‘He would’ve died’: ‘Resident Evil’ director Zach Cregger recalls Austin Abrams’ near-death experience

LOS ANGELES: ‘Resident Evil’ director Zach Cregger has revealed that actor Austin Abrams narrowly escaped a potentially fatal accident while filming a key action sequence for the upcoming horror film, according to People.

Speaking to SlashFilm, Cregger recalled that Abrams, who plays medical courier Bryan in the video game adaptation, came within inches of being struck by a 150-pound body-sized blood bag that was dropped from a crane during the shoot. “It would’ve killed him. If he had been one step to the right, he would’ve died,” Cregger said, referring to the stunt sequence. “[The shot is] in the movie, so it’s worth it. I was pretty stunned.”

The sequence, featured briefly in the film’s trailer, shows Bryan running as zombie-like bodies crash from rooftops around him during an apparent outbreak, according to People.

Cregger said he wanted the explosions and falling bodies to be created practically instead of relying on visual effects. “And so, we had to basically design this thing where he’s just running and bodies are just falling and detonating all around him. And I knew I didn’t want to do it with VFX because I feel like it would just look like VFX,” he told SlashFilm.

Austin Abrams Nearly Killed by 150-Pound ‘Blood Bag’ on ‘Resident Evil’ Set

Director Zach Cregger says one step to the right would have ended the actor — all to skip VFX on the zombie reboot. pic.twitter.com/0zdcOjPPoG

— Popwire Daily (@popwiredaily) July 25, 2026

According to the director, the scene was executed through detailed choreography and staging, with the heavy blood bags suspended above Abrams before being dropped to simulate bodies falling from buildings, according to People.

Reflecting on the experience, Cregger praised the collaborative effort behind bringing the ambitious sequence to life. “That’s what’s so great about making movies… you have all these people help you realize that idea and immortalize it on the screen,” he said, adding, “I’m very proud of this movie. I feel like I grew a lot making it, just as a filmmaker,” according to People.

Cregger’s ‘Resident Evil’ marks the seventh big-screen adaptation of the popular video game franchise since 2002. The film also stars Zach Cherry, Kali Reis and Paul Walter Hauser. ‘Resident Evil’ is scheduled to release in theatres on September 18. (ANI)