End Credits: Resident Evil, Rings

Not only is the next game in the hit survival horror series, Resident Evil 7, released this week, but the movie franchise it inspired gets its sixth instalment with Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. As the most successful video game movie franchise – a genre not exactly known for its Oscar nominations – the Resident Evil series does what it can do well. As ever, it’s a tale of mindless violence and action in an apocalyptic zombie setting, fronted by Milla Jovovich as Alice, on a quest for revenge against the evil Umbrella Corporation. The metal soundtracks may have disappeared but it’s a formula that has seen it though almost 15 years.

Also out this week is the third of the American Ring films, simply called Rings. For those unfamiliar with the series or the original Japanese horror movies, its premise is a video (a real VHS in the originals) that, if watched, causes the viewer to die in seven days – and there’s a creepy girl with hair over her face who comes out of the TV. It’s been widely parodied elsewhere. This third movie is set 13 years after the first and revolves around Julie, whose boyfriend has become obsessed with a subculture that has emerged from the legend of the video. Sacrificing herself by watching the said video she discovers a “movie within a movie”. With the update of technology and viral videos it’s not long before things escalate to new levels.

Mark Wheeler