Editorials
Some of the Best ‘Resident Evil’ Games Were the Ones With Dinosaurs
We dig deep into Capcom’s ‘Dino Crisis’ and explore where the series could next find success
We’ve spent a lot of time on Resident Evil this week—and rightfully so—but one of the more interesting developments to arise from the games’ success was another series entirely. In 199X, Resident Evil’s director, Shinji Mikami decided to extend his good will at Capcom by creating another survival horror series for the PlayStation, Dino Crisis. The title would mimic much of Resident Evil’s trademark aesthetic while swapping out the series’ iconic zombies with ravenous dinosaurs. It was a shift for survival horror that honestly made a lot of sense. Resident Evil was just about to see the release of Nemesis at this point, and even then fatigue towards zombies was beginning to be felt. Dinosaurs are arguably more frightening and calculated than zombies, making them a wonderful enemy. Yet in spite of these things, Dino Crisis would go on to be the Futurama to Resident Evil’s The Simpsons, living a brief, uneven console life.
Shinji Mikami, the integral voice in shaping the genre of survival horror, became inspired with the idea for Dino Crisis by The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Aliens. It’s easy to see these influences in the material, with the title having more of an onslaught feeling evocative of Cameron’s film than the original Resident Evil does. Due to the constant, quicker, more intelligent threat that dinosaurs provided, the game was even billed as “panic horror” as opposed to “survival horror.” Mikami even wanted to go further with the AI of his dinosaurs, resembling something closer to the Xenomorph in Alien: Isolation, appropriately enough, but the goal fell short due to hardware limitations.
Mikami described both of his series and how they differ in a pretty astute way. If Resident Evil is “horror in a funhouse” then he compared Dino Crisis to the “horror on a rollercoaster,” and that’s a perfect way of putting it. The title still carries a lot of Resident Evil staples, like your limited inventory and ammo, unlocking and backtracking through rooms, the classic transitory loading screens between areas, or Resident Evil’s B-movie script work, like a run in with a Tyrannosaurus where you utter, “Oh man, this is just what I don’t need!” In spite of dinosaurs sometimes lending themselves to a large open world, Dino Crisis retained Resident Evil’s claustrophobic, indoor setup. Interestingly enough, Dino Crisis did really well! This doesn’t start off as some story of it being a neglected, misunderstood gem. Critics and audiences alike loved Dino Crisis’ insanity with the game garnering a 9.2 from IGN and it selling over 2.4 million copies (it’s also the 18th best selling game in Capcom’s library). Not only that, but a lot of people were praising the game for revamping the survival horror genre in a genuinely exciting way.
Another thing that the Dino Crisis games do really well in a way that feels different than Resident Evil is the scope of these boss fights. No question, Resident Evil has some very grandiose battles, but these games (particularly Dino Crisis 2) have you taking things on like a Tyrannosaurus Rex, a Triceratops, an inspired underwater battle with a Plesiosaurus, or the humongous “Gigantosaurus” that caps off the sequel (and involves the help of a freaking satellite to help take down). The games excel at making you genuinely worried when you face up against these guys, bewildered at how you’re supposed to win.
This universal acclaim unsurprising led to the title seeing a sequel in 2000 with Dino Crisis 2, with Shu Takumi, Dino Crisis’ main planner picking up the directing torch from Mikami.. But before looking at the series’ sequel, Capcom embraced Mikami’s new world in a number of ways. For instance, their light gun side series, Gun Survivor has focused on Resident Evil for its first two entries, but the third one was an encouraging Dino Crisis spinoff that would pull from its first two titles. Dinosaurs are a natural fit for light gun craziness and Dino Stalker was a gesture of good faith towards the series at least, even if it largely might go unrecognized. Beyond that, with the release of Sega Dreamcast’s, it was big news that the next Resident Evil title, Code: Veronica would be exclusively appearing on the console. To prepare for this Capcom ported all of the Resident Evil titles over to the system, but they also ported Dino Crisis along with it. While the Dreamcast version might be a hard relic to track down, it potentially could have helped the franchise if the title had been a best seller. And seriously, can you imagine some Code: Veronica-esque Dino Crisis game on the Dreamcast? I’d have lost my mind.
