A week after Resident Evil’s record-breaking opening weekend, the crew behind Zach Cregger’s big-screen adaptation are showing off the work that went into the movie’s strangest monster. And it turns out that monster started with real performers before CGI took over.
The creature, described as “the human tumbleweed” by Cregger and “that Katamari Damacy thing” by fans, is a jumble of human parts strapped together with harnesses. The performers bounce, roll and lurch while figuring out new, unnatural ways to link their bodies together.
Behind The Scenes Footage
A clip from the film’s movement coordinator shows the performers in action. They are strapped together, rolling and lurching, finding new ways to connect their bodies. The video asks viewers if they thought the main creature of Resident Evil was only CGI. The answer, according to the clip, is that a group of specialists trained to give it life on screen.
Cregger’s Cartwheel Attempt
Cregger told Collider ahead of release that he tried a practical approach first. He wanted to get Cirque du Soleil performers to strap five people together and figure out a five-person continuous infinite cartwheel, with some people upside down the whole time and legs over legs over legs.
“It was cool, but they had no agility and you could see their heads,” Cregger said. “It was clearly not going to be what the movie needed it to be.”
The production team ultimately turned to CGI to bring the creature to life. Other monsters in the film were done practically, but this one proved too ungainly to work.
The Practical Effort
The performers in the video are the stars. They are strapped together, rolling and lurching, finding new ways to connect their bodies.
The clip shows the human effort that went into a creature that eventually became digital. It is a reminder that even the most unnatural creatures on screen start somewhere human — and that somewhere is often a room full of people in harnesses, trying to move like a pile of flesh.
What We Make Of It
The video is a reminder that even the most unnatural creatures on screen start somewhere human. It also shows how far filmmakers will go to get a practical effect — and how quickly they will give up when it stops working.
Cregger’s cartwheel attempt was bold. It was also doomed. The performers had no agility, and their heads betrayed them. The final version of the monster is CGI, but the effort was real, and the performers in the video prove it.
The fact that the monster looked more like Inside’s “huddle” than anything from Capcom is a small detail, but it speaks to the film’s willingness to draw from unexpected places. This clip shows the messy middle ground between concept and final image.
The video is a fun look behind the curtain. It shows the human effort that went into a creature that eventually became digital. It is a reminder that even the most unnatural creatures on screen start somewhere human — and that somewhere is often a room full of people in harnesses, trying to move like a pile of flesh.
Key Facts Box
– The Merged Monster was described as “the human tumbleweed” by Cregger and “that Katamari Damacy thing” by fans
– Cregger strapped five people together for a cartwheel attempt
– Other monsters in the film were done practically
– The final version of the monster was CGI
Source material: “Choreographer Shows Acrobatics Behind Resident Evil Film’s Weirdest Monster,” Kotaku.
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