A week after its record-breaking theatrical weekend, the creative team behind Zach Cregger’s big-screen adaptation of Resident Evil has begun unveiling the making-of footage from their contributions to the film. The most striking release so far is a clip from choreographer Jakub Hudlický, who documents the demanding acrobatics that gave life to the movie’s most memorable creature.
Hudlický served as movement coordinator on the production, working with a group of specialist performers to figure out how the film’s central antagonist could physically move. The footage shows the performers strapped together in harnesses, bouncing, rolling and lurching while discovering new, unnatural ways to link their bodies into a single writhing mass.
A Creature Built on Human Movement
The creature has drawn immediate comparisons from both the director and audiences. Cregger described it as “the human tumbleweed,” while fans have likened it to the rolling ball of objects from Katamari Damacy. The result is a jumbled collection of human limbs bound together, brought to screen through a combination of physical performance and digital effects.
While the performers provided the framework for the creature’s motion, the production ultimately relied on CGI to complete the monster. Other creatures in the film were realized practically, but Cregger explained that the all-human approach did not fully work during early attempts at the central antagonist.
“I actually did try and get Cirque du Soleil people,” said Cregger. “I strapped five people together. I had them figure out how to do a five person continuous infinite cartwheel, with some people upside down the whole time and it was legs over legs over legs. It was cool, but they had no agility and you could see their heads. It was clearly not going to be what the movie needed it to be.”
Zach Cregger, director
The final creature emerged from Hudlický’s own choreographic work rather than the earlier Cirque du Soleil experiment. Performers trained extensively to achieve the fluid, unsettling movement that defines the monster on screen.
A Divisive Take on Raccoon City
Cregger’s departure from the series’ source material had put some die-hard fans off before release, though his plunge into Raccoon City still produced a range of bizarre mutants inspired by Capcom’s games. The central creature in particular has drawn comparisons to the “huddle” enemy from Inside rather than anything associated with the Umbrella Corporation.
The film itself has generated a wide spectrum of reactions among fans and critics alike. Some reviewers have hailed it as a clever homage that avoids getting bogged down in source material details, while others have argued the tone veers closer to spoof than straight horror. The debate over how faithfully the movie captures the video game experience continues to divide the community.
Looking Ahead
The behind-the-scenes footage arrives as interest in Cregger’s adaptation remains high following its strong box office performance. As fans continue to dissect every element of the film, clips like Hudlický’s offer a fresh look at the physical effort that shaped one of the year’s most talked-about movie monsters.
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