Dino Crisis 2 also went on to impress critics and audiences alike, being cited as an even more innovative title to the genre than its predecessor. Dino Crisis 2 does take things outside, but also injects a heavy dose of adrenaline into the series by heavily amping up the action-adventure factor (which honestly makes sense with dinosaurs). There’s even a point system in place for flashy kills. This too would be a move that Resident Evil would resort to, but it’d take them until Resident Evil 4 to realize the transition. Dino Crisis was mixing things up right out of the gate. The game went on to sell 1.19 million copies and receive a 9.3 from IGN, and while it didn’t see the rampant success of the first game, it was still undeniably a triumph. That’s why it’s so puzzling that after the release of Dino Stalker, the series largely lied as dead as the dinosaurs themselves. Resident Evil games kept happening and yet there was no Dino Crisis 3 when there was every reason to be.
In a supremely puzzling move, Dino Crisis did end up seeing its third game, albeit three years later and on the XBOX. Disappointingly, Dino Crisis 3 was rebooted as a third-person shooter, and one that is set in space, no less (a decision that the XBOX would also do with Turok, strangely enough). The title was unsurprisingly without any of the original creative teams, and largely removed what people loved about the games in the first place (although I can dig the two-headed Gigantosaurus). This was just loudly killing dinosaurs without any of the charm and depth of the previous titles. People didn’t just want to kill dinosaurs, they wanted another Dino Crisis. It’s a shame that this pale imitation ended up landing on a lot of “Worst Sequel” lists of the year, too. The XBOX was relatively barren in the area of survival horror at the time, and this could have been a great opportunity in the area rather than just adding to the wealth of shooters that cluttered the system.
Even in other areas Dino Crisis has remained suspiciously absent. Crossover fighting games like the Marvel Vs Capcom and Project X Zone have made some reasonably deep cut inclusions, yet there have been barely any reminders of Regina, Dylan, or anyone from the Dino Crisis world. The only outside inclusion is when Regina appeared in the RPG, Namco X Capcom, but so do the protagonists from Resident Evil: Dead Aim, which hardly makes it feel as special. Something like this could at least get the games back on people’s radars before trying to initiate a bigger move, or maybe they’d learn that these characters thrive in a fighting game environment.
It’s easy to chalk up Dino Crisis disappearing from Capcom’s slate due to the failure that Dino Crisis 3 saw, but that doesn’t mean that people are through with the series or that they’ve found the right vehicle for the franchise. The original Dino Crisis games have sold well on the PlayStation Store, which certainly attests to interest being out there, too. Perhaps taking the series online like Resident Evil did with Outbreak and is soon to do with Umbrella Corps would be a better fit for the franchise. At least give it a shot. Capcom seems to be all about putting out interest polls and weighing support from the crowd, so why not test the waters again?
Along those lines, why not even follow up with an HD re-release of the original. Such an approach could kill, and it was such a huge success when Resident Evil re-released their original title on the Gamecube. At this point Capcom is running out of RE games to give an HD makeover, so why not shift their focus towards Dino Crisis? This could do even better than REmake did, and picture some crimson head equivalent to a raptor chasing you down!
Dino Crisis might have lost its place in the survival horror pantheon, but if given the opportunity, who knows what they could achieve in the current gaming climate. The series claw was forced in a direction that it really didn’t want to go in, and if they let the series really embrace its roots they would no doubt have a hit on their hands. If Jurassic World can come out over fifteen years after Jurassic Park 3 and set box office world records in the process, then there’s still plenty of hope for the crazy folks within Dino Crisis.
We’re now officially in the back half of 2026 now that July is here, but what a year it’s been for horror so far. The sequels and reboots are still holding strong at the box office with films like Scream 7 and Scary Movie, but it’s also been a year where new voices are shattering records in unexpected ways.
