Binding of Issac
• Dark Souls 3
• Resident Evil 4
• The Last of Us Part II

It is not surprising that Resident Evil 4 made it on the list, as Cregger has said that his new adaptation draws a lot of inspiration from the fourth game. All of the games on Cregger's list are well loved, but what is interesting is that all but The Last of Us Part II have yet to be adapted into movies or TV shows. Might a Dark Souls movie be in Cregger's future? We will have to wait and see.

When asked if he gave Resident Evil star Austin Abrams any gaming homework, Cregger said he told the actor to play Resident Evil 2, 4, and 7. We already knew that the movie is set parallel to Resident Evil 2. The movie even includes a Resident Evil 4 Easter egg. Plus, during a Resident Evil Reddit AMA, Cregger said he used the "character elements" from the seventh game in the film.

Despite Cregger proving his gamer status time and time again, some fans are still a little salty about the new movie not adapting any specific game and choosing to introduce a new protagonist, leaving Resident Evil frontrunner Leon out. The movie follows Abram's medical courier named Bryan, who must deliver a package to Raccoon City General Hospital right at the end of his shift. But unbeknownst to him, a zombie apocalypse has just broken out.

However, Cregger pulled details from the whole franchise. "The visual language is taken from the games," added Cregger. "This movie lives in the third-person, kind of over-the-shoulder shot for most of its runtime, and it jumps to first person a lot. I feel like I have yet to see a movie that really leans into the video game visual vocabulary, the way this movie has."

Resident Evil is in theaters now. For more, check out our Resident Evil review, our Resident Evil movie ending explained, and our list of the best Resident Evil movies.

Resident Evil is in theaters now. For more, see where Resident Evil ranks on our lists of the best Resident Evil movies (spoiler: it ranks high).

Although we are yet to see Clayface's full gloopy transformation in any of the trailers so far, star Tom Rhys Harries and director James Watkins promise that fans will witness the villain's final form in the DCU's first all-out horror movie.

"It’s fucking sick!" teased Harries in an interview with Empire, although he couldn't reveal any details. Director Watkins, best known for Eden Lake and his Speak No Evil remake, added, "When we were at San Diego Comic-Con, people were like, 'I hope you don’t go soft.' And I'm like, 'Trust me, we don't go soft.' But at the same time, there is that line. It’s a ride. It's fun. It's not torture. It's a rollercoaster."

Watkins listed his body-horror influences from David Cronenberg's The Fly to the more recent horror hit The Substance, and we can see the parallels. So far, teasers have shown snippets of Hollywood star Matt Hagen experiencing some rather strange bodily changes, such as his face melting. This is due to undergoing an experimental medical trial after being disfigured by a crime lord. Earlier this week, a Clayface TV spot showed Hagen's eyeballs popping out of his head at a movie premiere.

However, fans will have to wait until Clayface hits the big screen to see the transformation. Earlier this year, Watkins confirmed that there won't be any sighting of Clayface's final form in any marketing materials, adding, "you don't want to show the shark." But thanks to shows like Creature and Comanos and Batman: The Animated Series, we already have an idea of what Clayface's gloopy final form may entail.

Although Harries had to keep his complete transformation under wraps, he was allowed to share his melting face – the same one we saw in the trailer – with those closest to him. "I’d have family members or friends of mine who, after time, normalise the fact that they’re talking to me but half my face is disintegrating,” he recalls, “and then they would introduce me to somebody on FaceTime. That was funny!”

Clayface hits theaters on October 23. For more, check out our guide on how to watch DC movies in order, and keep up with upcoming DC movies and shows on the way.

Zach Cregger says the 2019 Oscar-nominated war movie 1917 was an unlikely inspiration for his take on Resident Evil.

"1917. But like it's completely different in tone. But that is structurally maybe the closest," Cregger told Rotten Tomatoes, when asked if any movies specifically inspired Resident Evil. "It's like if Evil Dead 2 and 1917 were its parents, but that doesn't feel right... like if those movies loved each other very much."

Written and directed by Sam Mendes, 1917 follows two British soldiers in World War I who set off on a mission to deliver an important message that will call off a fatal attack. The film earned ncluding ten nominations at the 92nd Academy Awards, ultimately taking home Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects.

Though Evil Dead 2 might make a bit more sense, 1917 does make sense as structural inspiration for Resident Evil. It's a man on a mission who moves through impossible circumstances with one goal in mind – and the concept of survival gets put on the back burner.

The new movie tells a new story within the world of Resident Evil, following a slightly miserable medical courier who agrees to take a mysterious package all the way over to Raccoon City... where, unbeknownst to him, a lab-created virus has just begun to destroy humanity. Cregger directs from a screenplay he penned wth Shay Hatten. It's also some of the most fun I've had in a theater in a really long time.

Resident Evil is in theaters now. For more, check out our handy list of all the Resident Evil Easter eggs we spotted during the film, or, check out our guide on how Resident Evil connects to the games.

The Silent Hill movie franchise has yet to live up to the video game series' success, but that could change soon as a new string of Silent Hill films are reportedly on the way.

According to Dread Central, the Silent Hill movie franchise is getting a fresh start that will be a "bold new take on the franchise."

The first Silent Hill movie adaptation hit screens in 2006 and still holds up as a pretty solid adaptation – it even places on our list of the best video game movies. The movie, directed by Christophe Gans, follows a mother setting off to Silent Hill in search of her daughter, and brought to life some of our favourite details from the first game.

However, since then, the franchise has taken a dip, with 2012's Silent Hill: Revelation scoring a seriously low 8% on Rotten Tomatoes, and this year's Return to Silent Hill flopping at the box office. But there is so much potential there, with the Silent Hill games being regarded as some of the most atmospheric and downright scary games ever.

The game franchise kicked off in 1999 with Silent Hill, following protagonist Harry Mason as he searches for his missing daughter in a mysterious town with even stranger inhabitants. The series, which has since spanned seven more games and multiple spin-offs, tasks players with solving puzzles, battling creatures, and searching the fog-covered town for answers. The reboot comes at a perfect time, too, as the list of best Silent Hill games is growing, with the new game Silent Hill: Townfall launching on September 24.

The news comes just days after Zach Cregger's daring take on the Resident Evil hit screens, opening to $108 million worldwide, which is more than any past Resident Evil movie made on opening weekend. What is most interesting is that Cregger's take doesn't directly adapt any specific Resident Evil game, but instead tells a new story set in the Resi universe we all know and love.

Seven Resident Evil movies were released between 2002 and 2021. However, the success of Cregger's new movie suggests that video game movie fanatics are hungry for stories that build on games rather than simply adapt them. There are surely countless stories begging to be told in Silent Hill's vast, foggy domain.

For more, read our Resident Evil review and Resident Evil ending explained, and keep up with upcoming video game movies on the way.

Resident Evil took the box office by storm this weekend, raking in over $100 million worldwide at the box office and setting a new benchmark for video game adaptations on the big screen. But great art takes time, and Cregger was working on the movie right up to the wire, which led to some differences between the domestic and international versions of the movie.

Speaking on The Big Picture podcast, Cregger touched on the challenge of shooting Weapons and Resident Evil back-to-back, noting that the acclaimed video game adaptation was finished "maybe" two weeks before release. That's not outside the norm for big movies with a very tight turnaround; let's not forget that Cregger has now released two movies in just over 12 months. What's a little surprising is that the movie missed the international DCP deadline, meaning territories outside America received an incomplete version of the movie.

"It was pencils down at 11:59, Saturday night because the DCP had to ship," Cregger said. "There's actually… the international version is different than the domestic version because I was still needing to make changes and like we missed our international finish line time, you know? So there are shots I'm not stoked on in the international version that like are better in the domestic. That's how down to the wire it was."

Now, we don't know exactly how the international version of the movie differs from the print being screened domestically, but the differences are most likely imperceptible to anyone but Cregger. Visual effects and color grading are two of the more common late-stage post-production processes, and given how VFX heavy Resident Evil gets for its final lab sequence in particular, it's possible a few of these shots are more to Cregger's liking in the domestic DCP.

Imperceptibly incomplete or not, Resident Evil has proved a big hit with audiences and critics (our glowing Resident Evil review is proof of that), even if the discourse around Cregger's approach to adapting the games, and the mic drop Resident Evil movie ending, has reached a fever pitch in recent days. On that ending, Cregger also recently revealed how his original vision for the final sequence changed during production.

"One of the missteps I made early on was not [showing Bryan's desperation for a cure]," Cregger said. "We reorganized the chain of events. Thank god I shot for this as a contingency plan; it was my plan B."

Resident Evil is in theaters now. For more, see where Resident Evil ranks on our lists of the best Resident Evil movies and the best video game movies (spoiler: it ranks high).

Resident Evil is a certified critical and commercial hit, so much so that it's already out-earned the 2002 movie's entire run.

Per Variety, Zach Cregger's latest horror feature earned $60 million at the domestic box office and $48.3 million at the international box office, making for a total opening weekend of $108.3 million. The first entry in the video game movie franchise, 2002's Resident Evil, earned $26 million in its opening weekend and $102 million in its entire run.

Keep in mind, Cregger's Resident Evil had a budget of just $75 million, and has already earned it back and more in its opening weekend. It's a great time to be a horror fan.

The new movie tells a new story within the world of Resident Evil, rather than adapting a specific installment of the massively popular video games. Austin Abrams plays Bryan, a visibly exhausted, down-on-his-luck medical courier who agrees to take a mysterious green package all the way over to Raccoon City... where, unbeknownst to him, people are mutating left and right. Cregger directs from a screenplay he penned wth Shay Hatten.

The film currently has a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, with our own review calling it the "best video game movie to date." Cregger is on a pretty great run given that Barbarian and Weapons each have a 92% on RT, with the latter earning some Oscar noms and winning one for Amy Madigan's portrayal of villain Aunt Gladys. It's worth noting that Cregger actually made his directorial debut in 2009 alongside late friend and collaborator Trevor Moore (who is given a sweet nod in Weapons), and if horror isn't your thing... why not check out the plucky romcom Miss March?

Resident Evil is in theaters now. For more, check out our handy list of all the Resident Evil Easter eggs we spotted during the film, or, check out our guide on how Resident Evil connects to the games.

With just one month left to wait until the DCU's first horror movie hits the big screen just in time for Halloween, a bunch of new Clayface TV spots have surfaced, giving us a better look at DC Studios's first all-out horror movie.

The first teaser, which has since been posted on Twitter by DC Film News, opens with Hollywood actor turned Batman villain Matt Hagen's eyeballs quite literally popping out of his head as his morph into Clayface begins whilst on the red carpet. Meanwhile, Naomi Ackie's Dr Caitlin Bates shows concern for Tom Rhys Harries' troubled star. "This is going to be hard for you to believe," says Bates, "Matt Hagen can change his face." Check out the TV spot below.

Although the new clip doesn't reveal the full transformation, we do get a sneak peek from the back at Hagen growing into the large, gloopy monster we are used to seeing in animated DC shows, such as DCU series Creatures and Commandoes. Aside from the face-stretching gore, the teaser also gives us another look at Clayface's Gotham setting, including Gotham Harbour.

