Midwest theater assistant manager creates genuinely great throwback Resident Evil promo

Fans upset that Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil doesn’t look enough like any of the zombie-filled video games that Capcom has published over the last 30 years may need to turn to a slightly unusual source to get their more traditional RE thrills: The assistant manager of the O’Fallon, Missouri branch of a Midwest theater chain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Marcus Theatres (@marcustheatres)

That’s right: Marcus Theatres (the fourth-largest chain in the U.S., with locations in 17 states) rolled out a slightly unorthodox new promo for its Resident Evil medical bag popcorn bucket this week, created by O’Fallon assistant manager Isaac Etter, and featuring some of his coworkers at the suburban multiplex on what we have to assume was a pretty quiet night. In it, Etter adopts the infamously stiff “tank” controls of the very first Resident Evil, maneuvering over to the bag—patterned on the one Austin Abrams is running around all over creation with in the movie—and adding it to his “inventory,” before making his way to a theater where a very specific Resident Evil reference is waiting for him.

We really cannot emphasize how many delightful specifics that Etter and his collaborators have incorporated here: The choppiness of the movement, the slight stutter in the video as it switches camera angles, the footstep sound effects, and especially the recreation of Resident Evil‘s famed door-opening sequences. It’s a fantastic blend of DIY aesthetics and hyper-specificity, and at least as effective a sales pitch for Cregger’s movie as any of its actual trailers were.

The A.V. Club reached out to Marcus for a statement; they had this to say:

In an effort to promote the Resident Evil media bag popcorn buckets that are now available in theatres, Isaac Etter, Assistant Manager at the Marcus O’Fallon Cinema, came up the brilliant idea to create this video, emulating the humor and fun of the original video game. The video also features Assistant Manager, Valentine Avalos and Operations Manager, Charlie Zaloudek. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed seeing Resident Evil and Marcus Theatres fans alike respond enthusiastically to this content on our social channels. At Marcus Theatres, we prioritize tapping into the talent of our associates by encouraging them to create innovative and original content at their respective locations to share on our social channels.