A theater assistant manager in O’Fallon, Missouri has recreated the stiff, clunky movement and door-opening sequences of the original Resident Evil game to promote a popcorn bucket, and the result is genuinely great.
Isaac Etter, assistant manager at the Marcus O’Fallon Cinema, made the promo as a throwback to the 1996 classic. The video has his coworkers joining him on a quiet night at the suburban multiplex, where he adopts the game’s famously stiff “tank” controls, maneuvers over to a bag patterned on the one Austin Abrams runs around with in Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil movie, adds it to his “inventory,” and heads to a theater where a very specific Resident Evil reference awaits.
The Stiff Controls at the Center
The promo’s centerpiece is its mimicry of Resident Evil’s original movement. Etter moves with a deliberate, stiff pace that matches the game’s awkward “tank” controls. The video shows him navigating the bag, adding it to his inventory, and walking through the theater with the same slow, deliberate steps the game used.
The Details That Sell It
The video packs a lot of small touches that make it feel genuine. The choppiness of the movement, the slight stutter in the video as it switches camera angles, the footstep sound effects, and especially the recreation of Resident Evil’s famous door-opening sequences. Each of these touches carries the weight of a specific memory from the game.
Who Made It
Etter created the video with his coworkers, including Assistant Manager Valentine Avalos and Operations Manager Charlie Zaloudek. The team’s collaboration is part of what makes the promo work.
How It Got Made
Etter came up with the idea to create the video, emulating the humor and fun of the original video game. Marcus Theatres then shared it on their social channels.
The Perfect Pitch
The video works as a sales pitch for Cregger’s movie. It captures the spirit of the game in a way that the movie’s trailers did not manage. The promo’s DIY aesthetic and hyper-specificity make it at least as effective as any of the movie’s actual trailers.
The Team Behind It
The video features three Marcus staff members:
- Isaac Etter, assistant manager at the Marcus O’Fallon Cinema
- Valentine Avalos, assistant manager
- Charlie Zaloudek, operations manager
The View From Here
This is a small win for fans of the original game. It is a genuine attempt to capture something that has not been well served by the movie or by the game’s own marketing.
The video is a reminder that the spirit of a game can live on in unexpected places. A theater assistant manager, armed with a bag, some coworkers, and a quiet night, managed to make something that feels exactly like the game it imitates.
The promo works because it succeeds at its stated purpose — a throwback tribute to the original game, made with genuine affection.
See the video the story is built around at The A.V. Club.
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