Another TV spot, which you can see below, shows Bates trying to get to the bottom of Hagen's unexplainable affliction while he suffers further. "What is happening to me?" asks Hagen. We feel very sorry for him. It seems that Clayface may not only be the DCU's most gruesome movie yet, but its most emotional too.

Clayface follows Hagen's rise to stardom, which is tragically cut short when a local gang leaves him horribly disfigured. With nothing left to lose, Hagen seeks out a cutting-edge treatment in an attempt to get his old face back. But something goes horribly wrong, sending him down a destructive path of all-consuming revenge.

The movie, which has been described as "violent" and "highly disturbing" by members of the press, is directed by Speak No Evil's James Watkins and penned by horror legend and Haunting of Hill House helmer Mike Flanagan. The film also stars David Dencik, Max Minghella and Eddie Marsan, as well as Nancy Carroll and Joshua James.

Clayface marks the third movie in James Gunn's DCU Chapter One, and the sixth project overall after Lanterns, which is currently airing on HBO.

Clayface hits cinemas on October 23. For more, check out our guide on how to watch DC movies in order, and keep up with upcoming DC movies and shows on the way.

Resident Evil director Zach Cregger has revealed that the movie's slightly more hopeful ending wasn't originally on the cards – and was only added in after footage was shot as part of the filmmaker's "contingency plan."

Major spoilers for the Resident Evil movie ending follow.

Poor Bryan. The luckless courier was put through the wringer as he scrambled from undead set-piece to undead set-piece in Cregger's hellish take on Raccoon City.

Partway through the film, Austin Abrams' protagonist is bitten by a child. In Resident Evil's world, that usually only means one outcome. However, by the finale, he makes his way to the Umbrella Corporation lab as the company hunts for a cure to the zombie outbreak.

Sadly for Bryan – and the Umbrella researchers – he doesn't hold off long enough, eventually mutating into a twisted B.O.W. that will be all too familiar to fans of the game.

In the original version of Resident Evil, Cregger (speaking to Collider) explained that Bryan's humanity had completely gone by that point, with no semblance of the person he once was remaining amid a mass of tentacles and gooey eyes, despite Umbrella still trying to inject him with the cure.

"One of the missteps I made early on was not [showing Bryan's desperation for a cure]," Cregger said. "We reorganized the chain of events. Thank god I shot for this as a contingency plan; it was my plan B."

Cregger continued, "Originally in the script, that scientist pulls the needle out, [Bryan] grabs the woman's face, he drops it, and it shatters, and then the rest of the movie is just [Bryan] killing the scientist and people were just like, 'No, it's over!'

"But I shot that shot of the scientist putting the needle in his pocket just 'cause I had a feeling. I was like, 'I feel like I'm going to need that.'"

Cregger's instinct, as to be expected from the mind behind Barbarian and Weapons, was correct.

"It keeps the stakes all the way until the end. It's like 'save him, save him'. Whereas before it's just like: 'Kill them, I guess, kill them all.'"

Resident Evil is now out in cinemas.

For more, check out the collection of Resident Evil Easter eggs we spotted during the runtime, plus a larger look at how Resident Evil connects to the games.

Plus, we glance ahead to all the new horror movies in the works that are getting set to scare us silly.

With a new movie now out in the wild I've decided that it is time to rank all the best Resident Evil movies. That's right, from Milla Jovovich's outing as Alice in Paul W. S. Anderson's movies to all the reboots set in Raccoon City (including Zach Cregger's new Resident Evil flick), you'll find all eight T-Virus-inflicted films ordered from worst to most entertaining right here.

But before you dive into this ranking, first a disclaimer: even as a massive fan of these flicks and of the Resident Evil games, I will say that these aren't masterpieces in the traditional sense. I've seen every single Resi movie and can honestly tell you that only a few are coherent. Most only reference the best Resident Evil games, and none adapt them faithfully. However, they are a ton of fun, and at this point, iconic in the realm of video game movies in general. Whenever I'm looking for a B-Movie that I know is going to be wild and action heavy I still go back to the Resident Evil movies, and still recommend them (well, at least some) wholeheartedly.

So, if you want to take a trip down memory lane or want your Umbrella Corporation fix while avoiding the truly bad zombies of the bunch, then read on to find out what I believe are the best Resident Evil movies to watch right now and what are the worst. And if you are also a massive fan, let me know your personal rankings in the comment section below.

The best Resident Evil movies, ranked from worst to best

8. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City

Year: 2021
Director: Johannes Roberts

Before the 2026 Resident Evil movie, in 2021, they tried to reboot the Resi franchise with Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. Now, I will say that there are a lot of game tidbits added in this movie as it draws on the first and second Capcom games. But, even with zombies and iconic characters trying to survive, it's for the most part pretty boring and just not that scary.

The script feels painfully generic, the characters' dialogue is corny, and even when you spot scenes from the game, instead of being excited, I was often disappointed because the games simply did it so much better. Also, as a Leon S. Kennedy fangirl, I will admit I have a bias against the film because of its portrayal of the agent. Seeing a version of Leon who is supposedly an incompetent cop, paired with bad CGI and a surprising lack of pacing and stakes, cements Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City as the worst Resi movie to date.

7. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter

Year: 2017
Director: Paul W. S. Anderson

The final Paul W. S. Anderson Resident Evil movie wraps up Alice's story and is the director's worst one. The story has pretty much been abandoned at this point, and instead the film is filled with action scenes and an eyebrow-raising amount of jump scares that, because of their frequency, become annoying instead of scary very quickly. I will also say that if you get motion sick easily, this isn't going to be the Resident Evil movie for you since its editing is wild and so frantic you can't tell what is going on at times.

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is full of Easter eggs and fan service, but another reason why it's ranked so low on my list is that it completely takes the wind out of the ending of Retribution. We were set to see the fight to protect the White House, and the movie opens up with it already having happened off-screen…great. All in all, it's not fun enough to indulge in, and as a send-off to the franchise, it just underdelivers.

6. Resident Evil: Retribution

Year: 2012
Director: Paul W. S. Anderson

Resident Evil: Retribution's story is again another mess; however, it is at least very wacky and a lot more enjoyable than its successor, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. My main issue with this film is that the characters lack clear goals beyond simply trying to survive, and after four movies, that simply feels overdone at this point. Sure, there are also some clone storylines going on, but that isn't really explored in any kind of depth either.

However, despite my gripes, I have to give praise to some great choreographed action scenes here that really make Milla Jovovich shine. Also, I personally love the Umbrella Corporation training facility moments in terms of striking visuals and memorable action set pieces we get in the entire franchise. Also, its opening sequence is one of the most successful and original moments in the films. Still, I can't in good faith rank it higher because there really is no story structure here, and at some points it's even incomprehensible.

5. Resident Evil: Apocalypse

Year: 2004
Director: Alexander Witt

Resident Evil: Apocalypse is personally my favorite Resident Evil movie and has become a cult classic and fan favorite film in recent years. It does technically suffer from the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score out of all the films, but that was a case of bad timing since we only had the first film to judge it by. In retrospect, it is miles better and more enjoyable than the majority of its predecessors by an undead landslide.

Structurally, it is the most successful sequel as its story (while generic) actually makes sense. It also introduces Jill Valentine and Nemesis for game fans. Jill is one of the most charismatic characters in the franchise by far, and from the moment we see Nemesis firing a mini machine gun, we know we are in for a good time. Resident Evil: Apocalypse is wacky, and it takes big, smile-inducing action swings. If you are after just a silly good time in Raccoon City, I highly recommend this one. But be warned, you aren't going to get a narrative masterpiece here either.

4. Resident Evil: Extinction

Year: 2007
Director: Russell Mulcahy

OK, so firstly let's get one thing out of the way: Resident Evil: Extinction has some very clear Mad Max vibes going on with its Mojave Desert setting, and seems to be channeling Day of the Dead more than Resident Evil. However, it also has some amazing action scenes, choreography, and features the Tyrant from the games, so you have to give it credit. It is also one of the few Resi movies that really manage to capture the B-movie charm that makes these fun at the end of the day.

The movie's script is still a mess; the characters (especially the game characters) are disappointingly hollow and generic, but all the creative kills and fights make this movie feel punchy by the time the credits start to roll. It is silly, but it isn't boring, and Alice really shines as a character in this flick. It's a great reminder as to why Milla Jovovich was chosen as the face of the series; she has the charisma and skills of an action hero in spades.

3. Resident Evil: Afterlife

Year: 2010
Director: Paul W. S. Anderson

Out of all the Resident Evil movies, Resident Evil: Afterlife feels the most like a traditional zombie movie as we follow Alice still navigating a wasteland of a world following Extinction, so it has a special place in my heart. While it does suffer from the same plot issues as the rest of the flicks in this franchise, it does manage to capture that feeling of dread that will keep your eyes hooked on the screen. This is largely thanks to some amazing fight sequences that are the best in the franchise and keep you on your toes.

Now I will say, the reason why Afterlife is ranked so high here is because of how entertaining it is. Similarly to Apocalypse, it gives enough for action movie fans to love and enough game tidbits for Resi fans to gush over as well. Albert Wesker is the best version of himself in this movie, with Shawn Roberts giving us the most dedicated and gleeful rendition of the baddie to date. If you are a game fan, witnessing Wesker in this flick is a must; trust me.

2. Resident Evil

Year: 2002
Director: Paul W. S. Anderson

The movie that started it all, the 2002 Resident Evil movie, at this point is a pop culture icon and still the most enjoyable of all the Paul W. S. Anderson-directed films in the franchise. This is also the only Resi movie (apart from the new 2026 reboot) that is a horror movie first and an action flick second, as its setting of the underground facility called the Hive successfully builds up feelings of dread and the sense that something will pop out to attack our heroes at any moment.

It's a lot smaller and more contained than the sequels, but that is what makes it work so well, as the feeling of claustrophobia adds to the terror. It also captures what we all love about the Resident Evil games: feeling constantly on edge whenever you walk into a confined space, not knowing what bizarre mutant will jump out of the shadows. Alice is also at her most interesting in this film, with Milla Jovovich giving a great performance. And, lastly, that laser corridor death scene is still one of the best kills in cinema, so gotta show some respect.

1. Resident Evil (2026)

Year: 2026
Director: Zach Cregger

The latest Resident Evil movie is also the very best (as we mentioned in our Resident Evil movie review). Director Zach Cregger (Weapons) is a self-proclaimed Resident Evil superfan, and despite the controversial absence of game characters like Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, Cregger's back-to-basics survival horror reboot is a more authentic Resident Evil experience than any previous installment, as hapless hero Bryan encounters all manner of horrid, T-Virus-infected creatures across Raccoon City. Best of all, it's a taut, unrelenting 95-minute thrill-ride that's paced to perfection.

Prioritizing horror over action, it's a movie that wants you to feel the tension and fear of pressing ahead with only three bullets in the clip, as the groan of some unseen BOW echoes from the shadows. It's also very funny; Bryan is hopelessly out of his depth and spends as much time screaming as he does shooting. Cregger incorporates the language of the games in some cool ways too: the camera frequently flips between a third and first-person perspective, Bryan is constantly coming up against environmental obstacles like padlocks and treacherous ledges that need to be shimmied across, and, of course, it all builds to a climax in a sterile white Umbrella lab. Cregger gets it.

