I wouldn’t say I’m the biggest horror movie fan out there. It’s not my preferred genre, but I’m also not typically one of those people that runs from a scary movie. I’ve seen all the classics and enjoyed many of them well enough. Sometimes a jump scare hits in a way nothing else can. But a man has to draw a line somewhere, and for me, this Resident Evil 3D billboard I’m about to show you is that line.
The billboard in question recently went up in Times Square in New York City, and it started attracting attention almost immediately. It features an undead Licker-looking creature smashing its glass enclosure and breaking out. A viral tweet featuring the full video has attracted almost 10M views, and numerous versions have popped up on YouTube. You can check out this unholy nightmare in all its macabre glory below…
First of all, shoutout to whoever designed this 3D billboard. I hate it more than anything else in my life right now, but the point of an advertisement is to attract attention. I’m sitting here banging out an article on a Sunday morning about this abomination; so, job well done to everyone involved there. Second of all, though, what is the approval process like for getting one of these billboards an official thumbs up from the city? I need to know where the line is and why this hasn't joined the banned movie posters or banned tv posters lists.
I have very distinct memories of living in Los Angeles like 7-10 years ago when The Strain started dropping billboards with a worm coming out of someone’s eyeball. I had to avert my eyes every time I went past a bus stop. The city eventually put an end to those for being too graphic, but I guess since this creature isn’t jumping inside anyone’s eye sockets he’s okay. Or maybe the fine people of New York City are just assumed to have a higher creep tolerance than those living in LA?
That being said, I’d also like to commend everyone involved here on how good these visuals look. It’s not easy to design a 3D poster like this, and it’s also not easy to design one that’s so freaky it’s attracting millions of free views on the internet. Considering how weirded out I am, it certainly doesn’t make me want to watch the show, but for those into that sorta thing, I’d imagine this would be the job.
The new Resident Evil TV show, fittingly titled Resident Evil, hit Netflix this past week. It mostly attracted mixed reviews from critics, but some fans have been a little slower to warm up, partially because of concerns related to how little overlap there is with other entries in the classic franchise. If you think the 3D poster is cool, you should consider checking it out. If you’re like me, however, and want no part of that poster, I’d consider checking out literally anything else.
