The Evil Dead franchise might easily not just be one of the most interesting horror franchises out there but ultimately one of the most interesting franchises overall with how they tackle their movies. It might come across as confusing, as after Sam Raimi’s original trilogy that put him in the spotlight, the later additions such as the Ash vs Evil Dead show, Evil Dead (2013), and Lee Cronin’s Evil Dead Rise rarely try to reference each other and either all feel like standalones or exist within their own continuities. It’s one of the major reasons why Evil Dead has recently stood out.
Sam Raimi as executive producer has allowed for lesser-known directors to tackle the franchise and put their own spin on it, and just like with Evil Dead Rise, we get yet another film that fits right in with how despicably evil it is down to its roots.
Sébastien Vaniček has stepped into the director chair for the next entry in the Evil Dead franchise, Evil Dead Burn, and he smashes it completely out of the park like he’s killing a Deadite himself.
Evil Dead Burn follows Alice (Souhelia Yacoub) after the death of her husband, and she ends up seeking solace with her in-laws, which she learns quickly is a mistake after discovering the disdain they have for her, which amplifies when one by one, they begin turning into Deadites in search of an ancient relic that could bring an end to them.
With confidence, it can be said that Evil Dead thrives when it follows a friend group. Not only does it end up being a lot funnier when watching a group of friends get themselves into a situation that involves undead demons, but it also brings so much drama that was hidden beneath the dirt. This is now the second movie in the franchise to focus on a family, which was a slight worry at first, and for the first act, it did feel like those worries were coming to life.
Evil Dead Burn follows a similar plot beat to Evil Dead Rise, and it’s hard to ignore. It starts off with friends at a lake, which leads to their death. We then get introduced to the family; a member of the family becomes a Deadite, which leads into the twisted mind games being played. In some cases, it felt like we were about to just receive the same film, but despite these similarities, Evil Dead Burn does a magnificent job of zoning in on the family drama and using it as a catalyst for its story.
Alice feels freed from an abusive relationship with her deceased husband, but the in-laws refuse to see the bad in their son or at least don’t want to believe that their son is capable of being this violent man. This is a broken family that has been torn apart by the Necronimcon itself. While dealing with this family drama which literally tears them apart, the Evil Dead franchise begins to expand a little bit with its lore as we discover that the Deadites are after a dagger that’s hidden in the house which kills them with no sign of returning.
90% of Evil Dead Burn is spent inside a house, and not once does it ever feel tiring. Sébastien Vaniček takes this location and flips it completely upside down with how he’s able to craft these disgusting, twisted, and grotesque set pieces, which are all creative. If the previous movie made you develop a fear of cheese graters, then you’re about to grow a fear for your entire house. Evil Dead Burn is the literal definition of a monster house, with there being no limit to the creativity that’s shown on display.
The Deadites are easily the best part of an Evil Dead film, and getting to see Luciane Buchanan as Thya switch from being this empathic wife to a demon that has no morals is frightening. There’s one specific scene with Buchanan and Hunter Doohan, who plays Joseph, her husband, which even messed with my mind as the Deadite makes a callback to a previous scene which hints at Joseph’s relationship with his wife compared to his family, and it’s unfortunate that it ends up just being a throwaway line, as with just a little more development, it could’ve given his character just a little more depth and made that third act just that much more gruesome.
Evil Dead Burn is a brutal bloodfest that explores the ins and outs of family trauma and what happens when it’s all unearthed at once. Sébastien Vaniček proves that bringing a new director to the franchise allows it to remain refreshing each time while also making it one of the most consistent horror franchises to date. Souhelia Yacoub brutally fights her way through the Deadites and joins a lineup of badass women from the franchise.
With the conclusion of Evil Dead Burn, it looks like it’s heading in a certain direction that could possibly unite characters from previous films, and with the pace that they’re coming out in, we’ll probably see what’s next for the franchise sooner rather than later.
