With Resident Evil Requiem creeping closer to its February 27, 2026 release, Capcom has dropped something cool for longtime fans and horror lovers alike. A new three-minute short film titled Resident Evil Requiem – Evil Has Always Had a Name has been released, and it’s a chilling side story.
The short stars Maika Monroe in a devastating slice of life set during the early days of the Raccoon City outbreak. Fans of Longlegs and It Follows will immediately recognize Monroe’s presence. She brings a grounded, emotional weight to a story that’s less about heroes with rocket launchers and more about the people who never stood a chance.
Set in 1998, the film unfolds from the perspectives of a mother and her young daughter as the infection begins to consume the city. The timeline lines up directly with the chaos of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3, right down to a blood-curdling scream of “STARS!” from the Nemesis echoing through the darkness. That moment locks the short into a very specific and terrifying point in series history.
Monroe teamed up with director Rich Lee to tell a grounded personal story inside a franchise known for bio-organic nightmares. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Monroe explained what drew her to the project, saying:
“What I loved about it was it had a lot of heart. It’s really heartbreaking, the story that you’re watching unfold. I just thought it was a really interesting and a new way to portray this video game coming out.”
The short opens quietly. A little girl hides inside a closet, struggling to keep her breathing under control. Her mother, played by Monroe, suddenly bursts in, revealing the moment to be part of a game of hide-and-seek. A voiceover recalls how joyful life once was before everything collapsed. From there, the film slowly tightens the screws as the city falls apart around them.
What makes Evil Has Always Had a Name so interesting is its focus on ordinary people. In the games, it’s easy to mow down zombies without a second thought. Here, the monsters were once parents, neighbors, and kids just trying to survive.
The mother and daughter scavenge, hide, and run as creatures stalk them through ruined streets and darkened rooms. The final image is especially brutal, showing Monroe’s character fully zombified, clutching a photograph of herself and her daughter in a decaying hand.
It’s bleak, unsettling, and exactly the kind of story you’d expect from a franchise that’s been haunting players since 1996 under the banner of Capcom. It also sets the stage nicely for what’s shaping up to be a huge year for Resident Evil. Alongside Resident Evil Requiem, a new rebooted film is scheduled to arrive on September 18, 2026, with Zach Cregger directing.
Resident Evil Requiem launches February 27, 2026 on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X|S, and fans have plenty of reasons to be excited.
