Resident Evil should follow the games and reboot

‘Resident Evil: The Final Chapter’ is almost here.

The sixth and final instalment of the ‘Resident Evil’ film saga stars Milla Jovovich in the now-iconic role of Alice… and it looks as though ‘The Final Chapter’ will bring her entire story to a close. But what’s next for the ‘Resident Evil’ franchise? I can’t help thinking it’s time to bring ‘Resident Evil’ back to the survival horror roots of the video game franchise.

And it could really learn a thing or two from ‘Resident Evil 7’.

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‘Resident Evil 7: Biohazard’ sees the survival horror franchise step away from the overblown, action-oriented set pieces and return to pure horror. Ethan Winters, the main character, is not a soldier. He’s never been in law enforcement and he barely knows how to handle a gun.

But that’s half the fun.

Three years after his wife is reported missing, Ethan gets a mysterious e-mail. It’s from his wife Mia, who is apparently still alive… and she wants him to come and find her at a creepy old mansion in the fictional backwater town of Dulvey, Louisiana. What could go wrong?

Obviously, it’s a setup and Ethan soon finds himself fighting for survival as the kooky, oddball and probably cannibalistic Baker family hunt him through the run-down corridors of their family home.

This would be the perfect setup for a new ‘Resident Evil’ film franchise.

It’s no secret that ‘Resident Evil 7: Biohazard’ is inspired by numerous horror classics. For example, You don’t have to look too far to find parallels between ‘Resident Evil 7’ and ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’. They even pay homage to the iconic dinner scene as the Baker family try to ‘welcome’ you into their home. Throw in a dash of ‘Paranormal Activity’ and a creepy girl who looks like Samara from ‘The Ring’ and you’re onto a real winner.

But ‘Resident Evil 7’ is more than the sum of its parts.

As you’d expect from a ‘Resident Evil’ game, it’s not quite the reboot that it seems. There’s more than a few zombie-like creatures to go up against… and it’s not long before the series’ bioweapon backstory rears its head. But it’s not quite the same as the other games that came before it. The zombie-like ‘molded’ creatures are gruesome and terrifying (especially when you encounter them for the first time). The clever part? It’s not quite a zombie hoard. There aren’t actually that many of them at any one time, but each fight counts. They’re lumbering, relentless and baying for your blood. But by switching the focus of the game back to survival, it’s a welcome move in a market which is saturated with high-explosive action shooters.

This is exactly what the ‘Resident Evil’ films should do.

It’s time to step away from the gun-toting action heroes and instead, make ‘Resident Evil’ all about the horror. Imagine this – the ‘Resident Evil’ film franchise has wrapped. It’s done. But instead of rebooting with another gun-slinging action star, cutting down zombie hordes with a tide of bullets, the next film is all about survival. Drop a random guy into the zombie-infested Baker mansion and see how long he lasts.

Or just take the basic concept of survival horror and go from there.

It’s a move that would breathe new life into the long-stagnated franchise. Sure, it might not be to everyone’s tastes, but as ‘Resident Evil 7’ has proved with its overwhelmingly positive reception, it’s the kind of project a lot of folks want to see. Get rid of the guns, the soldiers and the crazy experimental science projects that have to be gunned down and exploded and vaporised to death. Get rid of the action set pieces. Start from scratch and do something new.

The video game franchise began in a creepy, old mansion. Now, ‘Resident Evil 7’ has taken the franchise back to this core concept – scaring the crap out of its players. So my suggestion, is to make the ‘Resident Evil’ film franchise do the same. Make a low-budget, truly terrifying horror which latches onto people’s fears. Give it a spooky, old house, filled with nightmarish creatures and a main character who just wants to get out.

And for God’s sake, make ‘Resident Evil’ scary again.

‘Resident Evil: The Final Chapter’ heads to cinemas on 3 February 2017.

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