Resident Evil

Philip J Reed

Aug 2020 · Boss Fight Books Book 25 · Boss Fight Books

About this ebook

Now a sprawling video game franchise, Resident Evil has kept us on the edge of our seats for decades with its tried-and-true brand of jump scares, zombie action, and biological horror. But even decades after its release, we can’t stop revisiting the original’s thrills, chills, and sometimes unintentional spills. 

Pop culture writer and horror cinephile Philip J Reed takes dead aim at 1996’s Resident Evil, the game that named and defined the genre we now call “survival horror.” While examining Resident Evil’s influences from the worlds of film, literature, and video games alike, Reed’s love letter to horror examines how the game’s groundbreaking design and its atmospheric fixed-cam cinematography work to thrill and terrify players—and why that terror may even be good for you.

Featuring a foreword from Troma Entertainment legend Lloyd Kaufman and new interviews with the game’s voice actors and its live-action cast, the book serves as the master of unlocking the behind-the-scenes secrets of Resident Evil, and shows how even a game filled with the most laughable dialogue can still scare the pants off of you.

About the author

Philip J Reed is an award-winning author and critic living in Denver, Colorado. He has written about games for outlets including Nintendo Life and TripleJump. Reed manages Noiseless Chatter and is allergic to cats.

Stanley Lloyd Kaufman Jr. is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. With producer Michael Herz, he is the co-founder of Troma Entertainment film studio, and the director of many of their feature films, such as The Toxic Avenger and Tromeo and Juliet.