From Berlin to Prague, discover where every Resident Evil movie was filmed – including the 2026 reboot and all the zombie action in between.
“You’re all going to die down here.” The Red Queen wasn’t wrong, but she didn’t mention the sheer number of countries we’d visit along the way!
The Resident Evil film series has shuffled through underground labs, desert wastelands, frozen Russian simulations, and foggy Midwestern towns, but none of it was actually filmed where you think it was.
That iconic Spencer Mansion? It’s a German castle. Raccoon City? That’s Canada pulling double duty. And the 2026 reboot buried Prague under artificial snow. From Berlin to Baja California and Toronto, this franchise has hopped continents faster than a Licker on espresso.
The original Paul W.S. Anderson era bounced between Germany and Canada, Extinction traded Australia for Mexico‘s sand dunes, Retribution literally shut down Tokyo’s Shibuya Crossing, and The Final Chapter turned South Africa’s Ponte City Apartments into a zombie fortress.
Then Welcome to Raccoon City went full blueprint-accuracy in Sudbury, Ontario – and the upcoming 2026 reboot just wrapped in the Czech Republic.
So grab your herb mix, save your game at the typewriter, and join us for the ultimate behind-the-scenes tour of where the dead truly walk. We’re covering eight movies (including that 2026 one you haven’t seen yet), five countries, and enough trivia to make Wesker’s head spin.
Table of Contents
🎥 Resident Evil Movies in Order
How many Resident Evil movies are there? Eight live-action films, several animated films (Degeneration, Damnation, Vendetta, Death Island, Infinite Darkness) – plenty of zombie content to keep you busy during the apocalypse!
Resident Evil movies in release order (live action):
- Resident Evil (2002)
- Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
- Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)
- Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)
- Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)
- Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016)
- Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021) – reboot.
- Resident Evil (2026) – second reboot, alternate timeline.
What order should I watch the Resident Evil movies? Release order is recommended. Resident Evil (2002) → Apocalypse → Extinction → Afterlife → Retribution → The Final Chapter.
Welcome to Raccoon City (2021) and the 2026 reboot exist in separate continuities. Don’t try to watch the Resident Evil movies in chronological order – you’ll give yourself a headache!
🧟 Resident Evil Filming Locations
From the neon-lit streets of Tokyo to the artificial snow of Prague, here’s exactly where every undead moment was captured.
🧪 Where Was Resident Evil Filmed?
In Resident Evil (2002), Alice wakes up with amnesia in a deserted mansion, with no memory of how she got there, and is quickly captured by a heavily armed paramilitary squad infiltrating “The Hive,” Umbrella’s subterranean research facility.
A lethal bio-weapon called the T-virus has leaked, the facility’s rogue supercomputer (The Red Queen) has locked everything down, and the staff has become… peckish.
Cue zombie mayhem, a laser grid that made us all flinch, and an escape train that definitely doesn’t meet safety codes.
Cast: Milla Jovovich (Alice), Michelle Rodriguez (Rain), Eric Mabius (Matt), James Purefoy (Spence).
Resident Evil 1 filming locations:
- Schloss Lindstedt, Potsdam, Germany: Spencer Mansion exterior & Hive entrance.
- Bundestag U-Bahn Station, Berlin, Germany: Underground arrival area & platform.
- Krampnitz Kaserne military complex, Potsdam, Germany: Abandoned Officers’ Mess.
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Additional Raccoon City exterior sequences.
Trivia:
- The iconic “laser grid hallway” scene was so popular that Capcom actually adapted it back into the video game series, starting Resident Evil 4.
- The Spencer Mansion used Schloss Lindstedt, a realistic German castle with almost zero visual connection to the game’s Gothic estate.
💣 Where Was Resident Evil: Apocalypse Filmed?
In Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004), the T-virus escapes The Hive and Raccoon City goes straight to hell. Nemesis crashes the party looking like he lost a fight with a meat grinder, and things get… messy.
Alice wakes up in an Umbrella hospital with new superpowers (lucky her!), teams up with disgraced S.T.A.R.S. officer Jill Valentine and mercenary Carlos Olivera, and races to rescue a scientist’s daughter before Umbrella nukes the entire city.
Cast: Milla Jovovich (Alice), Sienna Guillory (Jill Valentine), Oded Fehr (Carlos Olivera), Mike Epps (L.J.).
Book a tour:
- Toronto: Hollywood North Experience Film & TV Tour
- Toronto: TV & Movie Tour with University of Toronto Visit
Resident Evil 2 filming locations:
- Toronto City Hall & Nathan Phillips Square: Grand finale with Alice vs. Nemesis.
