Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
Opening night at Fantastic Fest 2026, the nation’s largest genre-film festival, provided two exciting and surprising films that set the tone for much of the fest. Coincidentally, both films involved medical personnel. Not, as you might suspect, Doctor Frankenstein, but figures more like Doogie Howser or Frasier Crane.
This reboot of Resident Evil is one of the “new spin” films. It takes a franchise that almost every horror fan knows, and approaches it from the angle of curing the disease that’s turning people into flesh-eating monsters.
Beware Boiúna falls into the genre “When Animals Attack,” like the classic Creature From the Black Lagoon or last year’s Fantastic Fest premier Primate. But it takes a surprising and inspiring turn.
Not Your Dad’s Hero
The original Resident Evil, from 2002, starred Milla Jovovich as part of a special military unit sent to fight the flesh-eating creatures created in a laboratory accident. The film’s popularity launched a string of sequels in theaters, on TV, and in the video game world.
Filmmaker Zach Cregger (Weapons, Barbarian) took a different approach. Did he look for a contemporary version of a young Milla? A new Arnold Schwarzenegger? A Bruce Willis look-a-like? No, he went with innocence and vulnerability, with the main character being a medical courier – a delivery driver named Bryan.
Bryan, played by Austin Abrams (The Walking Dead, Euphoria), focuses on getting a package delivered to a remote hospital. Initially, he just has some bad luck. As he progresses toward the hospital, however, strange things begin to happen.
When he discovers the contents of that package, things change.
Is this a scary movie? I see lots of fright-filled films, so I’m pretty good at anticipating moments designed to shock you. Early in the film, I jumped twice. That hardly ever happens to me. If you like horror movies, add this one to your list. Resident Evil is currently in theaters.
It’s a Big Snake
Beware Boiúna takes place in the Amazon rain forest – not the world’s number one tourist destination. The film centers around a team of medical doctors sailing from village to village on a humanitarian mission to provide free medical care to the locals.
As the mission proceeds, we experience it mostly through the eyes of two women: Lena, played by Kiana Madeira (Trinkets, Perfect Addiction), and Alli, played by Jessica Rothe (Happy Death Day, Boy Kills World).
I was expecting your typical “fight the monster” film. And, yes, there is plenty of that, but there is much that is deeper. We experience how Amazon communities are exploited. Unexpected complications reveal a family conflict involving one of the women. They’re attacked by criminals. One of them takes up a mission of protecting the rights of the Indigenous people. The focus moves from one woman to the other.
Not only do we experience a giant snake trying to eat people, we also become emotionally involved on many in a story about people.
You can see a scary preview of Beware Boiúna below. It opens in theaters on October 2.
More About Fantastic Fest
Austin-based Fantastic Fest ran this year from September 17–24 in the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar. For information about next year’s Fantastic Fest, check the fest’s website and social media on Facebook and Instagram.
