Zombies have been a staple of the horror genre for decades, chasing audiences across no shortage of movies, comics, TV shows, and video games. But out of the many franchises where the undead are the main driving force, few are as iconic as The Walking Dead and Resident Evil. These two terrifying sagas have found continued success over the years, evolving and branching into many spin-off titles across the small screen and video game consoles.
This year, we've already had acclaimed releases for these universes. On the one hand, The Walking Dead: Dead City season 3 was met with overwhelmingly positive reviews. Maggie and Negan's latest adventure was the breath of fresh air the show needed, and it also delivered the iconic alternate-reality episode that brought Beth back (even if just for a while).
On the other hand, Resident Evil Requiem is widely regarded as a 2026 Game of the Year contender, while Zach Cregger's Resident Evil movie took the world (and the box office) by storm.
Now, these two zombie franchises have come together thanks to the release of a terrifying and violent Resident Evil fan film directed by an iconic The Walking Dead star.
The Walking Dead's Chandler Riggs released a Resident Evil fan film called Biohazard
Chandler Riggs once portrayed Carl Grimes for eight seasons of AMC's legendary The Walking Dead show. Now, he has brought Ethan Winters to life in his own Resident Evil fan film titled Biohazard. As the name indicates, Biohazard is an adaptation of the events of Capcom's Resident Evil 7 — a game that brought the franchise back to its horror roots after RE5 and RE6 became more action-oriented.
Biohazard depicts Ethan's first encounter with the Baker family and his horrifying chase sequence with Jack Baker. Ethan found himself on the Baker property after investigating the disappearance of his wife, Mia Winters, after she accepted a babysitting job. You can check Chandler Riggs' fan film below:
Biohazard is a pretty faithful adaptation of the events of Resident Evil 7. The dining room and the hallway sets look like they were taken straight from the video game. Furthermore, eagle-eyed viewers can also spot little nods to some game elements, such as Ethan's health indicator at the 4:17 mark or one of the ever-famous breakable crates with yellow tape at the 4:38 mark.
The chase between Ethan and Jack Baker remains mostly intact, with the latter even breaking through one of the house's walls to get to his prey. There's a lot of care and meticulous attention to detail in the fan film, even going so far as to show one sequence that can be easily missed in the game, where Jack tears one of Ethan's legs apart.
During an interview with IGN, Chandler Riggs revealed that he tried to release Biohazard before Zach Cregger's Resident Evil hit theaters, although that wasn't ultimately the case:
"We were in pre-production when the article came out that Zack Cregger was going to do his [RE movie]. I was like, 'Oh man, all right, we got to get ours out first.' We were trying to beat the clock and get it out about a month ago, but parts just didn't align that way."
Riggs also talked about the complexities of adapting such a beloved video game saga in live-action, and how some creative liberties had to be taken along the way:
"We're trying to do so much else super faithful and true to the game, but this is a huge aspect that we are breaking from it. But there isn't really another good way to tell [the story] in a live-action format. I was going back and forth like, 'Okay, could we do first person the whole time? Could we avoid getting his face in or anything?' But the more we went back and forth on it, the more I was like, I mean, if we are going to do this and are going to appeal to a wider audience — more than just the people who played the games — then we're going to have to break those rules. It was very intimidating. Hopefully people are okay with it."
With Zach Cregger's Resident Evil breaking many box-office records, fans are hopeful about the possibility of a sequel getting greenlit. While nothing is set in stone just yet, Riggs revealed that he would like to work with Cregger on a potential follow-up:
"A huge reason for me even doing this in the first place is that I love being on set and collaborating with cool people, and that's all it is at the end of the day (...) and if I can't be on set doing more films or TV shows or whatever else, then I'll just make it myself. I'll just make it happen. And that's a huge proponent of this [fan film]. So, if [Cregger] wants to continue in the universe, I'm all for it. Listen, my phone is open. Hit my line!"
Only time will tell whether we'll see a sequel to Zach Cregger's Resident Evil movie. But if that day ever comes, it would be great to see Chandler Riggs on screen or to know that he worked behind the scenes.
Resident Evil (2026) is now in theaters.
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