- Prince Edward Viaduct, Toronto: Ravens’ Gate, Raccoon City’s quarantine exit.
- Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, Toronto: Umbrella Corporation’s underground lair.
- Central Technical School, Toronto: Raccoon City Junior School.
- Northern Secondary School, Toronto: Additional school location.
- Hamilton Cemetery, Hamilton, Ontario: Cemetery shootout sequences.
- Sandbanks Provincial Park, Ontario: Alaskan beach in final scenes.
- Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo, Japan: Opening outbreak sequence.
Trivia:
- Filming was nearly derailed by the real-world 2003 SARS outbreak in Toronto. The irony of a zombie movie being threatened by a real pandemic wasn’t lost on anyone!
🏜️ Where Was Resident Evil: Extinction Filmed?
In Resident Evil: Extinction (2007), the T-virus has gone global, turning Earth into an arid, desert wasteland. Alice goes full Mad Max roaming the Nevada desert alone (dramatic!), eventually crossing paths with a heavily armored convoy of survivors led by Claire Redfield.
Together, they hunt for a rumored safe haven in Alaska while dodging genetically enhanced “Super Undead” unleashed by Dr. Isaacs. Because regular zombies weren’t bad enough.
Cast: Milla Jovovich (Alice), Ali Larter (Claire Redfield), Oded Fehr (Carlos Olivera), Iain Glen (Dr. Isaacs).
Resident Evil 3 filming locations:
- Laguna Salada, Baja California, Mexico: Dry lake bed for post-apocalyptic wasteland.
- Paseo de La Rumorosa, Baja California: Mountainous road through Sierra de Juárez.
- San Felipe & Cuervitos Dunes, Baja California: Convoy action sequences.
- Estudios Churubusco, Mexico City: Umbrella Labs & Las Vegas casino replicas.
Trivia:
- The desert sequences were supposed to be filmed in Australia, but production moved to Mexico. Baja California doubled for Nevada, and honestly, we couldn’t tell the difference – sand is sand, right?
✈️ Where Was Resident Evil: Afterlife Filmed?
In Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010), Alice and her clones attack Umbrella’s Tokyo HQ (cool move!), then she flies to Alaska looking for the “Arcadia” safe haven, but finds only an amnesiac Claire – awkward.
Heading to ruined Los Angeles, they find survivors trapped in a maximum-security prison surrounded by thousands of zombies. “Arcadia” is actually a cargo ship offshore. Wesker shows off his super-speed and we all wished we could dodge bullets like that.
Cast: Milla Jovovich (Alice), Ali Larter (Claire Redfield), Wentworth Miller (Chris Redfield), Shawn Roberts (Albert Wesker).
Book a tour:
- Toronto: Hollywood North Experience Film & TV Tour
- Toronto: TV & Movie Tour with University of Toronto Visit
Resident Evil 4 filming locations:
- Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, Toronto: Umbrella’s Tokyo underground HQ.
- John P. Robarts Research Library, Toronto: Los Angeles prison exterior.
- Oshawa Municipal Airport, Oshawa, Ontario: Alaska plane graveyard set.
- Sandbanks Provincial Park, Ontario: Desolate Alaskan beach.
- Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo, Japan: Opening Tokyo Scramble sequence filmed on location.
Trivia:
- Aesthetic elements were borrowed from Resident Evil 5 game, including executioner Majini (giant axe-man) and Albert Wesker‘s glowing red eyes and super-speed.
🗼 Where Was Resident Evil: Retribution Filmed?
In Resident Evil: Retribution (2012), Umbrella captures Alice and tosses her into their Russian testing facility featuring simulation domes that mimic Tokyo, New York, and Moscow.
With help from Ada Wong and a strike team, Alice must fight through waves of past enemies and simulated nightmares to escape. It’s like a zombie theme park, but with more biting and fewer churros.
The production team shut down the real, iconic Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo, Japan for a brief period. Imagine the chaos of closing the busiest intersection on Earth for a zombie movie – the locals must have been thrilled!
Cast: Milla Jovovich (Alice), Sienna Guillory (Jill Valentine), Michelle Rodriguez (Clone Rain), Li Bingbing (Ada Wong).
Book a tour:
- Toronto: Hollywood North Experience Film & TV Tour
- Toronto: TV & Movie Tour with University of Toronto Visit
Resident Evil 5 filming locations:
- Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo, Japan: Iconic opening sequence with infected attacks in rain.
