The Wasteland Reviewer

Evil Dead Burn (2026) Written Review

What is the most consistently high-quality horror franchise of all time? Honestly…this list is not too long. Horror franchises usually start with a great film (or a popular film) and then turn out retreads with diminishing returns. That is not the case with Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead franchise. Raimi delivered one of the greatest low budget horror films of all time then redid it with more budget, more guts, and more laughs. He reinvented the franchise with Army of Darkness with this wild dark fantasy. Now this franchise has been reinvented as a space for new, up-and-coming filmmakers to tackle a new story with all the unhinged Deadite mayhem. Next up, Evil Dead Burn finds Infested director Sebastien Vanicek mixing Evil Dead lore with a story about a young woman stuck in a toxic grieving situation with her in-laws. 

What does Vanicek bring to the table to make this new Evil Dead his own? Vanicek leaned into a lot of uncomfortable close-ups with his film Infested and you see that on display here. The film has a wild opening sequence on a lake that puts the audience up close to mangled, bloody, gnarly visuals that just might make you sick. There are plenty of dynamic and inspired examples of how camerawork can elevate a cinematic experience. There is a mirror shot that will grab your attention and a separate long take with mayhem in the background makes you feel like you are right there in the action. Disorienting Dutch angle, camera tilts, and those Deadite POV shots put you in such a twisted and uncomfortable headspace. Cinematographer Philip Lozano does an excellent job of bringing Vanicek’s distinct vision to life. The editing for the film is quite impressive as well. Editor Maxime Caro finds so many great cuts to sell character reactions, deliver impressive scares, and plenty of good laughs along the way. The editing does heavy lifting in giving the film a frenetic energy that drives the pacing forward (especially for a film that is close to two hours). One of the most important elements of the Evil Dead franchise is the balance of gore and humor. Vanicek starts the film off considerably more seriously but as the mayhem begins, Evil Dead Burn finds the space to start bringing the laughs. The dementia-ridden grandmother and the Deadites are responsible for the bulk of it, but Vanicek also leverages the editing and set to deliver some fun physical comedy and visual gags. In general, the make-up and CGI effects that bring the morphed Deadite characters and the damage they deliver to life quite impressively. Regarding the CGI, there is a single character in the finale of the film that is just not convincing (the design is gnarly but the effects look too artificial) which takes you out of the film a bit. There is also a drab and ugly look to much of the film with the grey tint to the visuals. 

Does the script from Vanicek and Florent Bernard bring the goods as well? The film’s narrative works on two different levels. There is a deeper connection to the lore of Evil Dead than you might expect which makes the film feel a little bigger than the previous Evil Dead Rise. But then you have this uncomfortable and poignant human story at the core of the film. The protagonist Alice (portrayed by Souheila Yacoub) is stuck in a decaying home with her in-laws shortly after the funeral for her husband (who is introduced to be an angry, controlling, violent, and abusive monster) after dying in a darkly twisted encounter with a Deadite. The audience is stuck in this uncomfortable environment as the family is slowly taken over by the darker elements of this family that come to the surface. What works so well with Alice is she is instantly empathetic as she is now free of her abusive deceased husband but is now being hunted by the people who were complicit around her. The Price family has plenty of demons from racism, abuse, and a distinct lack of honor. Most of the other characters are extremely unlikeable and it makes it more satisfying when they become Deadites and (hopefully) get their comeuppance. There is a bit of a lazy anchor to the narrative as a Deadite killing Macguffin becomes such a significant driver of the plot.

How does the cast rise to the occasion with this wild film? Generally, the women in the film are more interesting characters and the actors who bring them to life get to show a little bit more from a performance standpoint. Yacoub is the key to the whole film. She brings plenty of personality to this role with charm that shines through earlier in the film and some attitude that breaks through the pain and fear once things get crazy. She sells the trauma of her journey and how much this uncomfortable situation is weighing on her. The need to have the lead in a horror movie deliver on terror and fear is a given and Yacoub makes it feel so natural. Yacoub’s performances work so well in the uncomfortable close-ups of Vanicek’s vision. Luciane Buchanan is the other young wife in the film, but her ethnicity makes her a victim of bigotry in the family. She gets plenty of time as a Deadite and she is so much fun with this twisted version of her character. Maude Davey almost steals the show as Polly, the grandmother with dementia, as she delivers plenty of hilarious lines, fun reactions, and plenty of physicality. Tandi Wright delivers a layered and complicated performance as the matriarch of the family whose own behavior brought so much of the trauma in this family. Erroll Shand is the one performance as one of the male characters that stands out and that is purely for the raw and intense physicality. Hunter Doohan and George Pullar as saddle with one-dimensional son characters (the cowardly one and the abusive one respectively) and their performances feel one-note and forgettable.

Is Evil Dead Burn another strong entry in this impressive franchise? Vanicek grabs the reins of this Evil Dead film and makes it his own. This is a little bit more challenging and brutal with its force on abuse and toxic family dynamics. But there are still plenty of wild Deadite action beats mixing brutal gore, dark laughs, and dynamic filmmaking. A mix of Evil Dead lore and fresh ideas, Evil Dead Burn is another good film in a great horror franchise.