The Evil Dead franchise has been one of the most unique in the horror genre since it premiered. Though clearly rooted in the possession subgenre, its overlap with zombie films and even comedies has made it something that stands on its own in the larger pantheon. It’s also been a franchise with largely the same voice behind it, as Sam Raimi directed the first three, but also one with big gaps between entries. To their credit, the series has now found new footing, with the Evil Dead production team using the story as a springboard for other filmmakers to put their own stamp on the franchise.
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2013’s Evil Dead remake saw Uruguayan filmmaker Fede รlvarez strip almost all the humor from the series in favor of a grim, gritty, and dark revival. Irish director Lee Cronin took the series out of the woods and into an urban apartment with 2023’s Evil Dead Rise. Now, French director Sรฉbastien Vaniฤek has delivered Evil Dead Burn, a film that not only embraces the intense gore fans may expect from the series (and a French director) but also returns the franchise to its roots with a twisted sense of humor. Even with its handful of flaws, this is the most satisfying Evil Dead movie in decades.
Rating: 4 out of 5
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Impeccable direction | Some thin story elements |
| Wild special effects | |
| Sinister jokes |
Evil Dead Burn Connects Itself to the Franchise in Big Ways
Evil Dead Burn has a… distinct beginning, one that fits right into the larger tableau of the entire franchise by connecting to the previous movie, but feels so ham-fisted that it borders on confusing. The important element of the main plot is that Souheila Yacoub’s Alice is married to Will (George Pullar) and the pair seem like they’re not on the best of terms, fighting consistently; many of their arguments stem from pretty abusive language wielded by Will. Push comes to shove, a severed Deadite head comes to a car wreck, and Will’s death ultimately brings the family together for his funeral.
Souheila Yacoub delivers a grounded performance as Alice, a woman caught in a terrible web of grief while reckoning with the reality of her husband’s true nature as a less-than-loving partner, something Will’s parents don’t see and that his brother seems to not want to face. That cycle of abuse becomes the underpinning for the entire movie, though, a thematic arc which further connects Burn to Evil Deads of the past.
There are times, however, when the story for Evil Dead Burn doesn’t fully connect. The two distinct plates that are spinning, the family drama at the center of it all and the connectivity to previous films that serve as the story’s actual momentum, sometimes work but also fail to really gel at times. They bump up against each other in odd ways that make the larger “plot” sometimes feel tedious, when the reality is that the movie’s undercurrent about familial abuse transcending generations is far more interesting.
Evil Dead Burn Proves That Style Can Trump Substance
To that end, Evil Dead Burn has a major weapon at its disposal: the slick and stylish direction of Sรฉbastien Vaniฤek. There really hasn’t been anyone with this level of command of the visual language of an Evil Dead movie, from the framing of shots, to the frenetic pace of its chaos, to the lingering wait as audiences anticipate what will happen next, since Sam Raimi himself.
A great example of this is a scene early in the film, as the family is gathered around the table for dinner after Will’s funeral. The scene that plays out could just as easily be in a purely dramatic film, as his parents can’t come to terms with who their son really was, nor the real feelings of their daughter-in-law and her own grief. Arguments abound, and tempers flare. The twist that Evil Dead Burn delivers under Vaniฤek’s direction, though, is that you’re paying attention to the fact that the patriarch of the family is clearly fighting Deadite possession, and every sharp object he touches puts you on edge about what he might do next. The words exchanged matter, but so does the placement of every character’s hands.
For all the faults that the “story” of Evil Dead Burn has, Vaniฤek’s direction more than makes up for it. You have no time to even consider how weird or silly certain moments might even be because you’re so thoroughly entertained by the way he’s moving the camera to capture the carnage on screen. One moment in particular, when Alice is fighting a Deadite in a bathroom, might be one of its coolest, as the possessed entity drags her up the wall and then the ceiling, with the camera turning at every corner to stay level with the fight.
No disrespect to the others who have put their mark on the franchise, but Sรฉbastien Vaniฤek proves that he’s the heir apparent to Raimi as he builds on the expected style of an Evil Dead movie without feeling like a facsimile.
Evil Dead Burn Gets Back to Basics
At its core, Evil Dead Burn really is the franchise going back to basics. There is true stomach-churning gore throughout, with slick direction that makes you anticipate its arrival and shriek when it finally happens. Some of the violence that unfolds on screen pushes the envelope so hard that it’s difficult to recall the last time that truly sinister gore was brought to life in a movie made by two Hollywood studios.
The violence may be twisted, but not every moment is terrifying, which is the thing that Evil Dead Burn gets so right compared to the other modern takes on the franchise: it’s funny… really funny. Actress Maude Davey stars as Polly, the grandmother of the family who has dementia, and proves to be not only one of the funniest pieces of the entire puzzle but also one of the scariest. In fact, the Deadites themselves get back to their roots by not only being masochistic beings eager to inflict pain on themselves and their victims, but also by torturing them physically and mentally sometimes just for a laugh.
Evil Dead Burn is a wholly satisfying summer horror movie, one that knows why the audience is here and delivers throughout. Even if the story itself sometimes leaves you wanting, or the finale’s character design doesn’t totally work, Sรฉbastien Vaniฤek’s impressive direction and the wicked sense of humor at its core are what make this one feel like a real return to form. The future of the Evil Dead series is bright if new filmmakers continue to put their own spin on the series, and this might be the best one (not directed by Raimi) yet.