- Lower Bay Station, Toronto: Abandoned TTC station for gritty Moscow subway scenes.
- Bloor-Danforth Line, Toronto: Transit and railway sequences.
- Kleinburg, Ontario: Suburban exterior backlot locations.
- Red Square, Moscow, Russia: Real background footage and establishing shots.
- Cinespace Film Studios, Toronto: Primary soundstages for elaborate built sets.
Trivia:
- The Shibuya Crossing outbreak copied the exact visual aesthetic from the Resident Evil 5 game cutscenes.
🔥 Where Was Resident Evil: The Final Chapter Filmed?
In Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016), Alice learns from the Red Queen that Umbrella has developed an airborne anti-virus capable of wiping out every T-virus organism on Earth.
She has exactly 48 hours to return to where the nightmare began – The Hive beneath Raccoon City – to release it before Umbrella exterminates the last remaining humans. It’s a race against time, the stakes have never been higher, and the explosions are… well, explosive.
Cast: Milla Jovovich (Alice), Iain Glen (Dr. Isaacs), Ali Larter (Claire Redfield), Ruby Rose (Abigail).
Resident Evil 6 filming locations:
- Ponte City Apartments, Johannesburg, South Africa: Fortress for Claire’s survivors.
- Hartbeespoort Dam, South Africa: Approach to Raccoon City crater.
- Gold Coast, Brisbane & Magnetic Island, Australia: Studio locations.
Trivia:
- Milla Jovovich‘s stunt double, Olivia Jackson, lost her left arm after a horrific motorcycle crash on set in South Africa, resulting in an overhaul of safety protocols.
🌃 Where Was Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City Filmed?
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021) is set in 1998. Claire Redfield returns to her dying hometown of Raccoon City to warn her brother Chris about Umbrella‘s toxic waste leaks.
That very night, containment fails, townspeople turn violently feral, and a group of rookie police officers must survive inside the Spencer Mansion and Raccoon Police Department.
It’s a faithful adaptation of the first two games, and it’s gloriously grim – and a little bit nostalgic!
Cast: Kaya Scodelario (Claire Redfield), Robbie Amell (Chris Redfield), Hannah John-Kamen (Jill Valentine), Avan Jogia (Leon S. Kennedy).
Where was Resident Evil 7 set?
- Ledo Hotel parking lot, Sudbury, Ontario: RPD exterior set built from scratch.
- Tom Davies Square Municipal Parking Lot, Sudbury: Raccoon City parking garage.
- Hanmer Forest Area, Hanmer, Ontario: Arklay Forest approach to Spencer Mansion.
- Northern Ontario Film Studios, Sudbury: Interior and studio facility filming.
- College Street Underpass, Sudbury, Ontario: Featured the iconic “Raccoon City” sign.
- Scottish Rite Club, Hamilton, Ontario: Raccoon City buildings.
Trivia:
- Director Johannes Roberts used actual Capcom blueprint dimensions to recreate the game’s police station lobby and Spencer Mansion grand staircase down to the exact millimeter.
❄️ Where Was the Resident Evil (2026) Reboot Filmed?
Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil (2026) reboot, offers an alternate-timeline spin on the classic 1998 outbreak. It follows a regular medical courier named Bryan who gets inadvertently trapped in Raccoon City just as a sudden, horrific viral outbreak transforms the citizens into mutated creatures.
Because being a courier in a zombie apocalypse is apparently worse than rush hour traffic. Prague became Raccoon City – because artificial snow and old European alleys scream “Midwest America,” right?
Cast: Paul Walter Hauser (Bryan), Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis.
Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil filming locations:
- Karlín & Holešovice, Prague, Czechia: Transformed to double for Raccoon City.
- Přístavní Street, Prague: Major action sequences with artificial snow.
- Indian by Nature restaurant, Prague: Converted into the “Oak Street Diner.“
- Litoměřice, Czech Republic: One of the first major on-location shoots.
Trivia:
- Cregger shifted focus away from recreating specific rooms and toward replicating the environmental mechanics and claustrophobia of gameplay.
- The Prague sets feature long, winding, dark corridors designed to trigger the dread of limited ammunition and blind corners – pure survival-horror physics!
🧟 Where Was Resident Evil: The Netflix Series Filmed?
Resident Evil: The Netflix Series (2022) jumps between two timelines – 2022 and 2036 – following Jade Wesker, daughter of Umbrella‘s infamous Albert Wesker, as she battles both the T-virus outbreak and her complicated family legacy.