Zach Cregger's Resident Evil movie is currently out in cinemas. If you want more spooky fun, be sure to check out our list of the best horror movies of all time and the best zombie movies to watch today.

The Resident Evil movie is here, and fans are sharing their thoughts on the film.

The movie, which stars Austin Abrams as medical courier Bryan, takes place "on the periphery" of Resident Evil 2 and doesn't include a lot of lore or any of the characters from the games.

Over on Reddit, Resident Evil fans are discussing the movie – and it's a pretty even mix of appreciation and criticism, with the ending, the comedy, and the lack of game lore particularly hot topics. The following contains spoilers for the film, so turn back now if you're not up to date!

"Feels like someone slapped a random dude in an RE game, absolutely loved it," says one fan, while another says: "I think it's perfectly good as a standalone horror movie, but it left me wanting a bit more in terms of Resident Evil stuff. Also felt that the humour was a bit excessive in a Marvel-esque way that weakens a few scenes for me but that might just be [Zach] Cregger's style"

"It was highly enjoyable with plenty of Easter eggs and references to mechanics in the game. The monster designs were both grotesque and cool. The way the movie was structured felt very faithful to the game's, it could easily be adapted into a video game with minimal changes and it would make a good side story game for RE," is this fan's thoughts. "I'm glad he stayed away from direct adaptations or shoehorning established RE characters."

"Glad they toned down the comedy, it's already a lot in the final release," says another person. "Zach Cregger's definition of less jokes is very different than mine," says someone else – director Cregger previously revealed that he cut jokes from the final movie.

"I was so bought into this movie as a 8/10 until the final 10 minutes where every scientist does the dumbest thing possible and Brian transforms into a monster and it just cuts to credits. Also, I can't get the 'VIDEO GAMES, YEAH!' line out of mind," says another person.

"The YAY VIDEOGAMES!! line made me physically cringe, but movie wasn't bad per say but way too much on the nose comedy was in the movie they could of toned it back a lot more than what they put out," thinks another fan.

"Really really not a fan of the ending, the rest of the movie is a solid 8-9 out of 10 but that ending brings it down to a 6-7/10 for me, harsh maybe but I just really don't like the ending," thinks another fan.

"Loved the movie. Hated the ending. Brought it down from a 9/10 to 6/10. Really was rooting for him to cure himself which follows all the Resident Evil games with Leon," agrees someone else.

"I'm pissed off by the ending bro it should have been him surviving," echoes another fan. "The ending sucked. I also think there should've been more creatures that were true to the games. I'm fine with the director making his own story, however don't smack the Resident Evil title on it if you're not even going to include any of the iconic creatures," says another person.

"I thought it was really great, felt bad about the ending though. I guess considering it's a horror movie.. It makes sense for it to end that way... But I guess watching the dude bumble and survive through everything, just to bite it so close to the end, felt sad," thinks someone else.

Resident Evil is in theaters now. For more, check out our guide to the Resident Evil movie ending explained, or our Resident Evil movie review.

While the Resident Evil movie focuses on telling a new story set in the world of the franchise, that doesn't mean it isn't stuffed with some neat Resident Evil Easter eggs. It's been well-documented that the film has typewriters, herbs, and first aid spray cans, but there are also a few nods to one of the most well-loved Resi characters, Leon S. Kennedy.

Warning though: we'll be getting into spoilers from the Resident Evil movie below, so make sure you've seen it first.

These come later on in the movie when Bryan, our hapless medical courier, has made it to Raccoon City. Here, he faces the arduous final journey to the hospital to attempt to deliver the sample needed to make the cure.

His first hurdle comes from running down a street as zombies hurl themselves off rooftops towards him. In the background of this shot, as Bryan looks ahead to the hospital, is a shopfront reading 'Leon S. Kennedy Guns and Ammo'. Leon is a rookie cop at this point in the timeline, but he sure does know a few things about guns and ammo, so it's a fun nod from director Zach Cregger. Check out the moment below, as shared by Twitter user RENews from the trailer.

Although, apparently a Deadline journalist asked Cregger about this and he wasn't sure how it ended up in there.

That's not the only reference though, according to some eagle-eyed fans. When Bryan makes it to the hospital, he has to enter through the underground carpark as there are a fair few zombies in the main building. Now some theater-goers spotted that Leon's car is parked among those in the car park where Bryan takes a beat to work out how to complete his journey.

As one fan on Reddit wrote, "I liked that Leon's car was parked in the hospital. It was a cool Easter egg." See if you can spot it on your next rewatch.

For more on the film, check out our breakdown of the Resident Evil movie ending and a breakdown of all the Resident Evil game differences. We've also got a Resident Evil movie review as well if you need any more insight about why it's worth your time.

We don't want to presume, but Mike Flanagan has had such a horrifyingly massive to-do list lately that we're wondering if he's resorted to supernatural methods to get through it all. With his Carrie series on Prime Video just around the corner and the filmmaker currently in production on new Exorcist movie, he's also mapping out his version of The Mist, which was previously brought to life by Frank Darabont in 2007. What's perhaps even more impressive is that he promises it won't be anything like it, either.

Speaking with Collider about the project, Flanagan acknowledged what came before and said the script he's writing deviates massively from Darabont's version. "The differences start page 1. I'm writing it now," he assured. Additionally, the director seemingly can't keep quiet about his plans and was quick to share with fans on BlueSky why he approached the project in the first place. "The Mist is going to be great," he promised. "If there wasn’t an excellent answer to 'why', I wouldn’t do it."

When asked what he thought about Darabont's version, who had also spent some time in Stephen King's work after directing The Mist, The Green Mile, and that fairly popular one about the Shawshank prison, Flanagan had nothing but good things to say. "I love Darabont's film, and there's zero point in remaking it. Which is why I'm going in a different direction."

It might be a long way off, but whatever Flanagan finds in The Mist, comparisons will be inevitable, which led one fan to ask if that was ever a concern. The director admitted that at this point in his career, it barely registered, which feels kind of understandable. After you've directed a sequel to The Shining, is pressure even a thing anymore? "I learned a long ago never to try to predict what the fans will or won't argue about (everybody needs to relax, frankly; I just saw a whole chain of people foaming at the mouth over fan-made AI slop posters for The Exorcist)... but yeah, this isn't a retread. The differences start page 1."

For now, The Mist is somewhere in the distance and might take a while to get here. In the meantime, you'll be able to see how Flanagan handles Stephen King's legendary telepathic terror, Carrie, when it arrives on Prime Video on October 9. For new TV shows to watch in 2026, check out our guide.

Scream star Matthew Lillard has reflected on his return to the franchise in Scream 7, admitting he now feels "ashamed" to have appeared in the movie. He told fans at a Q&A recently that this is because he didn't take a stand when Melissa Barrera was fired from the franchise.

Per Entertainment Weekly, Lillard shared the insight at a 30th anniversary screening of Scream. He was asked about speaking about issues as a public figure when he told audiences that he doesn't "know how else to do it." He then pointed to his regrets over Barrera's exit from Scream 7. She was removed by production company Spyglass Entertainment after sharing support for Palestine on social media.

"When that happened to Melissa, the whole world didn't pipe up," he said, before adding: "I went back to do Scream, and I got called out. And I'm like, 'Oh, fuck. That’s brutal,' I feel bad about that. I feel ashamed about that. Because in that moment I was so excited to go back, I didn't really think about Melissa and that journey. I didn’t say no."

He continued: "I'm embarrassed, that's the truth. I blew that. I'm on the wrong side of history for that. I still like being in the movie [but] it may not have been the best idea."

Lillard appeared in Scream 7 as (spoiler alert) a deepfake Stu Macher, 30 years after he last played the role. It's not clear whether he'll come back for Scream 8, but given his recent comments, it feels unlikely.

For more on the franchise, check out our guide to the best Scream movies, ranked.

Fans might have been vocal about franchise characters not making an appearance in Zach Cregger's new film, but the Rotten Tomatoes score for his new Resident Evil movie proves he really didn’t need them. Not only is his new horror film based on the video game franchise taking the top spot above all the Resident Evil films that have come before it, but it's also now the highest-rated live-action video game adaptation ever on the site.

At 97%, it just beats The Last of Us season 1 and Fallout season 2, which are both ranked at 96%. On the movie side, it's miles ahead of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 at 86%. Arcane season 2 is still on top though with a perfect score on the movie aggregation site.

The praise has come pouring in for Cregger's movie, with GamesRadar+'s own Jordan Farley giving it four stars. Our Resident Evil movie review calls it: "The best Resi movie by a distance, and the best video game movie full stop."

Meanwhile, IndieWire called it "a massive and rapidly mutating middle finger to the Comic-Con-brained idea that video game adaptations should just give 'the fans' what they think they want." The Hollywood Reporter gave Cregger some well-deserved props, saying, "The talented filmmaker has completely rejuvenated the series, leaving the six original films and the misbegotten reboot attempt Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City in the dust."

There's no doubt that some might take issue with the direction that Cregger takes, with Austin Abrams' worn-down organ delivery guy having the night from hell, and never once running into Leon Kennedy, Claire Redfield, or any of your franchise horror favorites. Nevertheless, that is the movie's cheat code. Daily Dead wrote, "The essence of Capcom’s survival horror franchise is alive, yet Cregger’s horror-comedy snapshot centered around the Raccoon City outbreak creates its own glorious nightmares."

Of course, as with any time spent in Resident Evil, some shots miss their mark in the frantic horror, and critics' common complaint is that Cregger's time with the franchise suffers in its final act. The Guardian highlighted that "After doing a great job making us care about [Bryan] for more than 90 minutes, Cregger seems to abandon him a few steps shy of completing any real journey."

Resident Evil arrives in theaters on September 18. Check out all the other upcoming horror movies coming in 2026 and beyond.

Across a quarter century and seven live-action movies, Resident Evil has had a rough ride on the big screen. While the Capcom-developed video game series has gone from strength to strength since its 2017 revival, the live-action movies have always been, at best, guilty pleasures and, at worst, affronts to the cherished survival-horror series. Turns out eighth time's a charm, as despite much pre-release griping over the absence of iconic game characters like Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, director Zach Cregger's Resident Evil isn't just the best Resi movie by a distance; it's the best video game movie full stop.

Cregger is a self-proclaimed Resident Evil superfan, and among the most exciting filmmakers working today following his arresting debut Barbarian and horror sensation Weapons – a film so undeniable even the horror-averse Academy recognized it with an Oscar for Amy Madigan's Gladys. Cregger's first foray into franchise filmmaking is just as singular and fuelled by invention as his original work, telling a new story in a recognizable world that feels wholly authentic to the spirit and ethos of the games. It's among the more invigorating pieces of IP moviemaking in recent memory, and the first to accurately translate the immersive feeling of playing video games to film.

