Daniel Knox
Are you eagerly awaiting the release of the George A. Romero’s Resident Evil documentary? Well, we have a treat for you! The founder of Residence of Evil, J.J., recently had an in-depth conversation with the documentary’s director, Brandon Salisbury. They discussed the making of the documentary, the Resident Evil series, Salisbury’s views on Romero’s work, and much more.
Salisbury’s journey with Resident Evil began in 1998, during the promotional campaign for Resident Evil 2. He recalls, “In December 1997, I got a PlayStation 1, and that was when the marketing campaign for Resident Evil 2 was in full swing. I was completely blown away by one of the commercials for Resident Evil 2. It was unlike any video game I had ever played before. So, when the game was released in January 1998, I was one of the first to play it.”
Salisbury also shared how he discovered Romero’s association with a Resident Evil film adaptation. “I found out around the time Resident Evil 2 was released. That’s when they had the “win a part in the movie” sticker. Shortly after, rumors started circulating that George Romero might be directing. It was officially announced about 7 months after the release of RE2.”
As we all know, Romero’s involvement didn’t work out, which led to Salisbury’s documentary. Salisbury shared, “I always wanted to make movies. But then I joined the military for 12 years, and when I got out, I wasn’t sure if I could still pursue a career in film. I had tried a few times before, like in high school, and after my military service, but nothing seemed to work out.”
Salisbury eventually made a video on Romero’s Resident Evil script for his YouTube channel, but he was never quite happy with it. “I wanted to redo it. So, I did more research, and then I contacted Robbie McGregor, who I knew from the Horror is Alive forum. I had helped them a bit with McElroy’s script, finding additional information that had been lost for years. So, I reached out to him and said, ‘Hey, I want to make this video.’ We decided to join forces.”
After discovering more about the film and exploring the Romero archives at the University of Pittsburgh, Salisbury realized this project deserved to be a full-length documentary. “It needs to be feature length. It’s not a YouTube documentary anymore.”
For more insights, check out the full 40-minute interview below, along with the most recent trailer for the documentary.