Markiplier eschewed conventional production and distribution channels with his feature adaptation of Iron Lung, for example. We’re also still in the midst of Backrooms and Obsession-mania, with the former back in theaters with bonus footage and the latter extending its box office reign. Liminal horror has exploded, and low-budget indie horror is seeing just as much, and sometimes even more, success as big studio-backed fare.
All of which to say that 2026 has been a hell of a year so far for the genre, and it’s only getting warmed up. Still on the way are Evil Dead Burn, Insidious: Out of the Further, Resident Evil, Clayface, Whalefall, and Werwulf, just to name a few.
Also catch up with the Best Horror Books and Best Horror Games of the year so far.
Here are the ten best horror movies of the year (so far).
10) Chime
Horror master Kiyoshi Kurosawa is back with one of his most haunting yet, though one that’d likely be higher on this list if it were more accessible. The 45-minute feature was initially produced and distributed as an NFT before receiving a theatrical run earlier this year, with no plans to distribute digitally or on home media. It spins a somewhat cryptic tale, introducing a culinary teacher, Takuji Matsuoka (Mutsuo Yoshioka, Never After Dark), whose classroom becomes disrupted by a strange sound that leads to violence. It’s a quiet but haunting unraveling, one that leaves no aspect of Matsuoka’s life untouched, in true Kiyoshi Kurosawa style. That it defies any easy explanation also ensures Chime embeds itself under your skin.
9) Send Help
Sam Raimi’s splatstick return to form is a delightfully deranged two-hander that doubles as infectious catharsis for anyone who’s ever had a bad boss. Rachel McAdams (Doctor Strange) and Dylan O’Brien (The Maze Runner) face off when their characters are shipwrecked on an island, prompting a bid for survival in more ways than one. While O’Brien often matches her, It’s McAdams who shines as she deftly handles everything that Raimi, working from a script by Damian Shannon & Mark Swift (Freddy vs. Jason), throws at her. Send Help is full of vibrant personality, packed with all of Raimi’s signatures, making for one of the most entertaining films of the year.
8) Mārama
New Zealand filmmaker Taratoa Stappard’s gothic tale begins in familiar fashion, with Mary Stevens (Ariāna Osborne) arriving in Yorkshire upon invitation to learn more about her parents, only to find the remote manor haunted. Just when Stappard’s period horror story feels doomed to succumb to familiar gothic trappings and jump scares, though, its true horror emerges. The more Mary uncovers about her heritage and her Māori culture, the clearer it becomes that this grim home is built on violence and exploitation. Stappard’s vision comes into its own when it leaves behind its gothic influences and embraces its Māori identity; few scenes are as powerful as when Osborne’s Mary performs a haka in response to her vile oppressors, heralding in a righteous bloodbath.
7) Touch Me
Writer/Director Addison Heimann draws from retro Japanese horror, exploitation cinema, and perhaps even hentai for his campy, psychosexual sophomore feature. A toxic friendship plagued by trauma, codependency, and addiction gets tested to the extreme when Brian (Lou Taylor Pucci), a hip-hop-loving, tracksuit-sporting alien, gets between them. Olivia Taylor Dudley and Jordan Gavaris have an easy rapport and play off each other well as directionless, depressed Millennial besties prone to ignoring their problems until they become insurmountable. But it’s Pucci’s inspired, childlike take on the chicken nugget-loving extraterrestrial with tentacled secrets of his own that steals the show. Heimann has a lot on his mind with his sophomore feature and neatly condenses it all into a quirky, eccentric psychosexual camp odyssey that leans heavily into humor.
6) Backrooms
Director Kane Parsons translates the vast liminal labyrinth of his web series to the big screen in his feature debut, one that instills existential dread with its atmospheric horror and narrative. The ‘ 90s-set horror movie introduces a protagonist with a serious chip on his shoulder over life’s many disappointments, who then discovers his furniture store harbors a hidden door that leads to an endless labyrinth. It’s not just the incredible production design that instills a disorienting sense of doom and terror, but the lead characters’ palpable and profound sense of loneliness and isolation. Parsons exudes impressive confidence and control as he methodically entrusts his quiet worldbuilding and talented leads to carry the dramatic weight. While Backrooms does deflate by the film’s cryptic, cliffhanger-y end, it’s arguably the most effective and scariest yet at capturing the uncanny valley of generative AI.
