TL;DR: Evil Dead Burn delivers another bloody chapter in the franchise with brutal horror, impressive practical effects and a strong lead performance, and while it takes a more serious approach than some previous films, which works in places but also means it loses some of the strange humor that made the series so much fun.
Plot
After the loss of her husband, a woman seeks solace with her in-laws, and one by one they transform into deadites, she comes to discover that the vows she took in life - survive even in death.
A Familiar Franchise With a Different Attitude
Evil Dead Burn feels like a film that knows exactly where it comes from, but it also wants to prove it can do something different, as we have the familiar ingredients all present - the uncomfortable horror, the creative violence and the feeling that the filmmakers are constantly trying to find new ways to make the audience wince - but the biggest difference I think people will notice is the tone.
This is a much more serious Evil Dead film at times, with less of the ridiculous humor that helped define the earlier entries, where the original films had a strange balance where you could be laughing at something completely absurd one second and then watching a terrifying scene the next, Evil Dead Burn mostly chooses the darker route, focusing more on tension and emotional drama.
That change does certainly help give the film its own identity, and I appreciated that it wasn’t simply trying to copy the past, as long-running horror franchises can sometimes become little more than a collection of familiar moments, but this one at least tries to bring something new to the table.
Read some more horror movie reviews:
The Gore, Effects, and Horror Moments Deliver
The horror is where Evil Dead Burn feels most confident, and that's the best thing about it, because the practical effects are excellent, and the film has plenty of moments that are hard to look at in the best possible way.
There is a real sense of creativity behind the violence too, and I definitely won’t look at certain everyday items in quite the same way again, where some scenes had me laughing purely because they were so ridiculous, which has always been one of the best things about this franchise.
The problem is that the film sometimes tries to outdo itself too often, so when every big moment is designed to shock, the impact can start to wear off slightly, but it's isn't too bad in that aspect to be fair and maybe I am being a little nitpicky, so if you like what this film is delivering, it's hard to get totally bored with what it throws at you, and there are also some memorable sequences here, where the film proves that this franchise still knows how to create moments that stick in your mind.
.jpeg "Evil Dead Burn film still")
A Cast That Brings Some Depth
The characters in Evil Dead Burn are actually given more attention than I had expected, and that does help the film in some ways, where the story spends more time dealing with complicated relationships and personal struggles, which gives the performances a bit of room to breathe, with Souheila Yacoub being excellent in particular in the lead role, bringing a lot of strength and emotion to the film, and she carries many of the quieter moments just as well as the more intense ones, and she handles that responsibility the film gives her incredibly well.
Hunter Doohan is also a strong addition, bringing some warmth and sympathy to the film, while the supporting cast all throw themselves into the madness, even when the script occasionally makes things a little too obvious.
My main issue here though is that the film sometimes explains its emotional themes a bit too much instead of letting them speak for themselves, with moments where you will clearly understand what the movie is trying to say, but the script keeps throwing it in your face as if you don't understand at all.
A little more trust in the audience would have been nice sometimes.
When the Serious Tone Works, and When It Doesn’t
The darker approach the film overall shifts too is an interesting choice because it allows this film to explore ideas that the earlier films didn’t focus on as much, with more attention given to relationships, personal struggles and the damage people can carry with them.
That extra drama does gives the horror some more meaning, but it also slows the film down at times, because the Evil Dead series has always been at its best when it moves quickly, and some of the heavier moments here feel like they interrupt the momentum.
That balance between horror and drama is of course difficult to pull off, and Burn doesn’t always get it right, but when it does, the film feels like a fresh take on the franchise, and when it doesn’t, it feels like it is getting in the way of the fun.
Long time fans of the franchise I think will have a lot to say regarding the more emotional themes weaved into this film, and personally I wasn't too fussed, but I am not sure this film nor franchise needed this approach either, because The Evil Dead franchise has always had a unique personality because it never took itself completely seriously.
The original films understood that horror could be ridiculous, and that ridiculousness was part of the charm, and while Evil Dead Burn has some funny moments, it rarely lets itself become as wild and unpredictable as the best entries.
I wouldn’t say the more serious tone it sometimes has ruins the film though because there is plenty here to enjoy, but a few more moments of chaos and comedy would have made the whole experience even more satisfying, and dare I say it, feel more like an Evil Dead movie.
Final Thoughts
Evil Dead Burn is a solid enough entry in the Evil Dead franchise for me, as it delivers the violence, creativity and practical effects fans expect, while also trying to take the series in a slightly different direction, even though I think that part might annoy some people.
But it has enough creative horror and nasty surprises to still make it a very worthwhile watch.