Clocking in at a refreshingly taut and unrelenting 95 minutes, Resident Evil is stripped back to the point its plot beats could be sketched out on a coaster. Austin Abrams' Bryan is a medical courier about to clock off when he's hired to transport a mysterious biological cargo from the sticks to Raccoon City General Hospital. Unfortunately for Bryan, this happens to be the night of the Raccoon City incident, during which the Umbrella Corporation's DNA-altering t-Virus transforms the population of the city into your garden-variety living dead, and even gnarlier BOWs (Bio-Organic Weapons), which Bryan has to haphazardly fight his way through en route to his final destination.

Don't hate the player

Cregger's movie may take place in parallel with Resident Evil 2, but don't expect any crossover with the games; it's better to think of the movie as a separate and distinct Raccoon City story that is simultaneously taking place on the fringes of what happens to be going on elsewhere in the city. Neither is it totally consistent with established Resi lore: some BOWs exhibit traits of the Las Plagas parasite, for example, which doesn't show up till Resident Evil 4, and the precise way the t-Virus escapes the lab contradicts what we know.

Does any of this matter? Not in the slightest. What matters is that Cregger understands far better than previous stewards of Resident Evil on screen what makes the series tick. Gone is the daft post-Matrix gun-fu; here it's replaced by bullet-counting, resource-scrounging and cautious tiptoeing around dark corners.

Cregger also incorporates the grammar of video games in subtle but effective ways: the camera is frequently hovering over Bryan's shoulder in third-person fashion, he 'upgrades' his firearms across the night, and is constantly coming up against familiar obstacles, like padlocked gates and treacherous ledges that need to be shimmied across.

Bryan, in fact, is a very different protagonist for Resident Evil. While the movies (in Alice) and the games (in Leon, Chris, Claire, and co.) have typically featured very capable leads who take out the undead with ease, Bryan is a doofus with commitment issues whose only experience shooting guns is, amusingly, in video games. This makes every encounter a major life-or-death situation, the movie ramping up the peril with some devilishly effective jump scares and gloriously horrid creature design.

It's scary, no question, but marketing materials to date have majorly undersold how funny Resident Evil is. Despite stripping out many of the jokes after test screening audiences reacted negatively, Resident Evil remains a no-bones horror-comedy where the extremity of the situations Bryan finds himself in elicits nervous laughs and screams in equal measure.

A standout among the Weapons ensemble as addict James, Abrams is at the center of every frame here. The character and performance are reminiscent of Bruce Campbell's slapstick Ash in Evil Dead II, mixing out-of-his-depth everyman with a Wile E. Coyote-style streak of bad luck as the ill-equipped-for-action Bryan screams, panics, and dissociates his way through one hellishly terrible situation after another.

The running joke of the film is that if something can go wrong for poor Bryan, it does, and Cregger seems to take endless pleasure in tormenting his unlikely lead. It can teeter on sadistic, with gruesome moments involving both mutated children and even babies. Somehow, it never feels exploitative. Instead, it adds to the outrageously gonzo, anything-goes nightmare of it all.

Undead nightmare

There are a handful of supporting characters – Paul Walter Hauser, Kali Reis, and Zach Cherry all pop up – but their appearances are so fleeting they barely register as Bryan is pursued across Raccoon City, Nemesis-style, by a relentless multi-limbed monstrosity. It's a movie that doesn't stop for a moment; even the cursory (and mercifully brief) mid-movie exposition dump is delivered on the move. The Fury Road comparisons are apt: Resident Evil is paced to perfection, moving from one environment and grisly encounter to the next at a thrilling clip.

There are some deleterious consequences to this approach. Character development and plot are so bare-bones they're practically non-existent, and don't even think about trying to identify themes. Before it all kicks off, Bryan reacts indecisively to a call from his girlfriend that she may be pregnant, and this regret weighs on him as the film goes on. But this exact character motivation was utilized far more effectively mere months ago in Exit 8, another video game adaptation.

Clearly, Cregger's priority here is experiential. Resident Evil is a gloriously gnarly film. Heads explode (in more ways than one), distended stomachs erupt with rats, and there's a very memorable evolution of the way the t-Virus operates that will no doubt irk die-hard fans. Some may question the choice not to utilize the many iconic creatures we know are roaming the streets of Raccoon City at this time, but Cregger is far more interested in putting his own twist on the world than creating a live-action facsimile. It's arguably the smartest way to approach an adaptation like this when a Last of Us-style faithful rendering doesn't make sense.

Resident Evil might not match Barbarian or Weapons for sheer formal inventiveness, and perhaps won't live as long in the memory as a result. Nor is it likely to replicate Weapons' Awards-season-crashing success. But unless you're a stickler who can't live with the idea of Cregger failing to adhere to the letter of Resident Evil lore, it's hard to imagine anyone with a tolerance for the grisly not having a blast watching this. After 24 years, the big screen finally has a Resident Evil that lives up to the legacy of the games.

Resident Evil releases in theaters on September 18. For more, check out our rankings of the best video game movies, and the best Resident Evil games.

The Resident Evil movie will be shuffling its way into theaters this week, all bloodied and bitey, but you might already be wondering when it's going to land on streaming services. It's here that we advise you to take a breath, reserve your ammo, and wait a while, because there’s no streaming date in sight just yet. Having said that, with the hype well and truly at breaking point and the initial reactions to Zach Cregger's trip into Raccoon City being incredibly positive, we're going to weigh in on just when and where Resident Evil might appear when it does come to streaming.

Cregger's new take on the beloved survival horror franchise follows Bryan (Weapons familiar, Austin Abrams), a hospital courier on a delivery from hell that will send him to the city where the locals are about to get real hungry. In no time at all, he's checking every drawer for green herbs, scared to turn every corner, and trying not to get nibbled on through the whole process. Good luck with that.

There's a lot to consider when it comes to Resident Evil's arrival on streaming, not simply for where it might turn up, but how long before it makes an appearance. Perhaps the biggest factor is its success in theaters, which could give us plenty of time to gather a new stack of cushions to hide behind before watching it from the comfort of our own homes.

Resident Evil streaming release date speculation

Resident Evil will be making its blood-and-guts-soaked debut in theaters on September 18, so if you want to see it as soon as possible, you'll have to watch it while publicly screaming in terror just like the rest of us. Still, the movie's success could leave you waiting longer to see it anywhere else.

Its worth noting that after Weapons – which hit theaters on August 8 – became the mega hit that it was, Cregger's movie made it onto streaming on October 24, catching fans at the peak of spooky season. In the case of Resident Evil, the gap is a little too tight to make it in time for Halloween, so it might arrive closer to the end of the year, or even early January 2027. Thankfully, we'll be better prepared to know exactly where it'll pop up.

Following Netflix and Sony's licensing deal earlier this year, the streaming service will be the first port of call for every Sony Pictures project after theatrical release. As a result, you can have your gun (or your remote) trained on the big red N as the place to watch it in the future. The average time from big screen to small screen with this venture is around 120 days, but depending on the movie’s success (Deadline reports it could reach $50 million on its opening weekend), that could be a little longer.

Should you want to spend more time with filmic frights set in the beloved franchise's world, six Resident Evil movies composed of animated and live-action entries are available to watch on Netflix right now. The Milla Jovovich-led films Resident Evil: Extinction, Resident Evil: Afterlife, and Resident Evil: Retribution are all available to stream.

You can also watch the animated movies Resident Evil: Damnation and Resident Evil: Vendetta, plus the animated series Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, which all focus on the core characters of the video game franchise. Then there's the short-lived Netflix live-action Resident Evil series, but the less said about that, the better.

All that should tide you over until Cregger's attempt lands on streaming. Honestly, if you manage to watch them all by then, you deserve your own STARS badge. As mentioned, Resident Evil arrives in theatres on September 18.

For more scares, check out our full guide to upcoming horror movies in 2026.

Resident Evil Village's Lady Dimitrescu might not be a character in the new movie from Zach Cregger, but he still has an idea of whom he'd cast as the iconic villain.

Lady Dimitrescu debuted back in the 2021 game that revolves around Ethan Winters, and she quickly took the world by storm.

When asked by Pedestrian TV whom he'd cast, Cregger responded with an excellent pick: Mad Men star Christina Hendricks. "That feels about right to me," he said. The interviewer's choice, meanwhile, was Joan Cusack, to which Cregger responded: "Oh, wow. Okay, great. Dude, I can watch her do anything. Yeah, she's amazing."

Cregger has been clear that his version of Resident Evil won't involve tons of lore from the games or adapt a specific story. In fact, as he told GamesRadar+, the movie takes place "on the periphery" of Resident Evil 2. "You know, where Raccoon City is having its big night, but tell just another story that could be happening in parallel to that," he explained.

First reactions to Cregger's Resident Evil have been overwhelmingly positive, with early viewers saying it "feels like you're playing a very good video game" and it taps into the "relentless tension" of the franchise.

While Cregger hasn't incorporated a lot of game lore, he has indeed said he's trying to capture the feeling of playing the games. "I happen to worship these Resident Evil games and pull a lot of inspiration from the experience of playing them," Cregger teased. "I tried to keep the environment changing every seven or eight minutes, like the games. You're always moving into another level as it were."

Resident Evil arrives on September 18. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming video game movies and the best Resident Evil games.

The first reactions to Zach Cregger's Resident Evil movie are in, and they're pretty glowing.

The new take on the iconic game franchise tells the story of Bryan (Austin Abrams), a hospital courier charged with making a delivery to Racoon City General Hospital. However, on his way he gets caught up in a horrifying outbreak, leaving him fighting for his life.

Rather than focussing on game characters, the new take on the IP is set instead on the periphery of Resident Evil 2. According to Cregger, it's more focused on translating the feeling of playing video games than being a direct adaptation. It seems like the risk has paid off based on the movie's first reactions.

Collider's Perri Nemiroff calls it "one of the best video game adaptations I’ve ever seen" She adds that it's "also one of the best horror comedies I've ever seen. Cannot believe how many hilarious beats this movie has without ever diminishing the stakes or sheer terror of the situation."

According to Fandango's Erik Davis, the movie is "less an adaptation of a game and more a movie that makes you feel like you're playing one." He adds: "Don’t get stuck on what is or isn’t in the Resident Evil games. This is a film that takes the spirit of playing those games and runs wild with it."

"Zach Cregger is cookin' with napalm," writes Variety's Courtney Howard. "It's a wild, hilarious, unpredictably bonkers thrill ride from start to finish. Kinetic action leans heavily on demented body horror. Mutant mayhem galore! Austin Abrams is perfect as our doofy, hapless hero."

Film critic Mark Cassidy wrote on Twitter: "#ResidentEvil may not feature recognizable characters/storylines, but by tapping into the relentless tension of the games, Zach Cregger has actually delivered the most faithful take yet."

Check out some more below.

Resident Evil arrives in theaters on September 18. For more, check out our guides to upcoming horror movies and all the upcoming video game adaptations you need to know about.

Just when Zach Cregger couldn’t stir the pot any more before the release of his new film, Resident Evil, he chimed in on the long-standing debate over diverting to digital or sticking to physical media since PlayStation's big announcement that sent the gaming industry into an uproar. Surprisingly, the director of Weapons and the upcoming video game adaptation isn’t too fussed about keeping hold of discs in all their various forms, and it isn’t down to a matter of ease, but more so not trusting himself to keep track of them all.

