Resident Evil Director Removed Jokes After Test Screenings

Director Zach Cregger has revealed that he significantly altered his upcoming "Resident Evil" film after test audiences indicated it was "too funny" for a horror movie. Cregger told The Hollywood Reporter that while early viewers enjoyed the film, their feedback prompted him to remove a substantial amount of humor to better align with the survival horror tone. "I learned that people really liked the movie, but they thought it was too funny," Cregger said. "So over the course of my testing, I stripped out as much of the jokes as possible. I then found that not only did the audience enjoy the movie more, but I also liked the movie a lot more." The director, known for balancing horror and comedy in films like "Barbarian" and "Weapons," added, "A little bit of humor goes a long way in a horror movie, and there's not a single joke I took out of this movie that I miss." The film stars Austin Abrams as a medical courier who becomes trapped in a biohazard outbreak in Raccoon City. It is based on the popular video game franchise and represents Cregger's first foray into franchise filmmaking. He has stated this will be a one-off project for him in the franchise space.