It’s zombies, corporate conspiracies, and daddy issues all rolled into one – filmed under the South African sun!
Cast: Ella Balinska (Jade Wesker), Tamara Smart (Young Jade), Siena Agudong (Young Billie), Adeline Rudolph (Billie Wesker), Lance Reddick (Albert Wesker).
Resident Evil filming locations 2022:
- Paardevlei Lifestyle Estate, Somerset West, South Africa: New Raccoon City.
- Port of Cape Town, South Africa: Water scenes using maritime patrol ships.
- Werdmuller Centre & Maitland Abattoir, Cape Town: Dilapidated buildings.
- Jan Kriel School, Cape Town: Additional sequence filming.
- Cape Town Film Studios, South Africa: Soundstage and studio scenes.
Trivia:
- Lance Reddick‘s portrayal of Albert Wesker earned praise from fans – even if the show itself got mixed reviews. Sadly, this was one of Reddick‘s final TV roles before his passing in 2023.
🙋 Resident Evil FAQs
Still scratching your head? Let’s answer the undead elephant in the room.
Where is Raccoon City set in Resident Evil?
Raccoon City is the fictional Midwestern town where the T-virus outbreak begins. It’s been portrayed by Toronto, Sudbury, and Prague in the films and moves around more than a zombie horde!
Are the Resident Evil movies canon to the games?
No. The films exist in their own separate continuity (and the 2021 and 2026 reboots are in their own alternate timelines). The games are the primary canon.
How accurate are the movie sets to the games?
Depends on the director!
- Anderson (2002-2016) used loose inspo – brutalist Hive, German castle mansion – with the exception of Afterlife & Retribution which copied RE5’s Wesker.
- Welcome to Raccoon City went millimeter-accurate using Capcom’s blueprints (RPD lobby, typewriter, mansion staircase).
- The 2026 reboot focuses on atmospheric survival-horror vibes – dark, claustrophobic corridors.
How have the Resident Evil films influenced pop culture?
The laser grid scene was so iconic Capcom added it to Resident Evil 4. Milla’s Alice inspired countless action heroines, and the films popularized slow-mo zombie kills and post-apocalyptic leather fashion – while introducing a whole new generation to the games!
What happened to George A. Romero’s Resident Evil movie?
In 1998, George A. Romero the legendary “Godfather of Zombies” was hired to write and direct a faithful adaptation of the first game – featuring Chris, Jill, Barry, and Wesker. Capcom rejected his script for being too violent and cheesy, so the project went to Paul W.S. Anderson instead. Romero‘s lost film became the subject of a 2025 documentary exploring what went wrong!
What are the Easter Eggs in Welcome to Raccoon City?
Director Johannes Roberts included so many game references, it’s basically a love letter to Capcom.
- “Welcome Leon” Banner: Misspelled banner from Leon’s first day.
- Front Desk Typewriter: Vintage save point from the games.
- S.T.A.R.S. Office Desk: Wesker’s sunglasses and library card puzzle nod.
- Vending Machine Zombie: First zombie encounter recreated perfectly.
- “Itchy Tasty” Window Scrawl: Bloody nod to the Keeper’s Diary.
- Moonlight Sonata Sheet Music: Piano puzzle from the original game.
- Card-Suit Keys: Exact replicas of Spade, Diamond, Club, Heart keys.
- Ashford Twins Projector Film: Code Veronica‘s creepy twins recreated.
- Healing Herbs: Green, Red, Blue herb triage colors.
- Truck Driver’s Burger: RE2 Remake opening replicated shot-for-shot.
- Orphanage Mascot: Raccoon and giraffe emblem from RE2 Remake.
- RPD Station Accuracy: Lobby, desk, emblem straight from RE2 Remake.
- Spencer Mansion Accuracy: Staircase, windows, floor matched GameCube remake.
🍿 Where to Watch Resident Evil Movies?
Grab your popcorn and save your game – here’s where to stream every undead adventure!
Watch all Resident Evil movies:
And there you have it – proof that even in a zombie apocalypse, the world is smaller (and more Canadian) than you think! Now grab some popcorn, pick your favorite installment, and remember – always save your game before entering any mysterious mansions!
Disclaimer: This fan-created article is provided for entertainment purposes only. We don’t guarantee the accuracy of any of these facts and don’t recommend making important life decisions based on them. All referenced titles, names, and related intellectual property are the property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended.
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