"I'm not a physical media guy," Cregger told IndieWire. "I mean, I have been in my life, but I tend to lose and damage things very easily. So, I am not bent out of shape if I'm downloading a game, because at least it means it's always going to be there when I need it."

Although, Cregger predicted that might not be the answer some would like to hear. "Now, I know there’s a lot of people saying, 'Not always, dude, because they can just delete it and then you've paid for it,'" Cregger continued. "And, yeah, that's too bad. I don't like that."

Ultimately, though, keeping a bajillion movies in his home just isn't on Cregger's agenda, and he’s come to terms with that. “I just don’t have room in my physical space for all of the games that I want to own," he explained. "And I lose them. I always do. I always lose and break stuff. So no, I"m fine with downloading."

It’s, of course, an answer that many would be against, but honestly, at this point, each to their own. Anyway, our biggest concern isn’t whether he's physical or not, but how well he's handled his version of Resident Evil, which hits theaters this week on September 18, 2026.

You can also check out our guides to upcoming horror movies and upcoming video game adaptations.

Courteney Cox, who plays everyone's favorite problematic news journalist Gale Weathers, wouldn't mind directing an installment of the Scream franchise.

"I think I should, honestly. Nobody knows more about that movie than I do," Cox told Deadline from TIFF, where he directorial debut has just screened. "I mean, and the creator, and Wes Craven, and the writers, and everybody who’s been in it. But I think it’d be great and fun and a good publicity thing. Get on it."

Following the financial success of Scream 7, an eighth installment was swiftly greenlit at Paramount. Scream 8 officially entered development earlier this year, with Poker Face writers Lilla and Nora Zuckerman attached to write the script. A director has not yet been attached, as OG Scream writer and Scream 7 director Kevin Williamson isn't expected to return.

Cox played Gale in the original 1996 film and has reprised the role in every installment since, eventually becoming a friend to Sidney Prescott and forgiving her for that iconic punch to the face. In Scream 7, Sid finally gives Gale that exclusive, exploitative interview she's been after since the first film... and it goes about as well as you'd think.

The seventh film was also fueled by OG franchise cameos and nostalgic references, with Matthew Lillard making his first appearance since dying at the end of the flagship film. I don't think the legendary Wes Craven, who passed away in 2015, would mind Cox helming a future installment.

Scream 8 does not yet have a release date. For more, check out our ranking of the best Scream movies and keep up with all the upcoming horror movies heading your way.

Resident Evil director Zach Cregger says early test audiences loved the movie, but thought it was way too funny for a straight-up horror movie.

"I learned that people really liked the movie, but they thought it was too funny. So over the course of my testing, I stripped out as much of the jokes as possible," Cregger told The Hollywood Reporter. "I then found that not only did the audience enjoy the movie more, but I also liked the movie a lot more. A little bit of humor goes a long way in a horror movie, and there’s not a single joke I took out of this movie that I miss."

The trailers seem much more scary than funny, though it's worth noting that Cregger has a background in comedy and rose to fame with comedy collective Whitest Kids U'Know. The long-running TV show, which aired on both Fuse and IFC, got pretty dang dark with the humor... so it didn't surprise me as a fan when Cregger made the switch over to horror. His second movie, the Oscar-winning Weapons, even included a touching throwback to a WKUK sketch that featured the late, great Trevor Moore.

Resident Evil, based on the extremely popular horror video game series of the same name, stars Austin Abrams (Euphoria, Weapons) as a medical courier who is in the process of making a delivery to Raccoon City General Hospital when an outbreak forces him to fight for his life. Cregger directs from a screenplay he penned with frequent Zack Snyder collaborator Shay Hatten. Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, and Paul Walter Hauser also star.

Resident Evil hits theaters on September 18. For more, check out our guide to upcoming horror movies, or, check out the ever-growing list of video game movies.

The first trailer for M. Night Shyamalan's latest movie, Remain, is now online, and it takes M. Night back to the very beginning of his career for a ghost story where Jake Gyllenhaal sees dead people.

Starring Gyllenhaal as Tate and Bridgerton's Phoebe Dynevor as Wren, the first footage from the Valentine's Day 2027 movie starts like many a rom-com trailer – a loving couple arrives at their summer home, lounge around in paradise, and lovingly stare into each other's eyes. But as the eerie shift in the trailer's music indicates, this is no ordinary rom-com; it appears Dynevor's Wren is a ghostly apparition haunting their home. How Sixth Sense of you, M Night.

Remain is the product of an unusual collaboration between Shyamalan and The Notebook author Nicholas Sparks. The two developed the idea for the story together, then both went off and worked on their own tellings separately. Sparks published his novel, Remain, in 2025, while Shyamalan's movie has taken a little longer to reach the screen, but finally releases early next year.

The eagle-eyed among you may have also spotted a frame-expanding aspect ratio shift during the trailer as well. This is because Shyamalan shot Remain in part on 35mm VistaVision cameras, the higher-resolution film format used for the likes of The Brutalist, One Battle After Another and Bugonia, in recent years. Tom Cruise vehicle Digger and Greta Gerwig's upcoming adaptation of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew also used VistaVision cameras for select sequences.

Shyamalan's return to supernatural storytelling is something to be excited about. The wunderkind director made his name with The Sixth Sense, which was nominated for six Oscars and grossed a mind-boggling $672.8 million in 1999, second only that year to The Phantom Menace. He's never shied away from spooky stuff, but this appears to be his first ghost story in 27 years.

Gyllenhaal, meanwhile, has already filmed a sequel to streaming hit Road House, and is attached to a live-action adaptation of Ubisoft game The Division. Dodgeball's Rawson Marshall Thurber was attached to direct the upcoming video game movie, though development seems to have stalled.

Remain releases in theaters on February 14, 2027. For more, here are all the most exciting upcoming movies heading your way.

Stephen King has shouted out an upcoming horror movie... and it isn't based on one of his novels.

"There's a movie coming on Shudder in October called The Cycle," King wrote on Twitter. "I don't usually pump up horror movies (unless they are mine, haha), but this is special. Put it on your calendar."

The Cycle stars Deborah Ann Woll as Meg, a woman who begins to unravel her father's dark past after his body, missing for 36 years, is suddenly discovered at a horrific crime scene. The cast includes Jeffrey Donovan, Gretchen Corbett, Will Hochman, Dana Millican, Phillip Andrew Botello, Jack Doolan, Trevor Newlin, Don Keith Opper, and Carl W. Crudup. You can watch the trailer above, which is crackly, fleshy, and crunchy... all appropriate sounds for what appears to be a reanimated corpse. We're not sure if something supernaturally sinister is afoot, or if it's all in Meg's mind.

The film was directed by Jordan Downey (V/H/S Beyond), who expressed gratitude at King's post: "There’s not a time in my life where Stephen King wasn’t present, influencing every single facet of my movie upbringing. So to see the Master of Horror commenting on a movie I directed, one that’s a love letter to his work, is almost impossible to comprehend. I am so lucky."

The Cycle hits Shudder on October 23. For more, check out our list of all the upcoming movies you need to know about in 2026 and beyond, or, check out our list of movie release dates.

The themed popcorn trend continues, but this time around it's a bit more practical. Regal and has unveiled a special popcorn bucket to celebrate the release of Resident Evil... and you can put your organs, or, uh, water bottle, in it.

The upcoming movie follows a medical courier named Bryan who is in the process of making a delivery to Raccoon City General Hospital when an outbreak forces him to fight for his life. The bucket, which you can see below, is indeed a medical courier bag that also looks like the "Insert First Aid Kit" box from the Resident Evil Remake video game. Best part? It's insulated! So you can use it for popcorn, sure, but you can also take it to the park or the beach. It also might keep a spleen on ice for a while. We love having options.

Zach Cregger directs from a screenplay he wrote with Army of the Dead scribe Shay Hatten. The cast includes Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, and Paul Walter Hauser.

We can expect to see a lot more game imagery and Easter eggs in the film, especially given the fact that Cregger is a big fan of the franchise (so much so that he made the brave mistake of playing Resident Evil: Village in VR) and we've already seen certain shots from the film stylized in first-person POV.

Resident Evil hits theaters on September 18. For more, check out our guide to upcoming horror movies, or, check out the ever-growing list of video game movies.

Resident Evil director Zach Cregger says the giant fetus in Resident Evil: Village gave him a panic attack, and I totally understand.

"So I played [Resident Evil: Village] in VR, and as an adult I've never really noped out of anything," Cregger explained at a special Q&A event where the first 30 minutes of the new film were aired. "But playing Resident Evil 8 in VR... you go into that doll's house in the basement, and you've got that mannequin person on the operating table, and then you're going down these dark passages in that thing, and then there's this gigantic baby that is chasing you through the dark."

The baby in question is a deformed fetus that says "mama" and "dada" and a plethora of other creepy sounds. In virtual reality, the baby is quite literally behind you... and it's the worst.

"And the sounds that it makes are so fucking scary, and I'm in VR, I'm in the garage, and I'm having a full-blown panic attack," Cregger continued. "And for the first time in my adult life, I had to take it off and just be like, 'I'm gonna take a break. I'm gonna go eat some candy or something. And then I'm gonna come back and try this again. I mean, that is legitimately terrifying."

From what we've seen in the trailers, there aren't any giant baby monsters in Cregger's Resident Evil... though there are some pretty cool first-person POV shots that truly emulate the games. The upcoming movie stars Austin Abrams (Euphoria, Weapons) as a medical courier who is in the process of making a delivery to Raccoon City General Hospital when an outbreak forces him to fight for his life.

Cregger directs from a screenplay he penned with Shay Hatten. Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, and Paul Walter Hauser also star.

Resident Evil hits theaters on September 18. For more, check out our guide to upcoming horror movies, or, check out the ever-growing list of video game movies.

Zach Cregger's Resident Evil movie has been (unfairly) divisive for its creative deviations from Resident Evil canon, and for telling a Resident Evil story without fan-favorite characters like Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield. Nevertheless, it's set to open huge later this month, and could potentially double the opening weekend box office takings of the biggest Resident Evil movie to date.

Early tracking (h/t IGN) has put Resident Evil's opening weekend figure at some $40-50 million in the US. Even at the lower end of predictions, that's far higher than any movie in the Milla Jovovich-starring series, the biggest of which, Resident Evil: Afterlife, opened to $26.6 million in 2010. The most recent Resident Evil movie, Welcome to Raccoon City, opened to just over $5 million in November 2021. Even factoring in that more faithful adaptation's pandemic-era handicap, this is a big improvement.

Cregger's Resident Evil movie seems to be resonating for a few reasons. The fact that it's telling an original story that anyone can jump into is certainly one. Cregger himself is becoming something of an event filmmaker after his original horror-thriller Weapons opened to a massive $43 million last summer. And the self-proclaimed Resident Evil superfan seems to have learnt all the right lessons about video game adaptations, in that he's staying true to the "spirit and tone" of the games (and even the power progression) rather than simply re-telling one of the games' stories on screen.

Even a bumper box office is unlikely to result in more Resident Evil movies from Cregger, however, as the writer-director is set to helm original sci-fi The Flood next. He's also penning Weapons prequel, Gladys, centred on that movie's twiggy witch, and he's reportedly scripting a Siren Head movie for director Brian Duffield. So Cregger is booked for years to come. But given how lucrative adaptations of the Resident Evil series have proven to be over the years (some seven live-action movies and an ill-fated Netflix TV show have been made to date), it's unlikely to be the last.

