Resident Evil Requiem’s Live-Action Short Outshines The Feature Films

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A fantastic new Resident Evil movie just dropped, and it’s surprisingly short – only three minutes long! With the release of the next game, Resident Evil Requiem, just weeks away, Capcom is really stepping up their promotional efforts.

The latest Resident Evil game offers a unique experience with two main characters. Players can enjoy classic, action-packed combat as Leon S. Kennedy, or experience a return to the series’ suspenseful, survival horror origins through the story of FBI agent Grace Ashcroft.

The game’s marketing has included exciting trailers and demos, but their newest release is the most impressive so far. It’s a three-minute live-action short film called Evil Has Always Had a Name, which shows how the outbreak started in Raccoon City. Many fans are saying it’s the best live-action Resident Evil movie they’ve ever seen.

Resident Evil Requiem’s Live-Action Short Is Better Than The Feature Films

The Resident Evil film series has seen seven live-action movies, and critics haven’t been impressed with any of them. The first six films, directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, didn’t follow the games’ storylines closely but offered a campy, action-packed experience. The recent reboot, Welcome to Raccoon City, stayed truer to the source material but lacked the enjoyable, over-the-top feel of the earlier movies.

Given the history of Resident Evil movies, it’s not shocking that the short film Evil Has Always Had a Name quickly became the best one. In just three minutes, it delivers more scares, heart, and character depth than any of the full-length films could achieve in over three hours.

Rich Lee’s film, Evil Has Always Had a Name, begins with a heartwarming scene of a mother and daughter playing hide-and-seek. Their peaceful life is disrupted when the mother witnesses disturbing news about an outbreak in Raccoon City, forcing them to flee their home in the middle of the night.

The short film opens with a city destroyed by bombs, now just ruins. We then see a mother, now a zombie, shot in the head by someone we don’t see. It’s a striking moment. The Resident Evil games are full of shooting zombies, but this scene reminds us that each one was once a person with a life, a home, and loved ones.

This short film cleverly uses a raccoon doll as a repeating image. It’s a playful reference to Raccoon City, but also a deeply sad symbol. The girl has the doll with her throughout the story – during a game of hide-and-seek, amidst the panic of the outbreak, and ultimately, resting on her grave. The final image of the doll is particularly haunting and stays with you.

The new story, Evil Has Always Had a Name, successfully brings back the fear factor to the Resident Evil universe. It builds on an idea introduced in Requiem – that even zombies retain a small part of who they once were. For example, one zombified mother still carries a photo of herself and her daughter and continues to visit her daughter’s gravesite.

Who Stars In Resident Evil Requiem – Evil Has Always Had A Name

If you’re watching Evil Has Always Had a Name, you might recognize Maika Monroe, who plays the mother. She’s well-known in the horror genre, having starred in popular films like Longlegs, It Follows, Greta, Villains, and the suspenseful thriller Watcher.

The Next Resident Evil Movie Could Finally Be Great

A new, full-length Resident Evil movie is coming out this fall, and it might be the adaptation fans have been waiting for. The film is a reboot of the series, directed and co-written by Zach Cregger, the director of last year’s popular horror hit, Weapons. He’s quickly becoming one of the most sought-after horror directors in Hollywood.

Zach Cregger, the director known for the terrifying horror film Barbarian, is now tackling Resident Evil, which is a great sign for fans. The creepy underground scenes in Barbarian already felt like they could have been from a Resident Evil game, so expectations are high. He’s creating a brand new story within the Resident Evil universe, taking a lot of inspiration from the classic games.

Director Cregger has cast Austin Abrams, known for his standout comedic performance in Weapons, as the main character in his Resident Evil project. Abrams will play a courier who finds himself caught in a terrifying and chaotic night. Fans of his funny role as James in Weapons are in for a treat. Paul Walter Hauser and Zach Cherry from Severance will also star.

It’s A Good Time To Be A Resident Evil Fan

2026 is shaping up to be an excellent year for fans of Resident Evil. We’ll get our hands on Requiem soon, and then, just a few months later on September 18th, the new movie directed by Cregger will be released. It’s a great time to be a Resident Evil fan – as long as both the game and the movie live up to expectations!

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2026-02-04 01:59