Resident Evil Movie Director Purged 'Too Funny' Jokes After Test Screenings

The upcoming Resident Evil film is clawing its way back to its dark, atmospheric roots after a sudden comedy intervention. Director Zach Cregger told The Hollywood Reporter that early test screenings prompted him to purge almost all the humor from the project before its September 18 release.

The film is set during the chaotic timeline of Resident Evil 2 but breaks away from game canon to tell a completely different story featuring entirely new characters. Cregger—the filmmaker behind horror hits like Barbarian and Weapons—explained that test audiences felt his initial cut leaned too heavily into comedy. In response, he systematically removed the jokes, which he says ultimately resulted in a stronger, scarier movie.

"I learned that people really liked the movie, but they thought it was too funny," Cregger explained in the interview. "So over the course of my testing, I stripped out as much of the jokes as possible." He added that he doesn't miss a single line he cut, noting that the sparse humor remaining now hits much harder.

Cregger also addressed the decision to exclude legacy characters like Leon S. Kennedy or Claire Redfield, stating he is not worried about the potential backlash from lore-heavy fans. His goal was to capture the terrifying tension of playing the games, rather than trying to satisfy every corner of the fandom.

"I have to make the best version of this movie that I’m capable of making and devote myself entirely to it," Cregger said. "If I tried to please everybody, I’d end up pleasing nobody. That much is obvious."

The details

• Release date: September 18
• Director: Zach Cregger
• Setting: Chronologically parallel to Resident Evil 2, using an original cast

Whether this comedy purge successfully delivers the pure, unadulterated nightmare fuel fans have been waiting for will finally be put to the test this September.