Resident Evil stars Austin Abrams as a medical courier tasked with transporting biological materials across a zombie-infected Raccoon City. Late last year, we visited the Resident Evil set in Prague, where Cregger, Abrams and the team took us through their full-throttle vision for the movie.

Resident Evil opens on September 18. For more scares, check out our guide to upcoming horror movies and our list of all the new video game adaptations on the way in 2026 and beyond.

A Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD SteelBook version of one of the most notoriously hard-to-get-hold-of movies has hit shelves, but one 28 Days Later fan has found that the release is missing one iconic scene.

"Bizarrely, the new 28 Days Later 4K release is missing one of the most terrifying shots of the movie - the infected hitting the back of the taxi during the tunnel chase and the close-up of the eyes. Instead, it’s a quick cut to the next shot," said the fan on Twitter, posting a clip of the missing scene in question. Check it out below.

The pulse-racing scene takes place more or less halfway through the movie, when Jim (Cillian Murphy), Selena (Naomie Harris), Frank (Brendan Gleeson), and Hannah (Megan Burns) drive up to Manchester. But the journey comes to a halt when their car tyres burst in a dark tunnel that has been blocked by rubble. Then, a huge horde of infected arrives, and that's when we are supposed to see the red-eyed monster.

It sounds like the aforementioned shot's absence could affect sales, as horror fans are not too happy. "That was one of the scariest parts of the film, why would they not show that part?" replied one fan, and another added, "I wanna support physical media, but getting mediocre re-releases that mess with the original film is not what I want."

Horror fans will know that getting your hands on 28 Days Later can be quite difficult. For a long time, the movie was unavailable to stream or rent, with many fearing it could end up as lost media. However, the movie is currently available to stream for free on BBC iPlayer and Prime Video in the UK, and rent on Prime Video and Apple TV in the US.

The SteelBook went on sale on August 31, and includes both 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Discs, packaged in blood-red steel that, once opened up, reveals the iconic scene where Jim wanders through a deserted post-apocalyptic London. The new edition will set you back just under $40. However, it is strange that the rerelease is missing that terrifying shot, as the SteelBook features the same piercing eyes on the front cover. It's not yet clear if the missing shot is a mistake or a deliberate choice.

For more, check out our list of the best horror movies of all time, and keep up with upcoming horror movies on the way in 2026 and beyond.

Ridley Scott says he made the best Alien movie... and we have to hand it to him.

"I did the best [Alien] by far. Full stop. End of the fucking story," Scott told Brut. "Then they let it die. After the fourth they killed it. So I sat there thinking: 'I'm gonna bring it back.' So I sat down with very good writers and we've caught fire… and wrote Prometheus."

Alien hit theaters in 1979 and became one of the most critically and culturally important sci-fi movies of all time, and would go on to change not only the genre but the art of cinema as a whole. James Cameron taking over for the also-excellent Aliens in 1986, with David Fincher directing 1972's also-excellent Alien 3. Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amelie) helmed Alien: Resurrection in 1997, which became the most controversial of the franchise.

Scott resurrected the Alien franchise in 2012, with Prometheus, with follow-up Alien: Covenant hitting theaters in 2017. Alien: Romulus, directed by Fede Alvarez, arrived in 2024 and is regarded as one of the better installments of the franchise (and that's due in part to the stunning performance given by our new Black Panther David Jonsson).

The filmmaker previously told the LA Times that he was working on a direct follow-up to Covenant, which will see David, the evil, malfunctioning AI, "make a brand new world for himself."

Scott's latest release, The Dog Stars, is in theaters now. For more upcoming movies, check out our list of movie release dates.

When David Bowie died, I was distraught. When Lynch died, I was devastated. Tim Curry has passed away at age 80, and it's another one of those losses that feels deeply personal... though that may just be because I can see his face or hear his voice when I think my way back through so many childhood memories. He was the king of genre. He was in everything. There was no role he couldn't take, remix, and turn into something that can only be described as iconic. And that even includes his voiceover work as Nigel Thornberry in the early 2000s Nickelodeon show The Wild Thornberrys – yes, that delightfully nasally voice paired with those ridiculous buck teeth made for one of the best animated TV dads of all time.

You might only know Curry as Dr. Frankenfurter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and you know what? That's okay. It was his first-ever film credit, though he had played the role multiple times before in the original stage show version. The world met Tim Curry in tall white heels, a garter, fishnets, with a painted-up face, singing in a sultry tone accompanied by some rather sexy sax – and whether you fainted on the spot like Susan Sarandon's Janet, or giggled profusely like Columbia and Magenta, he was here to stay.

Before he took on some more family-friendly roles, like the aforementioned Thornberrys or Long John Silver in The Muppets Treasure Island, he solidified himself as a true horror icon by first starring as Darkness, ruler of the Underworld in Ridley Scott's 1985 fantasy-horror Legend, and then the more well-known Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the first-ever live-action adaptation of Stephen King's It circa 1990. A lot of nineties kids will tell you that Curry's take on the evil clown (who is actually a malevolent being from another planet) gave them nightmares on end, and we're not just talking about those razor-sharp teeth – Curry pulled that laugh straight from hell, and I can hear it when I'm alone in my apartment doing the dishes, or trying so desperately to fall asleep.

A performance that registers even scarier than Curry's tenure as Pennywise? His portrayal of Rooster Hannigan in the 1982 musical adaptation of Annie. It's the scene towards the end of the movie when little orphan Annie manages to escape from the car, only to be chased down by Rooster with intent to kill. Despite the former Mrs. Hannigan (played by Carol Burnett) pleading with her brother that she's just a baby, he goes after her anyway. It broke my six-year-old brain going from that movie straight to seeing him as the delightfully macabre and ever-suave Gomez Addams in Addams Family Reunion. There was no such thing as "typecasting" when it came to Tim Curry. He could do it all, and he did.

Something that has always stuck with me is the Rocky Horror number "Don't Dream It, Be It," which Curry sings while floating gently in a pool, a whimsical smile plastered across his face. So many of us weird kids grew up to be queer, spooky adults who are unafraid to be ourselves, and we have Curry to thank for that. In one of his final interviews, the ultra-private queer icon told Entertainment Weekly: "The motto 'don’t dream it be it' is not necessarily limited to your sexuality. I think it applies to whatever you dream to be, and that’s a good thing."

During his long, 80-year life, Curry was, well, everything. There wasn't anything he couldn't be, no role he couldn't elevate, or completely disappear into. There will never be another performer like Tim Curry, and what a gift it was to witness.

The 1990 It miniseries is streaming now on HBO Max. Sadly, The Addams Family Reunion, Legend, and even The Rocky Horror Picture Show are harder to find (though you can purchase the latter on Amazon Prime). Annie can be streamed on Tubi, with Muppets Treasure Island on Disney Plus, and The Wild Thornberrys on Paramount Plus.

Ridley Scott says a follow-up to Alien: Covenant that will continue David's story is in the works.

Per the LA Times, the new installment will focus on David (Michael Fassbender) creating a "brave new world for himself.” In regards to David, a malfunctioning AI, Scott said: "AIs can go off. And if they do, it’s like a bomb."

Alien: Covenant hit theaters in 2017 and had a modest box office return of $240 million against a budget of $111 million. The film, which sees the crew of a colonizing ship land on an uncharted planet, received mixed reviews from fans and critics. As it stands, Covenant has a 65% Rotten Tomatoes score and a 55% 'rotten' audience rating.

Prometheus, which hit theaters in 2012, marked the franchise's first installment since the highly controversial and low-grossing Alien: Resurrection (the Alien vs. Predator movies aren't part of the main franchise). Covenant continued David's reign of terror against humankind. Alien: Romulus, directed by Fede Alvarez, arrived in 2024 and is regarded as one of the better installments of the franchise (and that's due in part to the stunning performance given by our new Black Panther David Jonsson).

“A number of years after, I said, 'I'm going to resurrect this,' [and wrote] Prometheus from scratch – a blank sheet of paper. Damon Lindelof and I sat, then hammered out Prometheus," Scott previously told Variety, when asked about his future involvement with the franchise. "It was very present and very welcome. The audience really wanted more. I said, 'It needs to fly.' No one was coming for it, [and] I went once again [and made] Alien: Covenant, and it worked too. Where it’s going now, I think I’ve done enough, and I just hope it goes further."

Scott's latest release, The Dog Stars, is in theaters now. For more upcoming movies, check out our list of movie release dates.

The sequel to the nerve-shattering horror movie Fall is pulling out all the stops on its marketing campaign. The movie, called Fall 2: Deadpoint, tells the story of two young women who get trapped 3,000 feet up in the air while attempting a plank walk on Mount Kwan in Thailand.

Stuck on wooden planks, the two women must try to find a way out as their energy depletes. To give audiences a taste of the challenge the protagonists are facing, Lionsgate hosted an immersive screening where audiences have to try not to fall while watching the film.

Shared by film journalist Brandon Davis, the audience wore harnesses and stood on wooden planks throughout the movie. "If you fall off, you lose," he said about the challenge on his podcast, noting they were pelted with water throughout and had their harnesses tugged to unbalance them. "By the end of it, 10 of us started, only six of us made it to the end," he added.

Fall 2 is due to arrive in theaters on September 2, 2026, and stars Harriet Slater, Arsema Thomas, and Tom Brittney. The movie had an unusual route to the big screen as it was only announced after the first film had a major resurgence on Netflix.

The survival horror followed two women stuck on a 2,000ft-tall television broadcasting tower after their ladder gave out. It enjoyed moderate success in theaters back in 2022 but really blew up when it arrived on Netflix, leading to the announcement of a sequel.

For more scares, check out our guide to all the new horror movies on the way in 2026 and beyond. If that wasn't enough, we also have a round-up of the best Netflix horror movies to stream now and a ranking of the best horror movies of all time.

Zach Cregger has opened up about his approach to adapting Resident Evil in his new movie. Instead of a direct adaptation, the Weapons director is telling a new story set in the world of the franchise.

"I happen to worship these Resident Evil games and pull a lot of inspiration from the experience of playing them," he said in a new featurette, before listing some of the references he included. "I tried to keep the environment changing every seven or eight minutes, like the games. You're always moving into another level as it were."

Cregger went on to explain that he includes weapon progression in the movie, from pistol to machine gun, as well as including healing spray cans, typewriters, and herbs. He's even included a particularly niche frustration, which fans of the franchise will know all too well. "There's a lot of items from the games, he's constantly coming up against these padlocks that are stopping him from progressing," he added.

As Cregger puts it, while the new movie won't include Leon or adapt any particular story, "This is an opportunity for me to be loyal to the games in spirit and in tone and build a story that puts you in that scenario again and again, with increasing stakes."

Resident Evil stars Austin Abrams as a hospital delivery driver tasked with taking an important package to Raccoon City hospital. However, what follows is no ordinary night as a viral outbreak of infected monsters swarm him as he makes the perilous journey.

