Is Resident Evil 2026 Worth Watching? My 8.5/10 Review (No Spoilers)

Is Resident Evil 2026 worth watching? I saw it on a Sunday night, and my short answer is yes, as long as you know what kind of scary you’re signing up for. I gave it an 8.5 out of 10. It’s fast, it’s gross in the best way, and it kept me tense from the first scene to the last.

I’ll be honest about where I stand. Ghost and demon movies are a hard no for me, but creature survival movies are a different story, and this one is pure survival. Below you’ll find what it’s about without spoilers, a minute-by-minute map of the jump scares from my notes, exactly when the dog scene happens, and whether I’d bring a teenager.

In theaters	September 18, 2026, from Sony Pictures (Columbia Pictures)
Where to watch	In theaters when I saw it on October 11, 2026. Not on Netflix yet
Director	Zach Cregger (Barbarian, Weapons)
Cast	Austin Abrams, Paul Walter Hauser, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis
Genre	Survival horror with action and dark humor, based on the Capcom games
Runtime	1 hour 34 minutes (94 minutes), including credits
Rating	R for strong bloody violence, gore and language throughout
Scare level	4 out of 5. Eight big jump scares spread from start to finish
Dogs	An infected dog shows up at about 20 minutes and is shot at about 22 minutes. It’s quick
Post-credits scene	No
My verdict	8.5 / 10, a really fun night at the movies
Best for / Skip if	Best for fans of the games, creature movies, and Barbarian. Skip if jump scares or gore ruin your night, or you’re watching with kids

What Resident Evil 2026 Is About (No Spoilers)

Bryan is a medical courier who takes a last-minute delivery to Raccoon City General Hospital, up in the snowy Colorado mountains. On the way there, an accident on a dark road throws him into a town that’s been overrun by infected people and things that used to be people. From that point on, the whole movie is one long night of him trying to get from point A to point B alive.

Austin Abrams plays Bryan, and I loved that he isn’t an action hero. He’s just a regular guy doing his job, and he makes the kind of panicky choices you or I probably would. That’s a big part of why the movie feels so tense. You never fully trust that he’s going to be okay.

The director is Zach Cregger, the same person behind Barbarian and Weapons, and he co-wrote it with Shay Hatten. If you’ve seen either of his earlier movies, you’ll recognize the rhythm right away. He’ll make you laugh, and then he’ll make you jump out of your seat about five seconds later.

I always read up on a movie before I go, and my first question this time was whether I had to catch up on the older Resident Evil movies. I was pretty sure I’d seen one of the Milla Jovovich movies years ago. Good news: you don’t need any of them. This is a brand-new story with a brand-new main character, and it doesn’t continue the 2002 series or the 2021 movie Welcome to Raccoon City.

Resident Evil Basics to Know Before You Go (No Spoilers)

If you’ve never played the games, these are the three names you’ll hear. You don’t need any of this to follow the movie, but it makes a few moments click.

• Umbrella Corporation: in the games, Umbrella is a giant drug company with a very dark side business. If you spot that red-and-white umbrella logo, it’s never a good sign.
• The T-virus: the virus behind the zombies and creatures. It’s the reason everything goes so wrong.
• Raccoon City: the fictional town where the outbreak happens. In this movie it sits up in the snowy Colorado mountains, which is why the whole night looks so cold and dark.

This is technically the eighth live-action Resident Evil movie. Six came out between 2002 and 2016 with Milla Jovovich, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City followed in 2021, and now this one starts completely fresh.

Is Resident Evil 2026 Worth Watching? Why I Gave It an 8.5

Yes. Here’s what made it work for me:

• There’s barely a moment to breathe. Once Bryan hits that town, the tension just doesn’t let up.
• The creatures look amazing, and disgusting. The creature design and effects are a huge part of the fun. They feel physical and real, which makes the gross parts extra gross.
• It’s genuinely funny. There are little laugh-out-loud moments sprinkled all through it. The laughs give you a second to relax right before the next scare.
• It’s short and fast. At 94 minutes with credits, it never drags. No slow middle, no filler.

Honestly, this was just a really fun night at the movies, and I walked out with a big smile. So why 8.5 and not a 9? On my scale, a 9 or 10 is a movie I’d happily pay to see again in a theater, and this one came really close. The only thing holding it back for me is how intense the scares are. If you love the games or creature movies, I can easily see this being a 9 for you.

Dog Scene Guide: Does the Dog Die in Resident Evil?

I have three dogs at home, including a 14-year-old black Pomeranian, so this is always the first thing I check for. Here’s exactly what happens, timed from when the movie itself started:

• About 20 minutes in: a black dog comes running at Bryan out of nowhere. This is a jump scare.
• About 22 minutes in: it turns out the dog is already infected, and it comes at him again. Bryan ends up shooting it.

