‘Resident Evil movies? I’ve never seen one’: Weapons director Zach Cregger on resurrecting the beloved zombie franchise

Raised on punk, alt-comedy and the church, Cregger’s Lynchian approach to horror is anything but typical.

After two wildly original hits, his pivot to a 30-year-old video game has caused a storm among protective fans When Barbarian, Zach Cregger’s debut film as a solo writer-director, came out in 2022, it was a big success, creating a buzz among horror connoisseurs, garnering good reviews, and grossing $46m.

Then his second film, Weapons, came out in 2025 and did even better.

Mounting industry buzz around the project crystallised into a fierce bidding war; Jordan Peele was reportedly desperate to produce and, incensed by his failure to secure the rights, allegedly fired his managers.

The rumours went viral, resulting in a wave of incredible PR that saw the film wildly outperform box office expectations and win an Academy Award (for Amy Madigan ’s blunt-fringed, bonsai-pruning best supporting actress turn as instantly classic villain Aunt Gladys).

Even if Cregger had not had a box-office smash that crossed over into awards contention, there would still be an atmosphere of hushed expectation around his next move.

Both Barbarian and Weapons addressed hot-button issues – sexual assault and school shootings, respectively – while resisting easy interpretation.

Both, too, started out seemingly heading in one narrative direction, before thrillingly careening off elsewhere.

Thus, with just two features, Cregger had established a reputation for totally terrifying, utterly unpredictable and – most importantly – genuinely original movies. Continue reading...