The horror movie opens on September 18, 2026. For more scares, check out our guide to upcoming horror movies as well as a breakdown of all the new video game adaptations on the way in 2026 and beyond.

Scream 8 might have already found its directors, as filmmaking duo and twins Jen and Sylvia Soska respond to rumours.

On August 8, one horror fan took to Twitter, writing, "Spyglass is reportedly closing negotiations with the Soska Sisters (Jen and Sylvia) to take over directing the next installment in the Scream horror franchise. The 'Twisted Twins' are said to have met secretly with studio executives this week." Then, three days later, the Soska Sisters replied with the eyes emoji. Is this a suggestion they know something we don't?

Paramount confirmed that Scream 8 had entered development earlier this year, with Poker Face writers Lilla and Nora Zuckerman attached to pen the script. However, with original Scream writer and Scream 7 director Kevin Williamson not expected to return, the director's chair was left open. Neither Paramount nor Spyglass have addressed the rumours, but it sure does seem like fans want the Soska Sisters to take the lead.

"If this happens, this will be the first time in years I'm excited for a Scream sequel!" replied one Twitter user, and another added, "If you two are part of it then I know it will be worth seeing." The Soska Sisters are best known for their gory horror features, including the much-loved 2013 movie American Mary.

The 30-year-old franchise has seen its fair share of directors, from creator Wes Craven to Ready or Not duo Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin. No matter who takes on Scream 8, they have a huge act to follow. Scream 7 exceeded all expectations earlier this year, becoming the most successful movie in the franchise. The sequel earned over $220 million worldwide during its theatrical run.

It is not clear where Scream 8 will take the franchise. The last movie relied heavily on legacy characters. But the upcoming sequel could well introduce a new group of victims just like Scream 5 did, or it could focus on Scream 7's final girl and Sidney Prescott's daughter, Tatum Evans. When Ghostface is involved, anything is possible.

Scream 8 does not yet have a release date. For more, check out our ranking of the best Scream movies and keep up with upcoming horror movies heading your way.

Hideo Kojima is back with another movie review, and this time it's a rather positive take on an otherwise panned release.

"I watched 'The Last House,'" Kojima tweeted. "Isolation? Loneliness? There were parts that felt a little like Death Stranding."

The Last House, directed by Louis Leterrier (Now You See Me, Fast X) and written by Matthew Robinson (The Invention of Lying), follows a family trapped in their home as a mysterious disaster affects the entire world, forcing them to learn how to survive. The cast includes Greta Lee, Wagner Moura, Arden Cho, and Noah Alexander Sosnowski. The film has a 27% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, as well as a 28% audience score. Some critics have called the story itself "half-baked," with others saying that there isn't enough time spent on fleshing out the family to actually have an emotional stake as a viewer.

Kojima's Death Stranding, released in 2019, takes place in an apocalyptic America and sees the player control a courier who must deliver supplies to remote colonies known as Knot Cities - which make up what is known as the United Cities of America - and reconnect them via a wireless communications network. It's bleak and desolate (and filled with freaky creatures), so I do get the comparison. There's also a Death Stranding movie in the works from A Quiet Place Part 2 director Michael Sarnoski.

The Last House is streaming now on Netflix. The live-action Death Stranding movie is currently undated. For more, check out our guide to the best movies on Netflix.

It sounds as though DC's next movie will lean more into the horror genre in more ways than we first thought, as director James Watkins says Evil Dead helmer Sam Raimi was a huge influence on the upcoming DCU Chapter One film Clayface.

"There were definitely some Sam Raimi influences," said Watkins to Empire. "The way that Sam Raimi can push horror almost to ridiculousness, and humor. I mean ridiculousness in a good way. But pushing it where we're all walking that line of 'Oh man this is extreme, and we know it's extreme and we're in it together.' The boldness of what he does."

Raimi is best known for his gory and wacky Evil Dead franchise, which pushes the boundaries of horror and heavily impacted the comedy-horror subgenre we know today. However, much like Watkins, Raimi did move from horror to the superhero genre, directing the beloved '00s Spider-Man trilogy.

Batman villain Clayface is the perfect subject for this kind of "extreme" body horror. So far in the trailers, we haven't yet seen Clayface go full on gloop, but it sounds as though it's coming. However, Watkins has previously confirmed that the full transformation won't be shown in any promotional material, so we will have to wait until release day for that. The most recent Clayface trailer does give us a glimpse of the titular character experiencing terrifying bodily changes, though, including his eyelids sticking together.

We already knew that Clayface would be an all-out horror movie. Aside from being directed by the See No Evil and The Woman in Black helmer, it is penned by horror legend Mike Flanagan. The film, which focuses on the Hollywood actor iteration of Clayface known as Matt Hagen, has been described as "violent" and "highly disturbing" by members of the press who were able to view footage early.

However, Watkins went on to say that another "massive inspiration" is Brian De Palma. "When you see the movie, you'll see," said Watkins. De Palma is best known for his crime movies such as Scarface and The Untouchables, but he also helmed the original 1976 Carrie adaptation.

Clayface is set to hit theaters on October 23. For more, check out our guides to upcoming DC movies and shows as well as our breakdown of how to watch the DC movies in order.

The tension is rising with every bit of fresh rotting footage that comes stumbling out of Zach Cregger’s next big project, Resident Evil — and that really is a good thing. From skydiving zombies faceplanting cars to oversized human-shaped mutations hiding out in sewers, the Weapons director’s venture into the popular survival horror franchise doesn’t look to be holding back, which makes sense given how wild he was allowed to go with it.

Speaking to Empire about the new movie, which sees his former Weapons star, Austin Abrams, transporting an organ across Raccoon City, Cregger was borderline giddy about the gruesome playground he’d been given the keys to. “I was given total freedom. I have the final cut. I was not interfered with. I didn't have anyone putting any sort of limitations on me," the director assured.

Being up with the dead comes with issues, though, and Cregger didn’t hide the matter of taking on such a massive franchise and the pressure that can come with it. "It's an incredibly demanding job, and I feel like I could burn out. You have to push yourself so hard to make a movie. Every day on set, you have to be the energy source that 150 people feed off, and I don't know if I'll be able to keep it going. At the very least, I'm gonna have to take years off,” Cregger guessed. “I could change my mind. Maybe in two years I'll be singing a different song. I have no idea. But this is how I've felt for a while.”

It’s certainly an upgrade. Switching from zombie swarms to scary aunts with lipstick in their teeth and magical twigs is a leap, but Cregger promises that the same kind of batshit tone audiences loved with Weapons and Aunt Gladys (Amy Madigan) will make itself known in Resident Evil. "Gladys was a very specific flavor. There are a couple of things in this movie that are really wild, and who's to say whether any of them will be the same lightning-in-a-bottle thing that Gladys was. But there's some imagery in Resident Evil that is so fucked-up and weird.”

Splendid. Exactly what we like to hear, and considering Cregger’s work up until now, feels absolutely guaranteed. You can see how much Resident Evil checks both categories when it arrives in theaters on September 18. Should you require more scares than that in the meantime, check out our guide to all the most excting upcoming horror movies.

He may be a little late to the game this time, but the king of Twitter movie reviews has spoken once again, and it sounds like Hideo Kojima is a fan of 2026 horror hit Backrooms.

"I'm blown away," said Kojima over on Twitter. "It reminds me of pseudo-3D games from the 2D era, back in the dawn of RPGs and the Family Computer (NES), before polygons and textures existed… That sense of confinement. That feeling of anxiety. Both are revived here in live action. The art direction is clever, incorporating elements of art, architecture, and psychology." Check out Kojima's full review below.

Backrooms hit the big screen on May 29, 2026. After a long theatrical run, the movie finally landed on digital in mid-July. However, the movie has yet to hit screens in Japan.

Based on the online urban legend of the same name, Backrooms has had an extremely impressive theatrical run, smashing all expectations and grossing over $330 million worldwide. That is quite the feat considering the film's $10 million production budget, and the fact that it is 21-year-old director Kane Parson's feature film debut.

Although he didn't create the original Backrooms image and story posted on 4Chan in 2019, Parsons extended the urban legend over on YouTube. Parsons' Backrooms web series further explored the fear of liminal spaces, where monsters lurk at every corner. The movie then takes that one step further, following an employee at a furniture showroom who finds a doorway leading to an endless network of interconnected rooms.

The movie was such a hit that last month Parsons released a director's cut titled Backrooms: Everything Must Go Edition. The cut hits the 2 hours 6 minutes mark, and includes bonus footage that Parsons edited on his laptop himself. It's not just Kojima who has been blown away, though, as Parsons is now very much in demand in Hollywood.

For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming horror movies heading our way.

Zach Cregger says star Austin Abrams almost died during the making of Resident Evil... and that the moment was captured on camera.

"So there’s a scene in this movie…it’s in the trailer," Cregger told Dread Central. "He’s [Austin] running down the street, and there’s zombies on the roof of the buildings on either side, and they’re all leaping at him. And so we had to design this thing where he’s just running with bodies falling and detonating all around him. I knew I didn’t want to do it with VFX. So I was like, how do we do this?"

"All these explosions are real, and the way to do it is, you get a bunch of cranes, and you have all these body-sized blood bags, and you rehearse the shit out of how they’re going to fall, and how fast he’s going to run, and then you just shoot it," Cregger explained. "So, he’s running, and they’re releasing these bags that are falling and hitting all around and exploding. One triggered too early, and it missed him by inches. And these things are all like one hundred and fifty pounds, and would have killed him if he had been one step to the right. He would have died. And it’s in the movie. So it’s fucking worth it. I was pretty stoked."

Cregger also reportedly specified that he was happy that Abrams was safe and uninjured, though he did receive minor injuries throughout the course of filming. This is unfortunately par for the course for a physical zombie movie with action of this caliber. Cregger directs from a screenplay he penned with Shay Hatten. Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, and Paul Walter Hauser also star.

Abrams, who starred in HBO's Euphoria and Cregger's Weapons, plays Bryan, a medical courier who is in the process of making a delivery to Raccoon City General Hospital when an outbreak forces him to fight for his life. A new scene was shown behind closed doors at San Diego Comic-Con that saw Bryan pull over to the site of a wrecked cop car, only to engage in combat with a terrifying, fast-moving zombie woman.

Resident Evil hits theaters on September 18. For more, check out our guide to upcoming horror movies.

He might be taking on a new kind of terror with Resident Evil (which looks terrifying after the SDCC footage we’ve seen), but Amy Madigan's dear Aunt Gladys prequel is very much on the mind of Weapons director Zach Cregger.

While attending Collider's Directors on Directing panel (via The Hollywood Reporter), the brains behind one of 2025's biggest hits hinted at what we can expect when he does a deep dive into the red-haired witch who was last seen getting ripped apart by schoolchildren.

"First of all, I'm really excited about the Gladys movie, and I loved working with Amy," Cregger explained. "I loved that character. For the movie Weapons, it really made a lot of sense not to dive into her backstory because the device of Weapons was to keep her very mysterious."

Of course, there's always a risk of exploring the myth behind a horror monster, but it sounds like Cregger has got things figured out to keep audiences on their toes and their fingers embedded in their armrests.

