MOVIE REVIEW: RESIDENT EVIL

 

A medical courier finds himself in a desperate fight for survival against bloodthirsty, mutated creatures.

Director: Zach Cregger

Cast: Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, Johnno Wilson, Paul Walter Hauser

Release Date: September 18, 2026

 

Genre: Action, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rated R for strong bloody violence, gore and language throughout.

Runtime: 1h 37m

Review:

Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil is a lean, mean machine of wonderfully constructed scares and gross outs, taking heavy inspiration from John Carpenter’s The Thing, that’s a thrillingly fun ride from start to finish.  Cregger’s decision to avoid the pitfalls of trying to adapt any of the game specific storylines or characters pays in spades as we follow Austin Abrams’s hapless courier thrown into the world of the video game.  Cregger’s love of the game shines through as he drops plenty of Easter Eggs along with tongue in cheek references to the seemingly endless number of padlocks should make gamer fans smile.  The way shots are constructed and set up really delivers the look and feel of early games along with an increasingly grotesque collection of creatures our protagonist encounters.  There are a handful of masterfully set up jump scares that’s sure to get even the most seasoned horror fans to shudder in their seats.  The visuals are consistently impressive from the opening snow covered farmhouse that dominates the opening act to the urban hellscape of Racoon City, highlighted by a speed run down a street as zombified citizens launch themselves off buildings.  Woven into all the carnage thrown onscreen is a rather sinister sense of humor that works incredibly well for the film thanks in large part to Austin Abrams’s performance.  Abrams’s character has a strange Jessie Pinkman, from Breaking Bad, Michael Cera hybrid energy as he is thrust into the nightmarish situation, he finds himself in.  He’s tasked with carrying the film since there aren’t many supporting characters populating the film with recognizable faces such as Paul Walter Hauser, Kali Reis and Zach Cherry popping up and disappearing in steady succession.  This is Abrams’s film and he delivers excellent work, making this iteration of Resident Evil one of the best adaptations of the video game and one of the most fun horror films in recent memory.  

A

MOVIE REVIEW: TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA

 

A queer director making a slasher franchise sequel becomes obsessed with casting the original film's "final girl," leading both women into psychological and sexual chaos.

Director: Jane Schoenbrun

Cast: Hannah Einbinder, Gillian Anderson, Jack Haven, Patrick Fischler, Zach Cherry, Dylan Baker

Release Date: August 7, 2026

Genre: Drama, Horror, Romance, Thriller

Rated R for bloody violence, gore, sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and some language.

Runtime: 1h 52m

Review:

Jane Schoenbrun’s third feature film, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, explores how formative genre film, slashers in particular, shape people’s journey to self-discovery in a loving, occasionally hilarious tribute/dissection.  Those expecting a straightforward slasher from Schoenbrun will be disappointed here with her focus centered on the effect of the classic slasher genre, warts and all, on a generation that grew up watching them.  The story feels incredibly personal and semi-autobiographic with Hannah Einbinder’s indie director tasked with rebooting the long dead Miasma franchise.  She offers plenty to unpack thematically which be dissected in a variety of ways but if there’s something that shines through is the genuine love of the genre even with some of its more problematic elements.  It’s clearly something that was foundational to her development and while this story feels very personal to her but it’s easy to see parallels to anyone who grew up with these violent films that had more than a healthy amount of sex in them.  Her use of a film within a film device is a clever approach to flip the perspective back and forth with the in-film sections carried by a striking Amanda Fix who naturally exudes youthful sadness and confusion paired with some of more over the top first person kills around.  The dreamlike atmosphere that’s pervaded Schoenbrun’s previous films are ever present but this film is far more playful which allows for some truly funny sequences such as a zoom pitch meeting that goes off the rails in an uber meta way or the final bloodbath that’s more slapstick than horrific.  Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson carry the film with their chemistry together serving as the beating heart of the film with both delivering eclectic but endearing turns.  Einbinder, fresh off of a different kind of May/December relationship in HBO’s Hacks, is appropriately awkward and unsure of herself as this meeting with Anderson’s reclusive star takes an unexpected course.  Anderson, sporting a Dolly Parton accent, is strangely soulful even as she serves up KFC like meal from a Michelin star restaurant, dressed like some long-forgotten heiress in a cabin.  They make for an oddly matched pair but can tell both actresses are fully committed to the roles and what Schoenbrun is trying to accomplish.  She aims to bring together so many concepts and themes it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there are some choppy moments especially as shift into more meta commentary heavy in the final act.  Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma isn’t going to be for everyone, almost by design, but that doesn’t keep it from being a fascinating multifaceted film that’s got plenty to offer for those will to go on the journey.  

B+