Leaving Raccoon City

Do you get the sense that the fans understand their intellectual property better than the studios that own them? Fan films seem to be the only way to tell the stories the Big Hollywood studios are incapable of telling—case in point, Beau Preiser’s tribute to Resident Evil.

In Leaving Raccoon City, rookie police officer Leon (Beau Preiser) finds himself in a tense interrogation after surviving his first day on the job during a catastrophic zombie outbreak. Handcuffed to a table, Leon is pressed to recount his encounter with the towering T-103 Tyrant. As he relives the events, the story flashes back to the deserted police station, where a welcome party had been thrown for him. Among the decorations, Leon finds a cryptic letter warning, “Be glad you aren’t here.” His search for answers is interrupted when a mysterious stranger attacks, forcing Leon to defend himself with a grenade before going into hiding. Of course, grenades mean nothing to the T-103.

The T-103 Tyrant, also known as Mr. X, confronts Leon in Leaving Raccoon City.

“Leon is pressed to recount his encounter with the towering T-103 Tyrant.”

It appears that Leaving Raccoon City takes place after the events in the video game, as Leon is in military custody. The setting gives Beau Preiser a chance to relive, recreate, and maybe even lay a few Easter Eggs into the beloved franchise. Preiser builds a world…albeit a low-budget world where he fights against the T-103 and then investigates the whereabouts—and possible demise—of his team.

Leaving Raccoon City proves that passion and familiarity with the source material can go a long way in telling an authentic story. Beau Preiser captures the tone, tension, and detail that fans expect while honoring the world Capcom created. In doing so, the short serves as both a love letter to Resident Evil and a reminder that sometimes the truest adaptations come from the fans themselves.