The Evil Dead franchise has always been representative of horror at its most experimental. Ingenuity is in the series’ DNA, dating back to Sam Raimi’s original 1981 micro-budget cabin-in-the-woods triumph that changed the genre forever. Even at their most frightening, these movies have been defined by their ability to blend gruesome horror and ridiculous comedic thrills in ways most horror features wouldn’t dare attempt. Although it’s been a long time since the films have treaded into the territory of what can only be described as live action cartoons occupied by Evil Dead II (1987) and Army of Darkness (1992), newer entries like Evil Dead (2013) and Evil Dead Rise (2023) have still maintained a proper balance of terror and fun that kept both general audiences and lifelong fans engaged. Evil Dead Burn is the most distressingly disturbing entry in the franchise yet, to the point that even the grooviest of fans may leave feeling isolated.
When the tragic loss of her husband Will (George Pullar) forces Alice (Souheila Yacoub) to mourn with her in-laws in a secluded house, the family suddenly becomes terrorized by unstoppable deadites who seek to kill and possess each of them until they obtain a cursed object that can be the key to their undoing.
As far as set-ups go, the Evil Dead films have always played things fast and loose, leaning more toward the ridiculous. Part of the fun is questioning why anyone would be dumb enough to read aloud excerpts from the Necronomicon, the book of the damned that is clearly the most cursed object in all existence, as they inadvertently summon evil demons. Evil Dead Burn dispenses with the pleasantries and gets right down to brass tacks when Alice’s brother-in-law, Joseph (Hunter Doohan), accidentally uncovers the cursed object that automatically summons the deadites in the opening scene.
It’s never explained why the mere unearthing of the object gives the demons this ability. While it’s nice to have a slightly different structure from the other movies to keep things feeling fresh, at this point in the franchise, it’d be preferable for the lore and the rules of these already confusingly overpowered demons to stay consistent.
What is certainly familiar is how the entities inflict pain and suffering on various family members. Even though it seems like more physical torture is dispensed on the characters in Evil Dead Burn than there was in Evil Dead Rise, the real pain comes from the demented relationship Alice has with her late husband’s family. It becomes clear very early on that Will’s parents never approved of Alice’s romantic involvement in their son’s life, and they unjustifiably blame her for his death.
Their hostility is most clear in a dinner scene that goes from painfully awkward to downright painful in the feature’s first major setpiece. Even before Will’s possessed father, Edgar (Erroll Shand), goes on a stabbing spree, the tension in the room is so thick you can cut it with a knife.
As the sequence escalates when Joseph and his girlfriend Thya (Luciane Buchanan) try to drive Edgar away from the house and the rest of the family, the brutality of the torture becomes even harder to watch. When all’s said and done, it’s one of the most upsetting sequences in the entire series. Mileage will certainly vary depending on how well viewers handle it, but by the time it’s over, you feel desensitized. Several intense kills occur later in the movie, but none of them pack the same punch as the earlier sequences.
Even if you’re ready to jump ship by the end of the first act, director Sébastien Vaniček’s novel direction keeps the audience thrillingly engaged. Vaniček joins an exclusive club of horror filmmakers given the keys to the Evil Dead franchise as their first opportunity to cut their teeth with horror blockbuster filmmaking. Following in the footsteps of Fede Álvarez and Lee Cronin, Vaniček brings touches of New French Extremity to Evil Dead, both in terms of the graphic violence and body horror, but also with how certain aspects of sexuality are displayed to trigger discomfort.
There’s a moment with the threat of sexual assault when a character is impaled on silverware in a dishwasher, unable to maneuver their way out. In another scene, one of the characters gets partially possessed after they have an uncomfortably long makeout session with another character who is fully possessed by a deadite with various parts of their face blown off by a handgun. The way the possession is transmitted almost sexually in certain instances is excruciating to watch, but at the same time, Vaniček makes it hard to look away. The deadites have always been psychotically unpredictable, but Vaniček’s portrayal of them pushes boundaries the franchise hadn’t broached in this way before.
Vaniček demonstrates an adept command of the camera in several standout sequences. Whether he’s flipping the camera around, rigging it to a ceiling for an overhead shot, or smoothly moving it through sections of the house during a brilliant moment that unfolds in a continuous, unbroken shot, he demonstrates an exciting ability to devise sequences that play out in unconventionally surprising ways. If there’s one takeaway to take from Evil Dead Burn, it’s that this will not be the last time horror fans hear Vaniček’s name.
The main facet of the feature that could have used some improvement is the story and character work. It’s revealed early on that Alice was physically and verbally abused by Will throughout their relationship. Being forced to grieve with his family brings traumatic memories and emotions to the forefront of her character’s experience, but at the same time, it feels like an afterthought. More attention is given to how Will’s family feels about Alice, as well as to the lore revealed about the family’s true identity and their connection to the wider world of the series.
No performance particularly stands out among the rest. However, Yacoub does her best to add substance to the pain that Alice goes through as she’s made to pretend that her husband was as perfect as his family believed him to be. Yacoub makes it easy for viewers to root for her to emerge unscathed from the horrible situation she finds herself in.
Maude Davey also adds slight comedic relief as Polly, Will’s grandmother, who suffers from some form of neurodegenerative disorder. When she eventually becomes possessed, there’s undeniably something fun about watching her viciously attack the surviving members of the family in her frail state. It’s the type of wackiness normally present in the franchise that Evil Dead Burn could’ve benefited from featuring more to provide some relief from an otherwise pitch-black horror experience.
Evil Dead Burn isn’t one of the better entries in the series, but it is a fantastic showcase for what Vaniček can do behind the camera to draw viewers in and keep them entertained. His work gives the film its own identity, keeping it above water even when the violence pushes the envelope a hair too far. After three entries in a row that lean very heavily into the horrifying side of the series, it may be time for a sequel to once again lean more towards the comedic area of Evil Dead to keep the franchise feeling as fresh as it’s always felt.
Review Courtesy of Evan Miller
Feature Image Credit to Warner Bros.