1981’s Evil Dead is a cult classic and a foundational film for millions of horror fans. The beautiful balance of horror and comedy captivated audiences. 32 years later, the franchise had a soft reboot with Evil Dead (2013) directed/written by Fede Alvarez (Don’t Breathe, Alien: Romulus). Evil Dead and the sequel Evil Dead Rise (2023) were as brilliant as they were brutal but lacked the comedy that made the originals fun.  

The latest entry, Evil Dead Burn, is directed by Sebastien Vanicek (Infested). Vanicek attempts to bring the franchise back to its horror comedy roots.  

This story follows Alice (Souheila Yacoub). After her husband, Will (George Pullar) dies in a tragic car crash, a recently widowed Alice shows up at the funeral with her in-laws. Before her husband is cremated, his father Edgar (Errol Shand) wants to have a private moment. It’s not long before he hears a knock coming from inside the casket. When the family sits down for the meal, it’s clear that something isn’t right with Edgar. As the family discussion gets tense, Edgar is getting angrier and more agitated by the second before he finally explodes. WARNING – a dog is harmed during this sequence.  

After Edgar falls the floor like he’s having a seizure, Joe (Hunter Doohan) and his girlfriend Thya (Luciane Buchannan) rush him to the hospital. On the way to the hospital is when Edgar is revealed to be a deadite. Joe escapes the bloody chaos and makes his way back home. Meanwhile, Alice finds a bag of Will’s grandfather’s collection of notes, she almost summons a demon before she’s attacked from the family dog that should be dead. Joe and Alice are both in shock at what they’ve witnessed when they return to the house. Before they can articulate what’s happened, a dead Thya shows up at the house. This is when violence and intensity turn up as Evil Dead starts Evil Deading.  If you’ve seen an Evil Dead movie, this is the moment when things start to get out of control.

We learn their grandfather was in possession of the Kandarian dagger, a weapon that can kill the demons. The demon is going to torture this family, one-by-one, until they find dagger. Alice along with Joe, Grandma (Maude Davey) and her grieving mother-in-law Susan (Tandi Wright) try to wrap their heads around what’s happening and find the dagger before the deadites do.  

This film does everything you want from an Evil Dead movie. The kills are extremely brutal and will push the limits with every murder. There is one scene that pushes the R rated rating to its limit – you’ll know when you see it. The brutality starts from the opening moments with two men fishing. It’s a fantastic opening because it connects to Evil Dead Rise and sets the tone for the rest of the film. The two young men aren’t just killed, they’re brutally killed. The way both men die is incredibly unnecessary, and that’s what makes the Evil Dead franchise a hit with its fans.  

One of the best things Vanicek brings to the franchise is his camerawork. You can see what he’s capable of in Infested, yet he takes it to another level with Burn. There is an amazing single tracking shot that follows Alice as she attempts to escape hide in the house as Edgar is attacking the family. Vanicek places the audience in the middle of deadite chaos in a way that conveys the perfect balance of fear and WTF is going on. The other fun camerawork is during a close-quarters bathroom fight that ends with someone being suffocated and hung on a ceiling by a shower curtain.  

If you’re excited for gore, this film is going to feed you plenty of it. There’s a fantastic pen sequence that made the entire audience groan, someone gets their face smashed into a bloody half-face, the infamous dishwasher sequence from the trailer is longer and more ruthless, a headrest is used as a weapon, a very long and very disgusting kissing scene, and lots of stabbing with various weapons.  

If you’re a fan of the Evil Dead humor, you’re in for a treat. One of the best things about this entry was the intentional infusion of comedy. Most of it comes courtesy of Grandma. Maude Davey’s deadpan delivery is perfect. Some of her funniest moments come during the film’s third act when things are really out of control. The comedy is necessary to help balance how vicious and bloodthirsty the film is.  

Underneath the horror and humor is a film about abuse and the generational impact on families. Early in the film you see glimpses of Will being abusive towards Alice. Once we meet his surly father Edgar, you see how he may be abusive towards their mother. Joe is also impacted by the abuse, but he’s pushed it down so much, he’s afraid to show it. There’s a moment when it looks like he’s frozen in fear, but he’s afraid of being violent. During one fight, deadite Thya remarks that easy it was for Joe to kill her, hinting at the abuser that lives inside of him.  

Every actor did amazing in their role. Luciane Buchanan continues to impress. She’s really good in everything she does from The Night Agent to Chief of War. Souheila Yacoub as Alice was an excellent choice. She has some great moments in this film. One of the best is the bathroom discussion/fight sequence. Hunter Doohan gave a really good performance as Joseph. I’m excited to see what he does next. He reminds me of the late Anton Yelchin.

Evil Dead Burns is one of the best entries in the franchise. It delivers everything you want from an Evil Dead movie and it connects to the rest of the franchise in a way that makes sense for the franchise. I’m excited to see what Sebastien Vanicek does next. He’s delivered a great horror movie in a year of great horror movies.

Grade: A