“Evil Has Always Had a Name” Capcom’s New Short Film Sets the Mood for Resident Evil Requiem
February is officially here, which means Resident Evil Requiem is now entering its final runway before launch. Capcom’s next major Resident Evil release is scheduled to arrive on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch 2 on 02 27 2026, and the publisher is using this month to tighten the emotional framing around what could be one of the franchise’s most memorable tonal swings in years.
To set that mood, Capcom has released a new 3.5 minute short film titled Evil Has Always Had a Name, designed to function as both a pre launch tone piece and a thematic teaser for one of Requiem’s more unsettling ideas. Zombies will retain fragments of their human memories and routines, repeating behaviors from their past lives in ways that make encounters feel less like target practice and more like tragedy.
The film stars Longlegs actor Maika Monroe and focuses on a mother and daughter living in Raccoon City before the outbreak that defined the series’ modern identity. It is deliberately intimate, built around the kind of everyday calm that makes the fallout feel worse. The final beat lands hard. The mother, now infected, visits her daughter’s grave while clutching a photo of them together, a quiet act that reframes the monster as someone still trying to complete a familiar emotional loop. She is then shot by an unidentified patrol group clearing out the area, but the point has already been made. These are not just zombies. They are people whose bodies have become weapons while their minds cling to leftover rituals.
That is also why the short film works as a strategic piece of marketing rather than a simple vibe trailer. It is not selling spectacle. It is selling empathy and discomfort, which are core levers for horror immersion. If Capcom can translate that same emotional weight into moment to moment gameplay, it changes how players read the threat profile of a room. When enemies are no longer mindless, the fear shifts. Every hallway becomes a reminder that the undead are not just obstacles. They are remnants, and that is a much more effective psychological tool than gore alone.
This framing also connects cleanly to what Requiem appears to be building structurally. From what has been teased so far, the game looks poised to balance different tones and playstyles across its dual lead setup, with Grace Ashcroft segments leaning into the claustrophobic dread associated with Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 7, while Leon Kennedy’s presence signals a more kinetic edge that recalls the pacing and confidence of Resident Evil 4. Capcom is effectively positioning Requiem as a portfolio play inside a single package, with horror purity on one side and iconic hero momentum on the other, and the short film helps unify both with a shared emotional foundation.
Even before release day, the timing is favorable for Capcom’s broader 2026 momentum. The company is building toward a year where Resident Evil Requiem is the near term anchor and Monster Hunter Stories 3 Twisted Reflection is the next beat on the calendar in March 2026. If Requiem lands its tone, it does more than sell copies. It reinforces Capcom’s current reputation for high confidence franchise management, where each new release respects legacy while still pushing into fresh creative territory.
For Resident Evil fans, this short film is a strong signal that Requiem wants to do more than scare you. It wants to make you feel bad about what you have to do to survive, and that is exactly the kind of horror the series is at its best delivering.
Do you want Resident Evil Requiem to lean harder into emotional horror like this short film, or would you rather the series prioritize Leon style action momentum and set piece pacing?
