Why Resident Evil's Title Doesn't Make Sense For The New Movie

Published Sep 16, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT

Karlis has been obsessing over television and movie news since he first learned how to read. He has worked in tech, as a musician, and in journalism with a well-rounded knowledge base of pop-culture throughout the eras. He claims that he has memorized the entire Internet Movie Database, and to date no one has been able to refute this.
Holding a Bachelor's Degree in Religion and Culture from Wilfrid Laurier University, Karlis loves to examine the intersections of popular science-fiction and culture. His latest novel MASS. is available now on Amazon and examines a world where obesity has become a federal crime.

Zach Cregger's new Resident Evil looks to be a great time at the movies, but there's a particular reason that the title doesn't make sense for the film, and it's not why most audiences might suspect. With the success of Barbarian and Weapons, Zach Cregger's future in Hollywood is not just secure, but is also incredibly exciting.

Granted, Cregger's new Resident Evil looks to play fast and loose with the series' lore. Instead of directly adapting one of the masterpiece Resident Evil games, the new project is instead looking to capture the feeling of playing one of the games. This includes the tension of searching for limited ammunition while being stalked by an unknown threat.

Unfortunately, this also means that the best Resident Evil characters are not set to appear in the new film. Rather than adapting the adventures of the Redfield siblings, Leon S. Kennedy, Jill Valentine, or even Ethan Winters, the new adaptation follows Bryan, an original protagonist attempting to deliver a medical product during the outbreak in Raccoon City.

Still, introducing new heroes for one-off appearances actually makes sense for the Resident Evil series. The most recent game in the franchise brought in Grace Ashcroft as a main figure, following a trend that has been seen throughout the years with characters including Billy Coen, Sheva Alomar, and more. In fact, the real issue with the new film's title is actually part of a larger franchise challenge.

The Title Resident Evil Refers To The Game's Spencer Mansion

The title of Resident Evil doesn't make sense for most installments in the game franchise, and that includes this latest film. When the game was first developed by the Japanese company Capcom, it was intended to be released under the title Biohazard. This made sense for the larger story, which was about a virus outbreak. But Resident Evil was more appropriate for the specific setting of the game, which was the Spencer mansion.

Ultimately, it kept Biohazard for the Japanese release, but a trademark for that name was already held domestically, which complicated its western release. To move forward, Capcom of America was forced to change the name, and did so by holding an internal company contest. An unnamed employee submitted the name for the game as Resident Evil, in an effort to reflect the notion that the Spencer mansion was the nebulous embodiment of evil and the virus itself. A little shaky in its logic, the name was still incredibly catchy and helped to launch the franchise as a phenomenon.

From there, few entries in the series have genuinely felt well suited by that title. The first game, and its adaptations, including the 2002 film and the mostly forgotten Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, do fit the framework suggested by the title, but virtually everything else that has followed, including the latest film, does not.

Despite Losing Its Meaning, Resident Evil Is An Excellent Title

Granted, Resident Evil is an incredibly memorable title, even if it has become somewhat meaningless. The new film takes place in all kinds of places across Raccoon City, but the title of Resident Evil and its lore have grown to mean so much more than their original conception. As a result, it still fits to a lesser extent.

For those who have spent time with the series of games, Resident Evil does not apply to a haunted house, which itself blew up at the end of the first installment, but instead to the incredible action gameplay and wonderful global stories of Capcom's beloved franchise. For many today, Resident Evil means pulse-pounding horror and terrific stalker enemies.

To others, it means Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield fighting against Mr. X. To others still, it means Milla Jovovich's Alice taking on the Umbrella Corporation in the original Resident Evil movies. The brand has grown so much bigger than its initial proposition, and Zach Cregger's new film looks to deliver handily upon that premise.

Resident Evil is sure to be one of the most exciting horror films of 2026, adapting the best-selling horror video game franchise of all time. The title today carries all kinds of associations with it, and so long as it delivers on some of those, it will be worthy of the name.