Studiocanal presents Evil Dead Burn in UK cinemas from July 9, 2026.
Synopsis
After the loss of her husband, a woman seeks solace with her in-laws in their secluded family home. 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.
Review
If you thought Evil Dead Rise pushed the boundaries of messed up family trauma and a gross misuse of kitchen utensils, Sébastien Vaniček’s Evil Dead Burn is here to remind you, it can always get darker.
Following the similar route of Evil Dead Rise before it, this stands as it’s own separate entity within the Evil Dead mythos rather than a straight up sequel, taking the action to a secluded and run down house for a grieving family after the loss of one of their own. It quickly transforms into a “family reunion from hell” though once the Deadites get involved, forcing the widow to take on her in law’s and survive the night.
It’s worth noting though, that events in Evil Dead Rise do play a very minor role in this film but in no ways would it be required viewing for this.
The practical effects first off, are a masterclass in modern horror, delivering some truly skin-crawling moments that confidently rank among the franchise’s meanest Deadite beatdowns. Particularly one continuous scene which was shown briefly in the first teaser trailer but now given more context. The use of practical over CGI gives the movie much added gravitas.
A massive shoutout has to go to the cast. Stepping into an Evil Dead movie is no easy task as you have to balance unhinged terror with intense physical performances. Souheila Yacoub joins the film with a gritty, desperate survival instinct as Alice, making you root for her through every agonizing minute. Hunter Doohan and Tandi Wright commit 100% to the madness, especially when the Deadite chaos inevitably hits the fan and the family starts turning on one another.
The story itself is completely fine for an Evil Dead set up, if not entirely original. To an extent it also relies on coincidence to keep the plot moving. That being said, it’s a fast-paced, high-octane nightmare that knows exactly what the audience came for: inventive kills, wicked dark humour, and relentless carnage. As a pure rollercoaster ride of carnage, it completely succeeds.
I was surprised that watching in 4Dx added to the experience this time round, feeling every push, every jolt and every spray of blood did create more of a thrill on the overall experience.
Where Evil Dead Burn stumbles slightly—and the reason it misses out on that elusive 5th star—is its reluctance to truly evolve the Evil Dead concept past what Evil Dead Rise already did.
Evil Dead Rise did a fantastic job of dragging the lore out of the woods, introducing new concepts to the Book of the Dead, and expanding the scope of what a localized infestation could look like. Unfortunately, Burn seems content to merely coast in the wake of those upgrades. It does very little to actually advance the overarching mythology or deepen the series’ roots beyond reintroducing a weapon that can harm a Deadite. Instead of taking a bold step forward into genuinely new territory, it feels like it’s following the exact blueprint Rise laid out, just changing the setting from a high-rise to a secluded home and getting creative with the abilities of a Deadite. It’s incredibly fun, but narratively, it feels like the franchise is treading water until the next big leap.
Finally, we have to talk about the post-credit stinger. Without spoiling the specifics, instead of walking out of the screening hyped for the future of the series, I left it scratching my head. It was a bizarre narrative choice that left me thinking more “Why did they do that?” than feeling genuinely excited for what comes next. It felt tacked on, jarring, and slightly out of sync with the lore of the franchise.
Verdict
Minor storytelling gripes aside, Evil Dead Burn is a phenomenal time at the movies for Evil Dead fans. It is unnecessarily mean, it is incredibly messy, and it is beautifully orchestrated chaos. While it might not rewrite the book on Deadites, it tears through the pages it has with absolute, glorious ferocity that is sure to feed those hungry for some over the top 18 gore and violence.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
