When a horror film becomes a franchise, how many installments can you get before you see the signs of milking said franchise? This is a question that you can easily ask horror fans, many of whom will give a different answer, as they have experienced the highs and lows of a particular series. In the case of The Evil Dead, this is a series that its creator Sam Raimi has always been a part of, from directing the original trilogy which showcased Bruce Campbell’s most iconic role as Ash Williams, to the subsequent standalone features by separate filmmakers, each putting their own passage on the Book of the Dead.
Following Lee Cronin’s Evil Dead Rise in 2023, it felt like the franchise can still be refreshing after forty-plus years since the series’ inception, so does the same apply to Evil Dead Burn? Best known for directing and co-writing the spider-infested horror flick appropriately titled Infested, Sébastien Vaniček’s latest centers on Alice Price (Souheila Yacoub), who seeks solace with her in-laws following the death of her abusive husband, as the family comes together in a secluded house. However, the already awkward family reunion gets worse as members gradually turn into Deadites.
Whereas Sam Raimi always tried to change up the formula through his initial trilogy which got sillier through its comedy and more emphasis on outlandish creature designs, every subsequent filmmaker wants to recapture the intensity of Raimi’s 1981 original, as well as bringing their own flourish. When it comes to Deadites, they might as well be zombies, albeit ones that speak with such profanity and go through extreme measures to self-harm. By this point, you’re an Evil Dead fan by how much you can stomach the gore, which is a key factor towards this series, and with Evil Dead Burn, this is no doubt the most brutal installment and thus not that enjoyable.
For as bloody as this series has been, there is always a playfulness, something that feels lacking here as Vaniček is more interested in getting to the horror as soon as possible, hence why one of the series’ main themes – family dynamics – don’t hit quite as hard. Despite the strong performances from Souheila Yacoub who gives excellent final girl energy, to Tandi Wright serving as an interesting antagonist who believes in the importance of family, the characters go through such punishment (including a dog) over the course of the 109-minute running time, the constant dread gets tiresome.
However, there are a few instances where you can see some invention in certain set-pieces, particularly how cinematographer Philip Lozano uses the camera. Amidst the chaos, there is one long-tracking sequence that follows our heroine crawling away from the Deadites’ mayhem. Considering you see the potential of what this could have been from a thematic and technical aspect, Evil Dead Burn is sadly prioritizing elsewhere, not least teasing a possible Evil Dead cinematic universe with an upcoming prequel already in the works, 2028’s Evil Dead Wrath. This is a sign of milking this beloved horror franchise.
