The Resident Evil franchise has seen its share of ups and downs over the years, though for the most part, the wins and losses could have been attributed to filmmaker Paul W.S. Anderson. Together with his then-wife Milla Jovovich, Anderson helmed multiple adaptations of the popular video game series, without really adhering to the things that worked in the game. Johannes Roberts wanted to change that. When he took over the new Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, he committed to bringing elements from the game directly to the screen. But that meant one aspect that made the shoot pretty miserable for the cast. They explain in the video above.
As you likely know, Resident Evil is a zombie game, with humans taking on the undead in soaking wet locations that drip with despair. There are two locations that are important to the games, and they make up a big chunk of Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. That would be the Raccoon City Police Department, and the Spencer Mansion. But outside of these sets, director Johannes Roberts wanted to create an environment that was rainy, cold, and off-putting. And given the fact that they filmed in Ontario, Canada, in the wintertime, that meant long, hard nights for the cast and crew.
You would think that after starring in the killer crocodile thriller Crawl, which meant being submerged in waters caused by a Florida hurricane, would keep Kaya Scodelario from appearing in a rain-soaked thriller like Resident Evil, but she told CinemaBlend during a recent interview:
We knew that we wanted that look. We knew that was the iconic look from the games. But as with many things, translating that from a CGI-rendered video game to film is quite trick, especially when you are shooting in Canada in the winter. The biggest problem that we came up against is that as soon as the water would leave the rain tower, it would freeze. We were actually filming in ice rain falling on us most of the time. Which would then make the road unsafe, and so we would have to stop filming to clear the roads so that it would be… it was an absolute nightmare. It was really difficult.
Kaya Scodelario’s co-star, Robbie Amell, echoed her statement that filming Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City in the freezing rain was terrible. But like her, he also saw the upside, telling CinemaBlend:
It was one of those things where, when it rained, it sucked, and it was cold. But you knew how great it looked, and how important it was. And you were just like, ‘You know what? Whatever. We can warm up after.’ So, luckily we did most of the rain stuff at the beginning of the shoot, which was not warm, but warmer than it would have been at the end of the shoot. Then we went to Hamilton, and it was mostly interiors for the remainder.
The movie came out in theaters last weekend, appealing to fans of the video games and those looking for scares after the Halloween season. Check it out, if you dare.