So yes, a dog dies, but it’s already a zombie dog when it happens. You do see it, but it’s short and the movie moves on quickly. It’s not a sad, drawn-out scene like in a drama. If you want to skip it, look away from about the 19-minute mark until about 23 minutes. That was the only animal scene I noted.

If you’re here because you’re a dog person, too, my oldest girl is the reason I write so much about senior dogs. These are the signs of arthritis in dogs I watch for at home.

Is Resident Evil 2026 Scary? My Jump Scare Map

Yes. I’d call it a 4 out of 5. It’s a horror movie, but it’s the creature and survival kind, not the ghost or demon kind. There’s no slow, creepy haunted-house dread here. Instead, it’s lots of sudden jolts and gore. I wrote down eight big jump scares, and they were spread from the very beginning to the very end. Here’s when they hit, with no spoilers:

• About 4 minutes: something on the snowy road in front of Bryan’s car. The first big jolt.
• About 14 minutes: a sudden scare right outside a police car.
• About 20 and 22 minutes: the dog scene above.
• About 28 minutes: an infected older man comes running at a house.
• About 38 minutes: a tense scene in an RV with an infected little girl. This is the one parents should know about.
• About 56 minutes: the grossest scene of the whole movie, in a basement. Let’s just say bugs. Lots of bugs.
• About 73 minutes: one more big creature scare in a lab.

If you need a bathroom break, my notes say the longest stretch without a big scare was from about 39 to 55 minutes. Just be back before the basement.

Is Resident Evil 2026 OK for Kids?

It’s rated R for strong bloody violence, gore and language throughout, and it earns that rating. At AMC, anyone under 17 needs a parent or guardian who’s at least 21.

My call is 17 and up, even for younger teens who love the games. The things I’d want a parent to know about:

• The gore: creature attacks, blood, and that basement bug scene, which is honestly hard to watch.
• The jump scares: eight big ones, with very little downtime in between.
• A child on screen: the RV scene with an infected little girl at about 38 minutes is upsetting.
• The dog: an infected dog is shot at about 22 minutes.
• Language: a lot of it. Kids-In-Mind counted at least 106 F-words.
• Nudity: one brief moment of male nudity, mostly in shadow. There are no sex scenes.

How I Watched Resident Evil 2026

I went to an 8:00 p.m. showing on a Sunday night with my AMC A-List, and like most nights, I went solo. It was a regular auditorium with AMC’s laser projection, not IMAX or Dolby.

One tip if you’re new to AMC: the time on your ticket is when the previews start. The app says the movie starts 25 to 30 minutes later, and that was right for me. The movie itself started at about 8:30, and the story wrapped up right around 9:55.

I never buy popcorn or drinks at the theater, so I walked right past the snack counter. On a Sunday night there were only a few people in line.

Is There a Post-Credits Scene in Resident Evil 2026?

No. I stayed through all of the credits, and there’s no extra scene during or after them. Once the credits start rolling, you’re free to go.

Who Should See Resident Evil 2026 (and Who Should Skip It)

You’ll probably love it if:

• You played the games, or you just like zombie and creature movies.
• You liked Barbarian or Weapons and want more of Zach Cregger’s mix of laughs and scares.
• You want a short, fast movie night that doesn’t drag.

You might want to skip it if:

• Jump scares stay with you after you get home.
• Gore and bugs are a hard no. The basement scene is a lot.
• You’re planning a family movie night with kids or younger teens.
• You want tension without the gore. In that case, Fall 2: Deadpoint is a better pick.

Watch the Resident Evil 2026 Trailer

Here’s the official trailer from Sony Pictures, if you want a feel for the creatures and the tone before you decide.

Frequently Asked Questions

So if you’re on the fence, here’s my advice. If creature movies are your thing, go see it in a theater, because the sound and the jump scares hit so much harder on the big screen. If you’re squeamish, the two moments to brace for are the dog scene at about 20 minutes and the basement at about 56 minutes.

Have you seen it yet? I’d love to hear which scare got you, spoiler-free please. And if you’re in the mood for another creature movie, I also reviewed Beware Boiuna.

About me: I’m Emily. My AMC A-List lets me see up to four movies a week, I almost always go solo, and I write each review the same night. Ghost and demon movies are a hard no for me, but thrillers and creature survival movies like this one are my kind of night. I always read up on a movie before I go, and I share that homework here too. See all my Movie Nights reviews.

Got dogs at home, too? Here’s how I clean my dogs’ ears at home. And every movie I’ve seen this year is in My 2026 Movie Log.