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.
Five decades ago, Stephen King published the story of a bullied girl with telekinetic powers and forever changed the world of horror.
Carrie follows a high school misfit who seeks revenge for a hideous prank by psychically destroying her senior prom. The name Carrie White has become synonymous with the concept of a formal dance thanks to a flawless adaptation from Brian De Palma. Now fifty years after the film’s release, Mike Flanagan is putting his own stamp on the troubling story.
Rather than a feature film, the writer/director will expand King’s relatively slim debut novel into an eight-episode miniseries for Amazon Prime set to premiere on October 7.
Flanagan is no stranger to the world of Stephen King. A long-time Constant Reader, he first made waves with his daring adaptation of Gerald’s Game (2017), a novel many fans considered un-filmable. His underrated Doctor Sleep merges the disparate plot of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining with King’s original source material, and his 2024 genre-bending tearjerker The Life of Chuck faithfully executes one of the author’s most metaphysical novellas.
He’s currently mired in pre-production for an expansive adaptation of The Dark Tower series, keystone to King’s connected universe, and Warner Bros. recently announced that Flanagan will helm a new version of The Mist, King’s 1980 novella which sees a small Maine town overrun by otherworldly monsters.
Considering the vast array of the author’s previously unadapted material, an obvious question arises. Why reimagine Carrie in 2026? Noting the timeless nature of the content, Flanagan expressed his desire to bring the story of a bullied girl into modern times, mirroring his approach to Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House and Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher. He explained, “The only way to approach it was to build something new out of the ingredients of Carrie. Otherwise, there’s really no purpose in trying to retread ground that’s been so beautifully walked before.”
His miniseries will maintain the novel’s bloody bookends while delivering “big surprises” along the way.
A New Prom Night Nightmare
The roughly 60-second teaser introduces Summer H. Howell as Carrie White just before the moment of catastrophe. Standing in a prom dress, she smiles at her applauding classmates with an ominous crown perched upon her head. Moments later, Carrie unleashes a rage-filled scream into the night air while promgoers rush for the exit doors. But careful examination of this scene shows Carrie wearing a different, albeit dirty dress as she seems to telekinetically punish her peers.
In an exclusive first look with Entertainment Weekly, Flanagan explains that in his version of the story, “the events of that prom are going to be completely different.” An open trunk emitting a crimson glow does hint at the pig’s blood dumped on Carrie’s head, but it’s likely Flanagan’s formal dance will be a different kind of horror altogether. Despite these changes, the series may end with the widespread destruction outlined in the source material. Unlike any previous adaptations, King’s novel ends with the near-total destruction of Chamberlain, Maine. A flaming street in Flanagan’s trailer promises similar carnage no matter what prank sparks Carrie’s deadly revenge.
The Monstrous Addition of Social Media
On the opposite end of this fiery conclusion is an extreme act of bullying that brings together the story’s main cast. King’s novel begins as Carrie gets her first period while showering in the girls’ locker room. Completely unaware of the concept of menstruation, the sheltered girl thinks she’s bleeding to death. Her classmates respond with vitriolic rage. Led by ultra-mean girl Chris Hargensen (Alison Thornton), they mock the terrified teen while pelting her with tampons. Glimpses of this disturbing event reveal that Flanagan has excised the scene’s nudity while adding a seismic update. As Carrie sobs in the shower stall, Chris and her friends film the breakdown with their phones.
Other scenes note the presence of social media, bringing King’s fifty-year-old story into the digital age.
Flanagan’s adaptation promises to explore the destructive power of social media, an often invisible entity with a potential for harm rivaling Carrie’s own powers. While King’s tormented heroine suffers in front of a small group of girls, Flanagan’s version of the incident will likely become a viral video, potentially circling the globe on social media. Similar to Katt Shea’s criminally underrated The Rage: Carrie 2, which includes elements of revenge porn exploitation, Flanagan’s modern retelling will distinguish itself by exploring the nebulous cruelty of online bullying, a force ten times more powerful than the irl pranks King first envisioned.
A Completely Reimagined White Family
In addition to modernizing these canon events, Flanagan hints at updates to Carrie’s oppressive upbringing at the hands of her mother, Margaret White (Samantha Sloyan). Dead before the novel begins, we never meet Carrie’s domineering father Ralph, known to carry a bible alongside his gun. Flanagan’s White household will be an altogether different beast. In his version of the story, Carrie and her mother have been hidden away in the unassuming home, forced out of hiding by Ralph’s unexpected death. Perhaps we will finally meet this elusive man whose shadow hangs over his wife and child. Considering the White family’s fundamentalist lifestyle, this reimagining hints at tradwife culture and a home ruled by staunch patriarchal control.
