EVIL DEAD BURN (2026)
Family turmoil and ravenous grief ride shotgun in French director Sébastien Vaniček’s EVIL DEAD BURN. Co-written by Vaniček and Florent Bernard, the sixth installment in the legendary horror franchise delivers a propulsive thrill ride that not only expands upon the original universe, crafted by Sam Raimi back in 1981 with THE EVIL DEAD, but also secures Vaniček’s reputation as a director to watch closely.
Following the opening sequence structure of its predecessor, Lee Cronin’s brutal 2023 EVIL DEAD RISE, audiences find themselves back on a secluded lakeside this time with two friends fishing. Their quiet afternoon quickly erupts into a gruesome spectacle that sets the tone for the latest Deadites’ powers. The film’s recurring fire motif is also introduced alongside a bold deviation to the franchise’s lore. Instead of the Deadites embracing their playfully evil selves who slaughter and psychologically torment characters for their amusement, this time they are on a specific mission to capture an artifact that leads to their demise.
EVIL DEAD BURN follows Alice (Souheila Yacoub), a young widow who lost her abusive husband after a drunken argument. Dressed in a hoodie and sweats donning chipped nail polish, Alice reluctantly attends Will’s (George Pullar) funeral alongside his parents Susan (Tandi White) and Edgar (Erroll Shand), grandmother Polly (Maude Davey), brother Joseph (Hunter Doohan) and his girlfriend Thya (Luciane Buchanan). Resentment hangs over the funeral, as simmering accusations about Will's death extinguish any hope of reconciliation. Unbeknownst to the family, Will’s death sparked the chain reaction of Deadite transformation. As secrets are exposed, the small family descends into demonic madness by their all-consuming grief and rage.
Die-hard Deadite fans can rejoice in the plethora of Easter eggs that reference each film in the franchise. Bruce Campbell and Lee Cronin serve as executive producers alongside creator Sam Raimi, and iconic producer Rob Tapert. Nostalgia sutures the film together. Shots of eerily weak ankles dragging heavy combat boots and split tongues call back to Fede Álvarez’s 2013 EVIL DEAD remake while hasty tracking shots and multiple well-known weapons make an appearance. Vaniček delivers haunting, stylized elements throughout the film’s 109-minute runtime. His talent for razor-sharp camera movement, exploratory angles, and staging chaotic choreography are all showcased. There’s even a tiny spider reference to his debut film, INFESTED, which won the 2023 Fantastic Fest Award for "Best Director" and "Best Picture” in the Horrors Feature category.
Despite tackling emotional subject matter such as grief and parental judgment, the characters themselves are fairly hollow. Their personal tragedies and interpersonal relationships don’t draw a significant amount of empathy or investment, even for the protagonist Alice. Unlike the family dynamics in EVIL DEAD RISE, these relationships never become emotionally rich enough for their inevitable deaths to land with the same impact. However, the actors successfully pull off the physically demanding nature of their Deadite performances. Captivating facial expressions and biologically uncanny mannerisms keep the audience fully engaged. Fight scenes are extensively choreographed with lengthy power dynamics and creative kills. Editor Maxime Caro captures relentless bloody brawls with meticulous precision, perfectly complementing Vaniček’s shots. Makeup and Effects Designer Jane O’kane creates gruesome looks with the newest batch of Deadites allowing audiences to get up close to the work with revulsion coupled with curiosity. Grandmother Polly, who suffers from dementia and a fear of getting robbed, provides continuous comic relief amidst O'Kane's gnarly special effects and prosthetic work.
Vaniček reshapes the franchise's mythology with rules that feel fresh without abandoning its identity while also inviting significant creative storyline opportunities to be explored further in the next installation, EVIL DEAD WRATH, set for a 2028 release. For example, Edgar is confined outside of the family’s house and needs to be invited in like a vampire. There is also a secret society within the family’s lineage which provides a way to officially combat the Deadites instead of relying on home appliances. This knowledge is what makes the Deadites more mission-minded instead of wanting to devour souls for fun.
Vaniček’s entry into the franchise delivers on nostalgia but also opens the universe to new possibilities for the next film’s director. Gory kills and shocking stunts overshadow the narrative shift but the co-writer/director clearly has a bold talent for the genre. Rather than using grief as simple motivation, Vaniček transforms it into the mechanism through which evil spreads, making emotional repression just as dangerous as possession itself.
