‘Resident Evil: Video Game’ references and easter eggs hidden in Zach Cregger’s movie
Cregger drew heavily from the gameplay and visual language of the 30-year-old Capcom series
Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil may tell an original story, but the new horror film is packed with references to the video game franchise that inspired it.
Rather than adapting an existing game storyline or bringing back familiar characters such as Leon Kennedy, Jill Valentine or Albert Wesker, Cregger drew heavily from the gameplay and visual language of the 30-year-old Capcom series. The film follows Bryan, played by Austin Abrams, a medical courier who becomes caught in a zombie outbreak in Raccoon City.
Several sequences recreate the experience of playing the games. Cregger uses first-person and over-the-shoulder shots, including views framed around the front sight of Bryan’s gun. The film also emphasises limited ammunition, weapon upgrades and the need to search environments for useful supplies, all familiar elements of the games.
The movie even recreates the famous loading-screen effect from the early Resident Evil games, with Bryan passing through a doorway in a shot designed to evoke the series’ slow-moving door transitions. Its elaborate locks are also brought into the story, including a farmhouse gate featuring a diamond-marked lock that recalls the Diamond Key from Resident Evil 2.
The Easter eggs go even further. Bryan passes First-Aid Sprays and Green Herbs, two recognisable healing items from the games, while a typewriter appears inside the farmhouse as another nod to the series’ save system. A mounted shotgun and its green-packaged ammunition also reference the games.
Other details are more subtle. The police officer who stops Bryan is named J. Wilson, potentially referencing Joseph Wilson from Resident Evil: Outbreak. A teddy bear may also recall the charm attached to Ada Wong’s jet-ski key in Resident Evil 2. Umbrella, the pharmaceutical corporation at the centre of the franchise’s experiments, is directly mentioned when Paul, played by Paul Walter Hauser, reveals his connection to the company.
Bryan’s transformation also appears to draw from Resident Evil 2. After being infected, he develops a massive clawed hand and an eyeball on his shoulder, resembling William Birkin’s increasingly grotesque G-Virus mutations.
Although Cregger’s Resident Evil does not adapt a specific game, its numerous gameplay nods and Easter eggs make the connection to the original franchise central to the film’s identity.
