This weekend, Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil movie abstained from recreating any specific chronicle of famed S.T.A.R.S. members and opted to follow a regular joe schmoe during the collapse of Raccoon City. The unorthodox approach has wedged hardcore fans against critics, as the chasm between accuracy and overall quality remains pretty vast. The direction has inspired the staff at one Missouri multiplex to give surviving survival horror a try, recreating the uncanny original PlayStation classic in a short video.
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Posted to Marcus Theatre’s socials, the quick clip sees assistant manager Isaac Etter giving his own Jill Valentine impression. Strategically positioning himself at the O’Fallon, Missouri movie house, Etter navigates concessions lines and fixed camera angles to collect a Resident Evil branded box of popcorn, before finding a slot for it in his inventory screen. Avoiding dazed ghouls/coworkers, Etter makes his way to cinema 14 (which has its own cutaway door animation, of course), before being confronted by the infamous “turn around zombie,” now hunched over a pile of snacks spilled on the carpet.
“We prioritize tapping into the talent of our associates by encouraging them to create innovative and original content at their respective locations,” Marcus Theatres tells the A.V. Club. “[Isaac Etter] came up the brilliant idea to create this video, emulating the humor and fun of the original video game.”
Despite resistance from the die-hards and an R rating, Cregger’s Resident Evil grossed $60 million over the weekend. The film has proven to be a record breaker for both the director and the series. Cregger’s career is on a roll, with his 2025 horror Weapons an Oscar winning hit. While successful, scrutiny from gamers seemed to sour the director in the home stretch to Resident Evil, fogging up the chances of a sequel from him. If Capcom does demand a more accuracy seeking visionary, there’s one O’Fallon assistant manager they could reach out to.
