Resident Evil Has Seven Secret Installments Movie Fans Have Never Heard Of
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Watching Zach Cregger's new Resident Evil movie is a great excuse to dive deeper into the franchise. Released September 18, 2026, the film stars Austin Abrams as medical courier Bryan Hodukavich, who finds himself caught in a terrifying night of survival. For longtime fans, though, the newest movie is only one piece of a much larger Resident Evil universe.
One of the easiest corners of that universe to overlook is S.D. Perry's seven Resident Evil novels. Originally published between 1998 and 2004, the books adapt several classic games while also telling two completely original stories. They are especially fun for anyone who has just left the theater wanting more Umbrella, monsters, conspiracies and old-school survival horror.
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Conspiracy (Book 1) is available to purchase now through this link
The Books Start With Resident Evil's Most Familiar Nightmares
The novel series based on the classic video games begins with Resident Evil: The Umbrella Conspiracy, Perry's 1998 adaptation of the original 1996 game. Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield, Barry Burton, and their fellow S.T.A.R.S. officers investigate a series of grisly incidents before becoming trapped inside the Spencer Mansion. Perry expands the game into a novel while preserving the claustrophobic horror that made the mansion unforgettable.
Next comes Resident Evil: Caliban Cove, also published in 1998. Rather than adapting a game, Perry created an original story centered on Rebecca Chambers and other surviving S.T.A.R.S. members. Their investigation takes them to a facility in Maine connected to dangerous Umbrella research. For fans, this is where the collection gets particularly interesting because the story is not something they already experienced through a controller.
Resident Evil: City of the Dead followed in 1999, bringing Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield into Perry's version of the Raccoon City disaster. The novel adapts Resident Evil 2, but prose gives Perry opportunities to move between characters and events differently than the game does. It is familiar territory, yet the format makes even well-known moments feel worth revisiting.
Two Forgotten Stories Push Resident Evil Beyond The Games
Resident Evil: Underworld is arguably the biggest surprise for movie fans discovering these books today. Released in 1999, it is another original Perry story, following Claire, Leon, and Rebecca as they investigate an Umbrella facility in Utah. Instead of simply revisiting Raccoon City, Perry expands the franchise geographically and shows just how extensive Umbrella's operations have become.
Then comes Resident Evil: Nemesis, Perry's novelization of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. Published in 2000, it puts Jill Valentine back in the middle of Raccoon City's collapse while the terrifying Nemesis pursues her. For fans who love the classic games, this is arguably the most immediately recognizable setup in the collection, packed with zombies, bio-organic weapons, and survival-horror tension.
What makes Perry's series worth seeking out is that it is not simply seven prose versions of Resident Evil video-game cutscenes. Five books adapt games, while Caliban Cove and Underworld are original stories. That mix gives the collection a surprisingly different rhythm, especially for longtime fans who already know the major game storylines almost by heart.
Code Veronica And Zero Hour Complete The Seven-Book Series
Resident Evil: Code Veronica moves Claire Redfield into another nightmare involving Umbrella and the sinister Ashford family. Perry's 2001 novel adapts Resident Evil Code: Veronica, carrying the story well beyond the streets of Raccoon City. It is another reminder of how often classic Resident Evil used increasingly bizarre locations and villains to keep its conspiracy spiraling outward.
The seventh book, Resident Evil: Zero Hour, arrived in 2004 and adapts Resident Evil Zero. Although it was the final Perry novel published, its story takes place before the original Resident Evil. Rebecca Chambers and Billy Coen become unlikely partners while investigating the horrors surrounding the Ecliptic Express and Arklay Mountains, making it a very interesting piece of the franchise's earliest history.
For anyone coming to Resident Evil through Cregger's new movie, Perry's books are a perfect way to keep exploring. They are not tie-ins to Bryan's 2026 story, but they capture the characters, Umbrella conspiracies, monsters, and terrifying biological horror that made the games so addictive. Best of all, seven forgotten adventures are waiting for fans who thought they had already seen everything.
- Movie(s)
- Resident Evil, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Resident Evil: Extinction, Resident Evil: Afterlife, Resident Evil: Retribution, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, Resident Evil
- TV Show(s)
- Resident Evil
- Video Game(s)
- Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, Resident Evil: Code Veronica X HD, Resident Evil, Resident Evil Zero, Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil 5, Resident Evil 6, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3, Resident Evil Village, Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil Requiem, Resident Evil Veronica
- First Film
- Resident Evil
- First Game
- Resident Evil
- Genres
- Horror, Action
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