Evil Dead Burn Review

Directed By: Sébastien Vaniček
Written By: Sébastien Vaniček and Florent Bernard
Runtime: 110 minutes
MPA Rating: Rated R for strong bloody horror violence and gore, and language

Souheila Yacoub – Alice
Tandi Wright – Susan Price
Hunter Doohan – Joseph Price
Luciane Buchanan – Thya
Erroll Shand – Edgar Price
Maude Davey – Polly Price
George Pullar – Will Price
Greta Van Den Brink – Jessica

Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead franchise continues with its latest installment, Evil Dead Burn. While this initially appeared to be another standalone entry, similar to 2023’s Evil Dead Rise, Evil Dead Burn features a lot more connective tissue to the franchise than originally expected, and sometimes to the sequel’s detriment. Nevertheless, Evil Dead Burn provides unhinged gore and bloody violence amid a plot centered around a dysfunctional family’s underlying rot.

An eerie setup concerns some callbacks to a familiar setting from the last movie, leading to the introduction of the Prices. Joseph (Doohan) is celebrating his birthday at his brother Will’s (Pullar) fancy restaurant. However, things are clearly on edge between restaurateur Will and his French photographer wife Alice (Yacoub).

After things blow up between Will and Alice at the party, Will has a close vehicular encounter with a Deadite creature, leading to his tragic and untimely demise. The Deadites have been awakened and called to the Price family. Will and Joseph’s grandfather was part of a secret cabal that studied the Necronomicon and the Deadites, discovering a weapon with the power to destroy them.

Now that the weapon’s been uncovered, the Deadites can detect it like bloodhounds, and they descend upon the Price’s summer home, bringing the wrath of Hell itself with them. The Deadites target the Prices, who will not stop until they get what they came for, forcing Alice to confront uncomfortable truths about her marriage and her in-laws.

French filmmaker Sébastien Vaniček takes the helm for Evil Dead Burn, bringing a unique type of European energy and sensibility to the franchise. Vaniček pays homage to the Raimi features and past installments, but he brings a unique type of verve to the violence and Deadite-centric sequences as well.

Along with cinematographer Philippe Lozano, they craft some exciting, unique setups depicting all-out bloody mayhem. There’s an exciting extended long take, watching a character desperately attempt to crawl to safety as bloody hell breaks loose around the summer home.

Sébastien Vaniček also avoids cheap jump-scare tricks. Instead, he focuses on building the tension, dread, and intensity before chaos ensues. It’s nice to have a horror movie that doesn’t constantly over-utilize a cheap, sharp jump-scare motif.

Yacoub delivers a strong and spirited performance as she’s engulfed in an inexplicable night of terror, being hunted by the Deadites. She showcases her desperation believably well, while also showing the guarded trauma of her toxic marriage with Will.

The new Evil Dead movies delve into unique, dysfunctional family dynamics. Evil Dead Rise showcases a single-parent family, as well as the aunt, Beth (Lily Sullivan), who’s confronted with the gravitas of her pregnancy and the prospect of motherhood. The movie ultimately becomes Beth’s literal and figurative journey in accepting and fighting for her motherhood.

While Evil Dead Rise explores the theme of motherhood, Evil Dead Burn explores the fallout of an abusive relationship and dysfunctional, enabling families. The Prices’ summer home is interesting, as it’s dilapidated and rotting. The home’s cracking walls visually externalize the same underlying rot at the heart of the Price family. The Deadite curse soon spreads throughout the family, much like the house’s rot.

Although Evil Dead Burn suffers at times from an overly padded plot. The final act runs too long and definitely could’ve used some narrative tightening and trimming. Also, while Alice and Price family matriarch, Susan (Wright), are nicely fleshed out, other characters like Joseph and his girlfriend, Thya (Buchanan), are underdeveloped. The plot hints that Joseph lacks a spine, being the coddled baby of the family, but the idea isn’t fully explored.

Also, while some of the initial connective tissue with the previous entries works fine, the other sequel and franchise-bait elements come off as relatively forced. Yes, the Deadites are basically magical demons, and they can do whatever the plot requires of them, but the scenes look unnecessarily forced and lack sensible plotting

The tag scenes lack the sharpness, as do other areas in the film. Also, the established rules regarding the Deadites are more inconsistent than ever.

Evil Dead Burn definitely wants moviegoers to know another sequel is coming out soon, but the sequel teases are more confusing and frustrating. It’s hard to grasp where franchise torchbearers Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert are taking this franchise, but it almost smacks of being the R-rated horror equivalent of the MCU, which sounds like a weird prospect for a franchise like Evil Dead.

Nonetheless, Evil Dead Burn provides some fun and entertaining horror thrills, along with the franchise’s trademark gallows humor. Longtime fans of the franchise and horror aficionados should have a good time. Vaniček’s strong direction and a great lead performance by Souheila Yacoub also elevate the experience.

Where To Watch Evil Dead Burn

Evil Dead Burn hits theaters on July 10. Showtime information and ticket details are available at the movie’s website.

7.5

The final score: review Good

The 411

Director Sébastien Vaniček mostly hits the right notes with Evil Dead Burn, thanks to his strong visual style and command of the camera. Souheila Yacoub also delivers a strong lead performance as Alice, desperate to survive not sadistic demonic spirits, but the entrapping bonds of toxic in-laws. The plot sometimes suffers from an overly prolonged final act, plus some rather confusing and frustrating sequel-bait hooks that only undermine the overall experience.