Whereas King’s Carrie has been tormented by her classmates since Kindergarten, Flanagan’s Carrie will be a wide-eyed newcomer to public school, eager to make friends and engage with her peers. We glimpse Carrie cozying up to Chris and the equally popular Sue Snell (Siena Agudong) as she navigates a new social scene. Of course, we know this kindness is part of an elaborate plot designed to lull Carrie into a false sense of camaraderie, setting up an atrocious act of public humiliation. These brief moments of feigned compassion put Sue’s own complicity into question. Will Flanagan’s version of the character find the courage to defend Carrie from vicious bullies or will she succumb to peer pressure and join in the mob mentality?
Perhaps the biggest deviation from King’s original text is the relationship between Carrie and her mother. King’s Margaret White is a horrifically abusive religious zealot whose worldview has been hardened by internalized misogyny. She shames Carrie for menstruating, locks her in a closet to “pray,” and regrets not killing her child in infancy. She’s also responsible for Carrie’s social ostracization. Known to berate her neighbors for their “sins,” Margaret forces her daughter to live by an extreme code of conduct and disallows any potential friends lest they corrupt the girl with their worldly ways.
Flanagan’s version of the character is perhaps just as much a victim as Carrie herself. Also trapped inside her home, his Margaret is overly vigilant, her own trauma manifesting as strict control. Describing a more sympathetic depiction of the iconic villain, Flanagan explains, “Our Margaret White is a woman who fiercely loves her daughter and wants to protect her from this world … [She] doesn’t know how to do that and thinks the way to protect her is to close her off; not punitively, but to create this private utopia.”
Despite this potential softening, Sloyan’s Margaret may still have a sharp edge. Though she has appeared in many Flanagan projects, from Hush (2016) to The Fall of the House of Usher (2023), she is best known for her role as the abhorrent Bev Keane in the poignant saga Midnight Mass (2021). Perhaps inspired by King’s Margaret White, Bev is pious and sadistic, willing to punish anyone who does not adhere to her warped approximation of Catholicism.
Flanagan specifically wrote Margaret with Sloyan in mind, likely remembering the actress’s eerie ability to create deceptive empathy and shift our allegiances on a dime.
Expanding Stephen King’s Telekinetic Universe
While most of King’s story deals with an unthinkable prom night in Chamberlain, Maine, large sections of the semi-epistolary novel see experts debating the nature of telekinesis. Do Carrie’s frightening abilities represent a new phase in human evolution or is the prom night carnage merely a fluke? King settles the debate with a shocking denouement in which a young mother recounts her infant daughter’s ability to dangle her crib toys in midair. We’re left to wonder if she will become another tormented girl who surprises the world with metaphysical strength.
Flanagan plans to build out this brief scene while amplifying themes of female empowerment. After introducing our main cast of characters, episode two will open with an unrelated story in which we meet another girl with the TK gene. Each subsequent chapter will expand this world, building out a roster of telekinetic young women. Considering King’s fondness for stories about powerful kids, often described as possessing “the shining,” Constant Readers will no doubt have their eyes peeled for various Easter Eggs nodding to the author’s vast catalogue.
Giving Carrie Her Own Voice
Perhaps the most striking distinction in Flanagan’s new trailer is the extent to which we hear Carrie’s voice. The sneak peek is fully narrated by the titular prom queen as she demands accountability. “I want to know why,” she explains while detailing Chris’ elaborate plan. Aside from the aforementioned coda, King’s book essentially ends with the aftermath of the prom night tragedy, leaving little time for Carrie to reflect. His shifting narrative does bring the reader into her fragile mind, though not before she’s been cowed by relentless cruelty. We watch Carrie sink into bloodthirsty revenge, but never hear a considered desire for justice or repair.
Flanagan’s original monologue allows Carrie to voice her pain and mourn the life she could have had. We’re also treated to a mug shot-style photo of Chris with a bruised and bandaged face, implying that the mean girl will have to answer for her senseless sadism.
Flanagan is known for filling his series adaptations with heartwrenching speeches that cut to the heart of his thematic intentions, and this teaser seems to follow suit. After years of fans, critics, and scholars analyzing Carrie’s pain, perhaps his modern retelling will offer the titular anti-hero a chance to finally speak for herself.
You must be logged in to post a comment.