EVIL DEAD BURN Review

"Cheers! To your perfect family."

We've finally made it to the most anticipated film of 2026 for sickos. And the film I'm referring to is Evil Dead Burn! I don't know about anyone else, but I've been pretty hyped to see this entry ever since they showed off a teaser trailer in front of Lee Cronin's The Mummy. Despite not being a big horror aficionado like my colleagues, I've slowly become a fan of these grotesque films. In fact, I made an attempt to revisit some of the earlier entries, particularly the ones helmed by famous horror director and co-producer of this film, Sam Raimi.

Granted, those films took on a more darkly comedic tone, while also being presented as splatter pictures. After that trilogy was complete, the intellectual property was locked away in the basement for quite some time. It wasn't until 2013 when we got a reboot of the series with Evil Dead, where it was focused less on being a comedic film and more emphasis was put on the gory practical kills; apparently, the original cut of the remake was given an NC-17 but was then re-edited for an R-rating in order to get a wider release. After this, we got a short-lived TV series with Ash vs Evil Dead, where it last for only 3 seasons on Starz before it got cancelled.

And once again, I think we can all assume the tv show would've been the last we see of this franchise. It wasn't until the rights of the series went to Warner Brothers, where they would open the Book of the Dead once more with Evil Dead Rise. This entry for me may not have been my favorite of the franchise, but I felt that I got a bit more out of it in terms of creative kills, a terrific performance by Alyssa Sutherland as the main deadite, and some new elements that made this film stand out from being what could've been a generic gore fest.

With Evil Dead Burn, we no longer have Lee Cronin in the director's chair and instead have French filmmaker, Sébastien Vaniček, as the movie's conductor. And while I do like the idea of having different directors take over each film, there is a possibility that said director may not be up to the task at following up the previous film. So, how is this one? Well, I think there's some good elements to this that do make it fresh enough. However, there are some side effects to this batch of cookies that doesn't quite make it one of the better movies.

Set after the events of Evil Dead Rise (which I dare not say how this is connected exactly as that would be somewhat a spoiler), our characters are in the midst of celebrating the birthday of Joseph (Hunter Doohan). Alice (Souheila Yacoub) and her abusive husband, William (George Pullar), get into an argument outside of the bar, causing him to drive off and get into a fatal crash. Some time passes by and the recent widow meets with Joseph and his girlfriend, Thya (Luciane Buchanan), at the funeral home. She also reunites with Will's grieving parents and grandmother at the service to pay their respects to their recently deceased family member. Soon enough, the Book of the Dead ends up in the hands of this dysfunctional group. One by one, the deadites possess the family, leaving Alice to try and find the one weapon that can kill these foul beasts from wreaking more havoc: the Kandarian Dagger.

One of the many reliable elements this franchise has always succeeded in are the creative gory kills. If you are squeamish towards this kind of violence to where some scenes almost got this entry an NC-17, maybe it's best you avoid this as it's probably one of the more gruesome installments. From dismembering each other, heads being crushed, to skin being burned off, this entry gets graphic with its brutality. There's one scene shown in the trailers involving someone's fingers being chopped off that I had to look away. I'll even say there's some inventive camera movements scattered throughout that make the film stand out from the other sequels/spin-offs. In fact, one of my favorite scenes involved a mirror shot and a bathroom brawl that was pretty cool to watch.

As far as any major issues (which there is a fair amount to be had), the film has two major problems for me: one of them is the runtime and the other is the lack of wide shots in the film. What I like about the Evil Dead films is that even if this isn't your kind of horror film, they're quick and to the point; "you're in and you're out" kind of mentality. Even the lesser ones knew that they had to quickly establish these one-note meat puppets and then gets you right into the action. The problem with this one is that it takes a bit longer to get there. If they used that time wisely to get a little more depth out of these people, I'd be more forgiving. But as is, it comes off like an annoyance to me.

The other problem is the lack of wide shots. Yes; you do get some cool camera work here and there, but it felt like that only happened in a small section of the film. The majority of the film uses a lot of close-ups on these characters and situations they're in with the deadites. I get that's the point of the film is that you're not supposed to take a break, but I couldn't tell geographically where everyone was within the house. If they had done one as the characters go back to the home and we're introduced to the place, I'd be okay with that as we could get a grasp of how big or small the place was. That way when the chaos erupts, I could remember how far apart everyone was to each other.

And there are other problems I did have with the film, such as a subplot of Alice reliving her traumatic moments with her dead husband that didn't match the tone the film was trying to go for. Add in one of the more forgettable third-act climaxes of the franchise, a group of fairly forgettable characters that are there just to get possessed, and you get a mixed bag of an entry. Some of these issues can be seen as nitpicks for some. While it does add up and cause an issue for me, it didn't ruin my whole experience. That said, it's enough to not make it one of the better movies in an otherwise solid franchise.

In the end, I did have plenty of enjoyment watching this on the big screen. Honestly, I'd still maintain that even if these newer entries aren't up to par with what Sam Raimi did in the past, they're entertaining to watch with a group of friends around Halloween. I'm not coming out of this with such disappointment or anger, like I had with say the Jurassic Park or Alien films where it's just diminishing returns, with only a drop or two of a new element or idea in place. If anything, I am genuinely curious with what's to come with Evil Dead Wrath. As for this chapter, I'd recommend this film for Evil Dead fans (also stay through the credits, as you'll get a surprise I'd dare not spoil). Come on over to this family's gathering...if you dare.

🍿 SCORE = 64/100