5) Leviticus
Writer/Director Adrian Chiarella uses an It Follows-like supernatural entity that relentlessly stalks its prey as a launchpad to immerse audiences in the horror of constantly living in fear for simply existing. A conversion therapy ritual among a deeply conservative community plunges a pair of erstwhile lovers into a nightmarish bid for survival when it summons a force that takes the shape of those whom the afflicted desires most. Chiarella refines the horror mechanics and metaphor with much sharper precision, ensuring that the scares and emotional gravity of the young couple’s terrifying predicament reach their intended impact. It’s the central layered performances by Joe Bird (Talk to Me) and Stacy Clausen (Thrash) that clinch emotional investment in their heartbreaking plight, ensuring that the social horror cuts deep.
4) Redux Redux
The McManus Brothers, writer/director duo Matthew and Kevin McManus (The Block Island Sound), dials up the intensity of a classic revenge story by setting it within a multiverse, where Irene Kelly (Michaela McManus) seeks to snuff out every single iteration of her daughter’s murderer, Neville (Jeremy Holm). The more she stalks and slays every world’s Neville, the more she risks losing her humanity entirely. Through a narrative foil in Mia (Stella Marcus), Redux Redux smartly bypasses repetition as it explores the moral complexities and vulnerabilities of Irene’s extremely violent quest. Holm becomes utterly terrifying in the climax, ensuring that no matter whether Irene loses herself to vengeance for good or not, it’s justified if it means ridding the world of this sick maniac.
3) 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Director Nia DaCosta takes the reins in the second entry in writer Alex Garland and original director Danny Boyle’s trilogy, picking up from the previous conclusion that saw Spike (Alfie Williams) fleeing from the infected straight into the welcoming arms of Sir Jimmy Crystal (Sinners’ Jack O’Connell). From here, DaCosta presents a stark contrast between humanity’s best and worst. The former sees the tender studies of Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) make poignant strides toward humankind’s future, while the latter unleashes more pain and bloodshed courtesy of the Jimmies. The dual paths of light and dark collide in one epic conclusion, an inspired confrontation between good and evil on a stunning set piece of heavy metal insanity. Yet it’s DaCosta’s handling of both extremes that impresses most, teeing up one epic conclusion to this trilogy.
2) Obsession
Sketch comedian turned horror filmmaker Curry Barker (Milk & Serial) wrings blood-curdling terror from a classic Monkey’s Paw wish fulfillment scenario in a way that no one could have ever anticipated. To say that it’s taken the box office by storm would be a massive understatement; Obsession is the top horror movie of the year in terms of gross. It’s not hard to see why, either. While Monkey’s Paw scenarios often yield predictable outcomes, and this outcome is practically telegraphed from the start, Barker manages to surprise with the journey itself. And it’s one insane journey paved with blood-soaked violence and no shortage of nightmare fuel. What truly sets it apart, though, is leads Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette as the central pair undone by one vicious wish. Expect to see a lot more from breakout Navarette.
1) Hokum
A surly, traumatized writer must break free from his self-imposed shackles of guilt when confronted by a wicked witch haunting a quaint Irish inn in the latest by writer/director Damian McCarthy (Oddity). Adam Scott’s Ohm makes for an atypical but rewarding protagonist, and his complicated emotional journey gives way to a deeply moving story of a man so thoroughly broken by personal trauma that he constantly dwells in darkness. In true McCarthy style, expect the creepy as hell witch to dole out some supernatural retribution for crimes committed, but never in the way you’d expect. The filmmaker has a way of making whimsy pure nightmare fuel; Hokum distorts a kids’ show into eerie, uncanny valley-induced terror in its torment of Ohm. Channeling Stephen King, this creeper plays like a traditional campfire tale in mood and style, infusing genuine scares with a sense of magic and heart.
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