Resident Evil director Zach Cregger has revealed he cut jokes from his upcoming reboot after test audiences complained the horror film was too funny.
The filmmaker behind Barbarian and Weapons said reducing the comedy improved audience reactions and left him happier with the finished movie.
The changes come as Cregger faces criticism from fans over his decision to leave out the video game franchise’s established characters, including favourite Leon S. Kennedy.
Instead, Austin Abrams stars as Bryan, a medical courier whose delivery to Raccoon City General Hospital turns into a fight for survival during the T-virus outbreak.
‘I learned that people really liked the movie, but they thought it was too funny,’ Cregger told The Hollywood Reporter.
‘So over the course of my testing, I stripped out as much of the jokes as possible.
‘I then found that not only did the audience enjoy the movie more, but I also liked the movie a lot more.’
Cregger said the cuts helped him find the right balance between laughs and scares.
‘A little bit of humor goes a long way in a horror movie, and there’s not a single joke I took out of this movie that I miss. So that perspective was really helpful.’
The director, an avid player of the games, said his approach was driven by a desire to recreate the experience of playing Resident Evil.
But he acknowledged that fans invested in its characters and detailed backstories were looking for something different.
‘I’m not putting any of the legacy characters into this movie. So if that is what you love about these games, then you’re going to feel a certain way about it.’
Cregger said he understood that disappointment but could not allow it to dictate his filmmaking.
‘If I tried to please everybody, I’d end up pleasing nobody. That much is obvious.’
He also addressed complaints about characters using iPhones, explaining that his version takes place in 2026.
‘Yeah, because it’s set in 2026. I’m sorry I’m not making a period piece. I’m taking a liberty.’
The reboot follows seven previous live-action films, which collectively earned approximately US$1.28billion worldwide.
Milla Jovovich led the original six movies as Alice, a character created specifically for the films, while familiar faces from the games appeared throughout the series.
Johannes Roberts subsequently directed 2021’s Welcome to Raccoon City, drawing on the first two games. Netflix also released a separate live-action series in 2022, which was cancelled after one season.
Cregger’s production brought its own difficulties, with the director revealing he was ill throughout the shoot.
‘I had pneumonia for the first half, and I had Campylobacter jejuni for the back half,’ he said.
He praised his crew and Abrams for helping him through freezing overnight shoots in the Czech Republic.
Despite those challenges, Cregger said he was particularly eager for audiences to see the ending, which has been closely guarded.
‘The ending packs a punch. I’m really proud of it.’
Resident Evil is scheduled to open in Australian cinemas on September 17.