"Evil Has Always Had a Name"

4 March 2026

3 mins 35s

Just the two of us.

'Resident Evil' fans have endured a lot of live-action dreck over the years. From the Paul W S Anderson films to the misguided TV adaptation (Netflix mercy killed it after one season), most non-video game entries in the survival horror franchise have left viewers screaming for less... until now.

Directed by Rich Lee to promote 'Resident Evil Requiem'—the ninth main game in the series—'Evil Has Always Had a Name' is tighter and more focused than what's come before. Set in 1998, the year fans know all too well as Raccoon City's annus horribilis, the film stars horror stalwart Maika Monroe ('It Follows', 'Longlegs') as a mother who bids to escape the T-virus outbreak with her daughter (Olivia Aray).

The result is a live-action hybrid of the 'Resident Evil 3: Nemesis' introduction and the Outbreak Day scene from 'The Last of Us'. Despite the Raccoon Police Department's best efforts (kudos to whoever insisted the K-9s be Dobermanns), mother and daughter are left to fend for themselves. Lee opts for flashes of the monsters they face, which harks back the moment gamers were first introduced to the Licker way back in 'Resident Evil 2'.

He also leans into one of the new main game's main draws: the chance to explore Raccoon City years after its destruction. There are remnants of the old world, but—as is so often the case in this series—home is where the heartbreak is. For once fans have more to chew on than the games themselves.

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