Alex Garland credits Resident Evil inspiration as a key driver behind the resurgence of zombie horror, asserting that Capcom’s iconic 1996 video game, not his own film 28 Days Later, truly jumpstarted the genre’s popularity in recent decades. Released this past weekend, Garland’s latest work, 28 Years Later, demonstrates just how much the zombie landscape has evolved—and exactly where its creative roots run deepest.
Capcom’s 1996 Release Sparked an Undead Renaissance
When it comes to the reemergence of cinematic undead scares, many fans and critics point straight to filmmaker Alex Garland and his 2002 partnership with director Boyle on 28 Days Later. However, Garland has repeatedly emphasized that he cannot take sole credit for the revival that swept through theaters and living rooms alike. He argues that the true cultural reset in modern zombie horror occurred six years earlier, when Capcom released Resident Evil to Sony’s PlayStation console, a move that redefined the boundaries of interactive horror and reignited a dormant fascination with the undead both for creators and audiences worldwide.
Garland reflected candidly on this inspirational origin story during a 2015 interview with HuffPost, sharing how a pivotal personal experience with gaming changed his creative outlook. After nearly forgetting his appreciation for zombies—a passion kindled by George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead as a youth—Garland found himself once again immersed in undead terror while navigating the evocative, nerve-rattling world of Resident Evil. He offered a clear acknowledgment to the video game’s influence, stating:
Sometimes 28 Days Later is credited with reviving the zombie genre in some respect, but actually, I think it was Resident Evil that did it because I remember playing Resident Evil, having not really encountered zombies for quite a while, and thinking: oh, my god, I love zombies! I’d forgotten how much I love zombies. These are awesome!
—Alex Garland, Writer/Director
The impact of Resident Evil extended beyond mere jump scares or claustrophobic corridors; it showed both players and filmmakers the distinct potential horror storytelling could achieve within an interactive environment. Garland underscored how the game reignited a collective intrigue—one that had somewhat faded after Romero’s pioneering films dominated the late 1960s and 1970s. By the mid-1990s, zombies felt almost like relics of the past, sidelined as audience tastes shifted. Then, almost overnight, Capcom’s relentless approach and innovative gameplay mechanics recaptured imaginations and subtly steered not only game design, but broader entertainment culture back toward the undead.
Inside gaming communities and industry conversations, Resident Evil’s searing influence was impossible to ignore. The combination of limited ammunition, strategic suspense, and iconic foreboding settings set new standards for interactive horror. Garland’s revitalization of zombies on screen, therefore, was rooted in the intense emotional experiences he, and millions of others, felt hearing shuffling footsteps echo through pixelated hallways. It was this rekindled enthusiasm that ultimately fed into his own scriptwriting, forever connecting two distinct mediums in their shared love for all things post-apocalyptic and gory.
Shaping Zombies for a New Generation
Although 28 Days Later arrived with plenty of innovation—introducing fiercely fast, rage-fueled undead and redefining what fans expected from an outbreak story—Garland intentionally sidestepped traditional genre debates. He dismissed the endless arguments over whether the infected antagonists of his film truly counted as zombies, emphasizing a broader point instead: these creatures, no matter their origin, existed to probe the collapse of society and the viral spread of fear itself. This singular focus differentiated his work from predecessors, yet kept the core draw of the zombie mythos intact.
Garland has always attributed a special influence to Resident Evil’s unique blend of claustrophobic dread, strategic resource management, and pulse-pounding horror. The game’s legacy extended beyond simple entertainment; it fundamentally changed how both creators and consumers approached stories about the undead. As his love for the genre was rekindled in the midst of ammo shortages and locked doors within the game, Garland found a renewed creative spark that he channeled into his film projects.
His passion, rooted in nostalgia for childhood frights and reverence for Romero’s earlier innovation, translated to a script that reflected the anxieties and fascinations of a new millennium. Rather than simply borrowing old motifs, Garland and Boyle elevated the form, weaving contemporary fears with timeless monster tropes, leading critics and fans to respond enthusiastically to their inventive take on the familiar genre.
A Legacy Shared by Games and Film
Today, the zombie genre is enjoying perhaps its most vigorous era in history, with fresh spins routinely emerging in both video games and blockbuster cinema. Garland’s ongoing influence, marked by the critical and popular excitement surrounding the recent debut of 28 Years Later, owes much to the video game that reignited his creative fire. The question of cultural debt lingers throughout the industry—where would today’s thriving undead fiction be without Capcom’s pivotal release, without Resident Evil’s chilling corridors and surprise encounters?
This evolutionary journey demonstrates just how powerfully separate artforms can inspire one another. While George Romero laid the groundwork, and Garland brought new energy to the big screen, it was Resident Evil’s immersive horror that bridged the generation gap and offered the spark needed for a full-fledged resurgence. The impact of this cross-media inspiration continues to reverberate, encouraging developers, filmmakers, and storytellers to reimagine what the undead can represent in ever more compelling ways.
For audiences worldwide, the legacy is clear: a single PlayStation title helped revive a genre that now sits firmly at the center of pop culture. As Garland’s latest film garners praise from critics and fans alike, the symbiotic relationship between video game worlds and movie screens shows no sign of slowing down, ensuring that zombies remain very much alive in the collective imagination.
