Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil is a smashing horror hit just in time for Halloween. Building a brilliant survival horror atmosphere topped off by Austin Abram’s outstanding performance on the big screen. I had the pleasure of seeing the most recent rendition of the Resident Evil franchise over the weekend and it was a thrilling adventure from the start. Using some of the chemistry the two shared on Weapons, Resident Evil is entirely new story unlike what we’ve seen in the video games or previous renditions of the franchise. While some diehard fans may harp at the fact that their beloved Leon Kennedy doesn’t make any heroic cameo throughout the film, as a film lover, I appreciate the new storyline we haven’t seen.

{SPOILERS}

Austin Abram’s portrays a hospital courier named Bryan and perfectly depicts what an average human would act like in the brink of the apocalypse. He makes it apparent he is not fit to handle guns, but is forced to use them throughout the film. Abrams constantly upgrades weaponry when he becomes slightly accustomed to the last just like in classic video game fashion. He keeps track of ammo and makes survivor conscious decisions. He gives a really relatable performance given the circumstances, I was really rooting for him to make it back home to his pregnant girlfriend in the end. Austin’s constant cutesy lightheartedness does slightly take away from the seriousness of the movie, but his giddy characteristics are too enjoyable to watch for me to really have any complaints.

Once again, while the film does not follow any sort of story line from the video game, there is still a very prominent video game feel. There are certain shots where the camera is strapped to Austin’s arm while he aims a gun in similar fashion to a first person shooter. The structure of the plot progresses through different areas in a very Resident Evil manner. Brain starts on the outskirts in the woods before managing to make his way into the sewers of the city, then he finds his way into the main building before the end scene inside the lab. Each time before Bryan can progress to the next area there’s a physical padlock on doors preventing him from going through, which I thought was a nice nod to video game culture.

Overall, Cregger’s Resident Evil provides a tense horror atmosphere filled with jump scares and gross body horror. There were several times I was squirming in my seat at the sheer nastiness of some of the gore, but I’m not particularly a fan of that kind of imagery. I was jumped out of my seat a few times, which is saying a lot seeing as I don’t scare easily. If you’re looking for a fun yet terrifyingly thrilling adventure, Zach Cregger and Austin Abrams deliver to the max.