WARNING: Spoilers for Resident Evil (2026) are below!
The new Resident Evil movie is finally hitting theaters, and director Zach Cregger has peppered it with numerous video game references and Easter eggs. Reviews have hailed the film as a love letter to the games, and it currently holds 96% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience score isn’t far behind, currently at 91%, showing appeal beyond gamers like myself. However, for keen-eyed viewers who have spent decades enjoying the series, Cregger offers an overabundance of nods to what made the games great. From simple camera-placement choices to spot-on recreations of iconic imagery, the new Resident Evil is packed with references. Let’s break down what the new movie is hiding.
Why You Should Trust Me: I’ve been playing Resident Evil games for nearly 30 years, diving into the gloriously heinous survival horror series long before the Mature rating said it was okay. Luckily, my work lets me channel that love into pieces praising Cregger’s approach to his adaptation and the obscure Resident Evil film you’ve never seen.
Healing Items: The First Aid Box, Green Herbs, and First Aid Spray
Throughout Bryan’s harrowing journey from the remote farmhouse to the heart of Raccoon City, he encounters various items that are meant to heal players in the Resident Evil Games. The most obvious is the green medical bag Bryan carries throughout the movie, which is modeled after the first aid boxes in the games. Rebecca Chambers also carried a similar style of bag in Resident Evil Zero, but hers had specific attributes beyond the normal kits.
A green herb sits beside Bryan’s head when he’s on the phone at the farmhouse. When he’s in the upper section of the barn, after throwing the ladder down at the dog, two cans of first aid spray also sit on a hay bale next to him. These items are meant to restore health, but sadly do little for Bryan.
The Action Starts When Bryan’s Car Strikes an Infected Person
The story kicks off when Bryan’s car strikes an infected woman who wanders onto the snowy road he is driving on. This directly references the beginning of Resident Evil 2, where a similar vehicle strike starts the story. Cregger has said his movie takes place on the periphery of RE2 and 3, with the director putting his own spin on the jarring scare.
A Typewriter in a Safe Room
While searching the farmhouse, Bryan finds a dark, quiet room with a typewriter sitting on a table. It comes off as spooky, which feels humorous since typewriters highlight safe rooms in the games. It’s a spot where you can save your progress using the typewriter and take a breather from being relentlessly pursued. Bryan doesn’t stick around, but he doesn’t find much safety elsewhere.
A Delivery Invoice for Umbrella
Bryan is tasked with taking a high-priority delivery to Raccoon City, which puts him on the path he follows throughout the film. The invoice he’s carrying includes a brief note that the recipient is the Umbrella Corporation. Umbrella is the nefarious company from the Resident Evil games responsible for the viral outbreak, and its secret lab plays a role in the film’s finale.
Infected Animals: Zombie Dogs & Rats
Infected animals and bizarre mutations in nature are common in Resident Evil games. Zombie dogs, like Cerberus, are the most recognizable, but variations exist with different infections. One of the first threats Bryan encounters on the farm is a zombie dog with tendrils that can slither from its mouth. Later, while traversing the sewers, Bryan faces a legion of infected rats that storm out of the bloated man’s corpse. Rats have plagued players in the past, but they were also vital in the spread of the outbreak in the games, making the rodents an exceptional nod.
The Farmhouse’s Cuckoo Clock & Taxidermy
The farmhouse living room has some unique references hidden in plain sight. An array of taxidermied animals covers the walls. This feels like a direct reference to the overabundance of taxidermy in Chief Irons’ office in Resident Evil 2. He was a corrupt officer obsessed with hunting and taxidermy, and he kept it on full display. As Bryan goes up the stairs, he hears a cuckoo clock chime. This references the clock puzzle in Resident Evil 4, but it may also come from Resident Evil Outbreak, where a puzzle has you trigger a cuckoo clock.
Weapons Progression Hides Details From the Shotgun’s Placement to the Machine Gun’s Case
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Sony Pictures Releasing -
Sony Pictures Releasing -
Austin Abrams as Bryan in Resident Evil Sony Pictures Releasing
Resident Evil games feature players progressing from smaller weapons like handguns to larger, more powerful ones like machine guns as they move further through the story. Bryan does the same in the movie, starting with the handgun he takes from the cop, to the shotgun in the farmhouse, and the submachine gun he gets from Maxine’s vehicle.
The way the shotgun is mounted on the wall references its appearance in several games. The shotgun is mounted on the wall in the first Resident Evil game, where it can trigger the ceiling-collapse trap, and a similarly placed shotgun is seen in Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 7. When Bryan later finds the submachine gun in the back of the SUV, it’s inside a black gun case. Weapons in the games often appear in cases, but this may also be a more direct reference to the game’s inventory system: a black case you can upgrade for more space.
Heavy Field Shotgun Shells
Every good weapon needs ammunition, and the games are notorious for ensuring you always feel underprepared and about to run out. Thankfully, many recognizable ammo types appear throughout, from the red box of handgun ammo to the blue box for machine guns. Bryan finds a green box of Heavy Field shotgun shells, a direct pull from the brand in-game.
Scavenging for Ammo & Looting Corpses
Survival horror gameplay experiences always have players scavenging for supplies, whether it’s healing items or ammunition. Gamers root through drawers, open safes, and even loot corpses if it means an extra bullet or the pass key they desperately need to progress. Bryan roots through drawers at the farmhouse for ammo, then tries to steal keys from Maxine’s bisected body, showing the trope throughout.
A Diamond Lock & Key Is One of Many That Stand in Bryan’s Way
When Bryan tries to leave the farmhouse, a padlocked gate blocks his path. But it isn’t just any padlock: it bears a distinct diamond shape, with the symbol later shown on the key that falls out of the truck. Resident Evil 2 features four types of keys and locks inside the police station that match playing-card suits, so players need the club key for the club door, and so on. Bryan encountering a diamond lock and key directly pulls from the game’s gimmick, but the movie takes padlocks even further.
Locked doors and padlocks that need keys are a constant in Resident Evil games, sending players on the hunt for what they need and often forcing them to go where they would rather not. Bryan encounters several padlocked doors where he can search for a key or do what most players try: shoot the lock off. He tries and fails to shoot the lock each time until he hits the broom during the finale, but that’s expected, since more often than not, gamers need to find the key to open it.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
