Resident Evil: Do you need to watch the previous films before watching Zach Cregger's new reboot

Zach Cregger's Resident Evil is the eighth live-action film in the franchise and the second without Milla Jovovich.

Updated on: Sep 9, 2026, 06:28:21 IST

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Resident Evil returns to the cinemas this month once again. The popular film franchise, based on the hugely successful video game series, is bringing a signature survival-horror experience back to the big screen under the direction of Zach Cregger. The film, which stars Austin Abrams, marks the eighth instalment in the long-running franchise, which was rebooted in 2021 with Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City.

But the Zach Cregger film aims to take the iconic horror universe in a fresh direction, which has many wondering if they need to watch the previous films to stay up to date before this arrives in theatres on September 18. We have you covered!

The Alice series

The Resident Evil films began in 2002 with Paul WS Anderson’s The Resident Evil, starring Milla Jovovich and Ali Larter. Milla would go on to star in five sequels – Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004), directed by Alexander Witt; Resident Evil: Extinction (2007), directed by Russell Mulcahy; Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010), Resident Evil: Retribution (2012), and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2017), all directed by Paul W.S. Anderson.

The six films can be called the Alice series, on the central character played by Milla Jovovich. They introduce the premise, the character, and the Umbrella Corporation responsible for the virus. The six films are a self-contained series with a beginning and an end, but with no ties to the current series. One does not need to watch any of these in order to do ‘homework’ for the new Resident Evil. However, if you are a horror buff looking to get into the franchise’s zone, then the series is a fun watch.

Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City

The seventh film, released in 2021, served as a reboot of the franchise with a completely new cast, written and directed by Johannes Roberts. This is the first film in the series to not feature Milla Jovovich as Alice; instead, her character is played by Kaya Scodelario. The film returns to the basic mythology of the games and features Raccoon City, Umbrella, Chris Redfield, Claire Redfield, Jill Valentine, and Leon Kennedy.

This film is an optional watch in the lead-up to Zach Cregger’s film. The director has said that the film takes place alongside the events of the Resident Evil 2 game in Raccoon City, but it does not feature Leon, Claire, or the game's actual storyline, making it another reinvention.

About the new Resident Evil

Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil is set to release in cinemas on September 18. The highly anticipated horror survival thriller will release in India in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. The film stars Austin Abrams as a medical courier who must fight through a viral outbreak of infected monsters in Raccoon City during a delivery. Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, Johnno Wilson, and Paul Walter Hauser appear in supporting roles.

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