Evil Dead Burn
review by Bobby Blakey
The strange hilarious and sometimes terrifying world of the Evil Dead has been entertaining fans since the original debuted in 1981. Since then, it has spawned an excellent sequel, a comedic third feature, a kick ass TV series, a great remake and an all-new entry Evil Dead Rise in 2023 from The Mummy director Lee Cronin. Now the Deadites are back in the next chapter of the popular franchise with Evil Dead Burn starring Souheila Yacoub, Tandi Wright, Hunter Doohan, Luciane Buchanan, Errol Shand, George Pullar, Maude Davey and Greta Van Den Brink from Infested director Sébastien Vaniček. Can evil continue to entertain or should it have never been let out again?
Evil Dead Burn follows a woman who seeks solace with her in-laws in their secluded family home after the loss of her husband. As one by one they are transformed into Deadites—turning the gathering into a family reunion from hell—she comes to discover that the vows she took in life live on... even in death.
For those confused or just wondering where this next chapter sits in the Evil Dead universe it is a direct sequel to Evil Dead Rise with elements kicking things off before it delves into its own story moving forward. Much like the previous film it wastes no time to get right to the chaos and kills reminding us once again that this is an Evil Dead movie all the way. Once we get to meet the lead characters, we are given just enough time to see there are bigger issues with them before kicking the new story into high gear.
The story as expected dives back into the lore of the Necronomicon and the Deadites as it spreads evil and lets the blood flow freely throughout this family.
The dysfunction that is already here just adds to the insanity but also leaves you with bad taste as none of these are likable people. I am fine with that in this setting as it just makes you more eager to watch them suffer in a variety of ways. I know some will be put off by most if not all of them, but I never head into an Evil Dead movie hoping to enjoy people outside of Ash who isn’t a part of these films.
Big props to the performances across the board as most of the cast get time to unleash their inner demons and look like they are having a blast. As gory as this franchise is, I think this might be the bloodiest one yet. Filled with plenty of dismemberment, creative weapons and all out creepy violence it brought everything I love to the table in this franchise. Some of the most off-putting moments came not from violence, but in a make out session and dentures which was way more gross than any of the gore.
I think they could have trimmed down some of the family fighting that got kind of redundant and cliched at times, but all still works fine. If I had any real issues, it was in some of the CGI in the final act. It is fine and works for what they are going for but would have loved seeing this done as a practical effect instead. As with any Evil Dead film it is never truly over, and this film keeps that legacy alive even taking it to the next level with two credit scenes that will get the fans excited about what could be coming.
In addition to the film, this release offers bonus content including numerous featurettes on bringing this latest chapter to evil life. Grab your copy of Evil Dead Burn available now on digital and then on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD on September 22nd from Warner Bors Home Entertainment.