"However, there's an amazing story to be told about where Gladys comes from and how she became what we know her as. It's got a lot of twists and turns, and mysteries and crazy things, like Weapons does. I think it's going to be great."

This isn't just an idea that's being kicked around in its infancy, either, as Cregger revealed that pages are already being scribbled down to take a look back into Gladys's back story before she stole a town full of children. "The script is in progress now, but we're taking that super seriously, and it's moving in the right direction. So yeah, it's being written, is the short answer."

It'll be a long time before we get that reluctant family reunion, so for now we'll just have to settle for what looks like a heart-pounding, bone-chilling adaptation of Resident Evil, which shuffles into theaters on September 18.

For every other SDCC update, keep an eye on our live-blog and schedule.

Zach Cregger has talked more about his upcoming Resident Evil movie – specifically why there is snow and an iPhone.

These two details in the trailer caused some consternation from fans as, since the movie is set alongside Resident Evil 2, both create issues in the lore. Resident Evil 2 takes place in late September – so snow would be pretty unseasonal – and it's set in 1998, long before the first iPhone.

"It takes place in the snow in 2026. That's why he has an iPhone. Because I took liberties to tell a story I wanted to tell and make the movie look the way I wanted to make it look," Cregger said at San Diego Comic-Con, via Discussing Film.

"I am not doing exactly a one for one Resident Evil 2 adaptation," he continued. "There are differences between this movie and the game. So I just want to acknowledge that. I don't think it makes the movie any worse. I think it looks really fucking cool to have a horror movie set in the snow. I don't see enough of those, I like it a lot. The snow, it's an aesthetic decision. It's just an aesthetic decision. If the barrier of entry is whether I do a one for one port, then I guess in that regard, I have failed. But I think the movie is stronger for it."

Cregger previously told GamesRadar+ that the movie takes place "on the periphery" of Resident Evil 2. "You know, where Raccoon City is having its big night, but tell just another story that could be happening in parallel to that," he explained.

At Comic-Con, a new clip of the film debuted, too, showing Austin Abrams's Bryan struggling to shoot a zombified woman.

Resident Evil arrives this September 18. For more, check out our guide to upcoming horror movies.

For now, check out our guide to all the most exciting upcoming movies for everything else that's on the way this year, as well as our SDCC 2026 schedule, our SDCC 2026 live-blog, and our SDCC 2026 predictions to make sure you don't miss a second of the action in San Diego.

A new clip from Resident Evil was shown during San Diego Comic-Con... and we're in for some new nightmares.

Director Zach Cregger introduced the clip, specifying that it takes place "early in the movie." The scene opens with Bryan (Austin Abrams) coming across a flipped cop car in a snowy field at night. Bryan asks as he crawls in the passenger side to check on the officer, as the door has mysteriously been left open. He goes to check the pulse and... the radio suddenly turns on (which jump-scared the audience).

"Hello, I'm not a cop, so I don't know what to say, but I have an emergency here. Can you hear me?" says Bryan, but there's no response. As he looks around the car, the tension builds, but instead of the police officer returning from the dead, a zombified woman appears outside the car window.

Bryan grabs the cop's gun and tells the undead woman to stop as she creepily crawls around the car towards him on all fours. Bryan kicks her in the face and tries to shoot her, but the gun doesn't fire. She chases him around the car, as he screams and frantically fiddles with the gun until he realizes the safety is still on. He accidentally fires the gun off to the side and almost drops it.

Suddenly, the zombie woman disappears. Bryan slowly makes his way around the car, looking for the zombie when she suddenly comes running out of the darkness. Bryan stumbles backwards, firing missed shot after missed shot, and ultimately falls over. Lying on the ground, he shoots the gun one more time, which knocks the zombie off her feet like a cannon. End of clip.

Cregger noted that the finished theatrical footage will be somewhat different from what was shown during the panel, and hilariously added: "They managed to cut about 25 f-words out of that clip."

Resident Evil hits theaters on September 18. For more, check out our guide to upcoming horror movies.

For now, check out our guide to all the most exciting upcoming movies for everything else that's on the way this year, as well as our SDCC 2026 schedule, our SDCC 2026 live-blog, and our SDCC 2026 predictions to make sure you don't miss a second of the action in San Diego.

A new Resident Evil trailer has been revealed, and it's given us more of an insight into the direction of Zach Cregger's new take on the franchise.

The teaser kicks off with Austin Abrams' Bryan as he heads on a new run as a hospital delivery orderly. However, not long into his journey, he encounters something terrifying. The undead are hiding around every corner as Bryan's horrifying night continues.

"Everything that has happened in this town transpired in a matter of hours," Paul Walter Hauser's character tells Bryan. "You've no idea what you've got there in your hands," he continues, seemingly referring to the hospital package he's delivering.

The trailer ends with the reveal of where Bryan is heading: Racoon City General. Looks like it's going to be a long night for this delivery driver...

It was revealed earlier this year that the new movie takes place on the periphery of Resident Evil 2. "You know, where Raccoon City is having its big night, but tell just another story that could be happening in parallel to that," Cregger told us on a set visit.

However, this has left a few fans confused. Resident Evil 2 takes place in 1998 (when the game was released) but the new movie clearly doesn't take place in the same date. This is revealed in the trailer as Bryan is using a smartphone, seemingly suggesting it's set in the modern day.

Fans have been reacting to the reveal with a lot of confusion. "I thought it took place in 1998 but I guess not," wrote one on Twitter while another on YouTube wrote: "Is'nt this supposed to be 1998? Wtf is this phone."

We'll have to wait and see what this all means for the final movie and how it relates to the franchise. Resident Evil hits theaters on September 18. For more, check out our guide to upcoming horror movies.

A new trailer for the DCU's first all-out horror movie Clayface has arrived, and I've never been more excited to have nightmares about my own skin sticking together.

In the brief clip, which can be viewed above, Hollywood actor Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) makes the mistake of getting with a mobster's girlfriend, which results in a brutal attack that leaves him scarred and unable to work. He decides to undergo an experimental treatment, at the hands of trusted doctor Caitlin Bates (Naomi Ackie), that has some, uh, side effects. One of the side effects in question includes his eyelids beginning to stick together, and he quite literally cuts them apart on an airplane that's undergoing turbulence. David Cronenberg would be proud.

DC co-CEO Peter Safran recently confirmed that we've actually met Matt Hagen before, as the Clayface in the animated series Creature Commandos is indeed the one we're about to meet in live-action. Given how terrifying the DCU decided to animate Clayface (taking inspiration from his haunting, toothy design in Batman: The Animated Series), we're about to see something unimaginably terrifying on our screens come October, and I'm stoked.

James Watkins (Eden Lake) directs from a screenplay penned by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini. David Dencik, Max Minghella, and Eddie Marsan also star.

Clayface is set to hit theaters on October 23. Creature Commandos is streaming now in its entirety on HBO Max. For more, check out our guide to all of the upcoming DC movies and shows you need to know about.

DC co-CEO Peter Safran has confirmed that the Clayface we first met in Creature Commandos is the same one we're about to meet in the live-action horror movie.

"Yes, it is the same Clayface," Safran told Entertainment Weekly before going to confirm that "the events of Clayface predate Creature Commandos in the canon," and that the terrifying goopy nightmare we met in animated form is indeed the same one we're about to meet in live-action.

The confirmation comes just a couple of months after DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn hit like on a Threads post from a fan that theorized that live-action Clayface and Creature Commandos are one and the same.

If you're unfamiliar, Creature Commandos, despite being an animated series, is canon to the DCU, and some of those characters will indeed be appearing in a live-action project at some point (if they haven't already, i.e., John Economos and Rick Flagg). Clayface – though the horror nature of the film seems better suited to Robert Pattinson's Batman – is also canon to the main DCU storyline (whereas Pattinson's Batman, along with The Penguin, exist in what's known as the Elseworlds).

And if you thought Clayface's animation style in Creature Commandos looked similar to his design in Batman: The Animated Series, you'll be happy to know that the DCU's Clayface is Matt Hagen... the very same actor-turned-villain who haunted our childhoods in the early 2000s. Tom Rhys Harries plays the titular fleshy mess, with James Watkins (Eden Lake) directing from a screenplay by Mike Flanagan.

Clayface is set to hit theaters on October 23. Creature Commandos is streaming now in its entirety on HBO Max. For more, check out our guide to all of the upcoming DC movies and shows you need to know about.

It's well-known that DC's upcoming body horror Clayface was inspired by the classic Batman: The Animated Series two-parter Feat of Clay. But in a new interview, Matt Hagen himself, Tom Rhys Harries, has revealed that the Batman Arkham games' depiction of the shapeshifting Batman baddie was a touchstone for the DCU: Chapter One movie.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Harries not only name-checked the 1989 graphic novel 'A Serious House on Serious Earth' by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean as an inspiration for his take on Matt Hagen, but the Welsh actor also identified Rocksteady's 2009 franchise launcher Arkham Asylum as a touchstone for its depiction of a Clayface at “a really effective and psychologically jarring moment.”

Now, if you've played the Arkham games, you're probably wondering if Harries actually meant Arkham City, as Clayface isn't much more than a glorified Easter egg in Arkham Asylum, appearing briefly in a cell where he transforms into Quincy Sharp and Jim Gordon as the solution to one of the Riddler's many riddles. Arkham City, however, gives Basil Karlo a surprise starring role: in a late-game twist (spoiler alert!) Batman discovers that Karlo has been posing as the Joker all along – "the role of a lifetime," as he puts it.

It's curious that Harries has singled out Arkham's Clayface. While the first two games in particular are widely lauded for their Paul Dini-scripted stories, and Clayface undoubtedly plays the role of the Joker well (he had us fooled, anyway), there isn't much depth to the character in the Arkham-verse beyond the unexplored psychology of a man willing to embody a psychotic clown. In fact, he only has three lines of dialogue when he's not imitating the Joker – two of which are "encore" and, er, "let's do this" – so it's not clear what "psychologically jarring" moment Harries is referring to.

What's clear is that Clayface is something drastically different for the DCU and superhero cinema as a whole. The story of actor-turned-transforming-gloop-guy Matt Hagen, the R-rated movie will feature “the true body horror of a Cronenberg-type movie,” according to DC co-CEO Peter Safran. “We’re not just telling a villain story, but a real psychological unraveling.”

After Supergirl failed to fly at the box office, making less money than Morbius during its opening weekend, the DCU is currently on the back foot. No doubt Safran and Jame Gunn are hoping the upcoming one-two-punch of HBO series Lanterns and Clayface will turn the fledgling comic-book universe's fortunes around.

“Not everything’s gonna work," Safran admits in that same interview, referring to Supergirl's commercial failure. "But we don’t judge the success of our 10-year plan based on any individual project along the way." Instead, it's about "expanding the tonal range of the DC universe,” notes Safran.

The first Clayface trailer teased a body horror spectacle from director James Watkins (Speak No Evil) and writer Mike Flanagan (many a Stephen King horror), just don't expect Batman to show up, despite all the Gotham nods in the initial reveal.

Clayface releases in theaters on 23 October. For more, check out our breakdown of how to watch the DC movies in order and everything you need to know about upcoming sequel Superman: Man of Tomorrow.