Popverse's top stories

• From one Lord of the Rings director to another - Andy Serkis on what makes Peter Jackson “one of life’s great movement-makers”
• Jurassic World and Star Wars mainstay Bryce Dallas Howard is coming to Seattle's ECCC 2026!
• Members only: Ask Ming-Na Wen, Critical Role, Gail Simone, Karl Urban, Chris Claremont, Denys Cowan, and more your questions as part of ECCC x Popverse member exclusive!

If there's anything I've learned over the years, it's that Resident Evil brings out something in people. I own a sweatshirt that has artwork by Mark Scicluna depicting the iconic village fight in Resident Evil 4, and it's brought a fair bit of insight into the franchise for me. On more than one occasion, when I've worn the sweatshirt to brunch or to pick up takeout, I've gotten into conversations with strangers about how they remember playing the original 1996 game with their dad, or how many times they played through the fourth game. The sweatshirt is far from the only nerd-oriented piece of apparel I own, but I've noticed it brings out an openness in people that other properties don't quite measure up to. Hell, I'm ordinarily a pretty reserved person, but if I saw someone on the streets of LA wearing something Resident Evil-related, I probably wouldn't resist the urge to chat. 

What this all really means is that Resident Evil, in its many forms, strips away our individual façades to reveal something more vulnerable and truthful: an intimate sense of joy amidst fear. And this fear, and the thrill we feel from it, is what connects Resident Evil fans to each other, leading them to strike up a conversation with another dude at the lunch counter. And while fear has played a starring role in dividing humanity over the course of our history, in a Resident Evil game, it unites all of us. Not to turn this into a therapy session, but I've spent my adult life working my way out of the tangled Christmas tree lights of Irish emotional repression. And because my existence is ridiculous, the Resident Evil games have provided a type of emotional boot camp for me, giving me reason not to run away from my fears, but fight and feel them. And, god forbid, scream every once in a while. 

Take this video of a mom playing Resident Evil VII: Biohazard in VR as evidence:

Sure, there are plenty of great horror video game franchises out there, but what's made Resident Evil so special to me is how boldfaced it is about everything. Subtlety has never been Resi's forte - this is a game series where Chris Redfield punches the shit out of a boulder, and Leon Kennedy shoots the US President in the face. In other words, Resident Evil has never been afraid to be goofy or over-the-top, an element that fans have rallied behind and cut into YouTube videos like "leon saying dumb shit compilation." In the Resident Evil 4 remake, you can unlock accessories like a chicken hat for Leon to wear, so you can take on an evil Spanish zombie cult in style. It gives us permission to get silly, even when we're scared. And there's nothing quite like encountering horrors beyond all comprehension with a pair of cat ears on. 

It's this last piece that has solidified Resident Evil's salience these past few years. The franchise's overarching story about an evil corporation hellbent on turning a profit at the expense of human lives is frighteningly more and more in step with our current political situation. The bizarre spectacle of evil abounding today in Washington feels almost too strange for the Resident Evil protagonists to get caught up in. The lumpy lip and cheek fillers of Kristi Noem and Lara Loomer feel like precursors to the misshapen forms of the Regeneradors in the Resident Evil 4 remake. Among those in power, monstrosity has been normalized, commodified even. The attacks on the Environmental Protection Agency, continued pollution in communities across the country, and the decay of housing infrastructure in our poorest states all evoke the decrepit Louisiana plantation that Resident Evil VII: Biohazard is set on. Even Resident Evil understands the rot at the core of American society. 

The state of the world has given me a lot of reasons to be scared. And playing the Resident Evil games has given me a safe place to confront and exhume those fears, to talk about them with others. When I was jumpscared by a Regenerador in the Resident Evil 4 remake, I unleashed a scream so loud and so primal that I had to assure my neighbors that I was okay, I was "just playing a video game." To play these games is to willingly submit to my own vulnerability, and in that terrifying act, I've found community and understanding. One of my closest friends summed it up best a few years ago when he said, "I'm really glad that you have Leon," referring to my new habit of expressing my fears about my chronic illnesses through memes and comedic references to Leon Kennedy. Frankly, I wouldn't have survived that period without having a safe, amusing avatar like Leon to joke about my trials and tribulations with, because it helped me bond with some of the people I'm closest to today. 

Resident Evil is the horror franchise that refuses to die. Like any iconic slasher villain, it's had its stumbles (Resident Evil 6) and its triumphant returns (Resident Evil VII: Biohazard). As long as the world gives us reasons to scream, Resident Evil will always have a place within the zeitgeist.  

Resident Evil: Requiem will be out on February 27, 2026. 

Even if seven minutes is all you have to play with, these Resident Evil articles will get you ready for what's next:

• How to play the Resident Evil games in order
• Resident Evil shelved Leon Kennedy for 14 years because Capcom didn’t want players to see him scared
• How to watch the Resident Evil movies & TV series in order