Now I know a lot of you are probably scoffing already, with memories of the cheese laden introduction to the first Resident Evil way back in 96. Be that as it may, it contributed immensely in making the first game the memorable horror experience it was, bridging the gap between B-grade horror cinema and the brave new world of A-grade horror gaming.
An Editorial By Clark Thompson
When I first sat down to try this ground breaking, genre paving masterpiece of mind numbing dialogue, gory mayhem, and all around creepiness, the intro blew me away. There simply wasn’t much like it at the time; not in good games anyway. Having real flesh and blood people, who weren’t notable actors, to attach to the in-game counterparts, made them feel much more real within the context of the game.
The effects weren’t perfect. The editing was suspect. And Jesus Christ, the acting. But with the buckets of blood, eerie music and the overall concept at work, it has mounds more character than some of the CG work that would later come down the pipe. If you compare the uncut original intro with the CG representation from the 2002 remake, the difference is night and day. Sure, the remake gave the sequence a more competent feel, but it was more akin to a mature children’s cartoon than the blood bath of 96. I craved that horror film turned video game element from the original.
Today, it wouldn’t even have to be cheesy. It could actually be something quite engaging. Just imagine the possibilities with how far green screen work has come, combined with the high production values of triple AAA titles like Resident Evil. It could be the closest thing to an actual Resident Evil film that we ever get, taking it back from the absolutely dreadful offerings from Paul W. S. Anderson. Hell, they pretty much filmed the entirely of Resident Evil 5‘s story sequences with real actors, if only to lend realism to the computer generated versions.
I remember it took me a little while to accept it, as it just didn’t feel the same, but as I said, I soon learned to appreciate this new direction of purely computer generated terror. Also, considering the sheer scope of some of the later sequences, the original approach simply wouldn’t have been feasible at that time. That’s changed.
And with all the influence this series has garnered from the world of horror cinema, making the games a hybrid film experience just seems right to me. Just for fun, let’s take a look at some of the more stand out elements from the early titles in the series that were influenced by popular, and not so popular horror cinema.
Well, the first thing that comes to mind would have to be the series’ self destructing facility routine. It’s hard to pinpoint a single inspiration for this story element, as it’s happened in too many films to name. There were a few clear nods to classic films in Resident Evil 2 however, that are very easy to pinpoint. Like how good old William Birkin would inject an embryo into the mouths of his victims, for it to later burst out when matured enough to survive on its own, a la Alien.
Another scene involving a giant alligator spun two different films together, Alligator, which oddly enough was about a giant mutated alligator roaming a city’s sewage system, and Jaws. You release a canister of highly explosive contents onto the ground for the gator to chew on, blasting it at just the right moment to take the top of its head clean off. “Smile you son of a..”. Feeling like you were playing a movie, for me at least, was a huge part of the enjoyment in Resident Evil, and I always loved spotting these little inclusions. I just missed the actors.
This came into play right from the beginning in Resident Evil with the Tyrant. To say this one came from an unlikely and obscure source would be putting it lightly. The original inspiration for this popular story mechanic came from a 1976 slasher flick called Grizzly. When the film reaches its conclusion, a lone park ranger faces off against a gigantic killer bear. When multiple rifle rounds fail to do the job and certain doom is impending, the ranger runs back to his helicopter, grabs a rocket launcher, readies the weapon, and takes the shot. The grizzly is subsequently blown to smithereens.
Resident Evil is a hybrid experience, and even though it’s extremely unlikely to ever happen again, I truly think a return to the use of live action sequences would serve to greatly reinvigorate the immersion element of the series.
Let’s face it, if ever there was a time to try something like this, it’s now. With the immense popularity of zombie films in the mainstream, along with ridiculously popular shows like The Walking Dead, I could see a genuine attempt being very well received indeed. I do realize a similar cinematic feat could also be accomplished to great effect with excellent CG, but for me It just won’t be right until we’ve got some actors and props up on that screen.
Clark Thompson is a 31-year-old horror fanatic currently residing in Kelowna B.C. His main goals in life are to one day experience a zombie apocolypse,and/or undergo surgery to have his heart mounted on the exterior of his chest. You can reach him at clarkthomspon@yahoo.ca or on facebook Clorkwork Torange.
