Evil Dead Burn

Today while exercising, I finished watching “Evil Dead Burn” on HBO Max. The film came out in July, but came out on HBO Max two weeks ago. After liking the last one, I decided to watch this, seeing how this is the right month to be watching. How is this new sequel? Is it better or worse?

An ancient demonic curse is put on a family, the first victim being the son, George. When his widow, Alice, joins her in-laws for Will’s funeral at their isolated home, the family members, one by one, turn into Deadites. Will she survive the damage?

The familiar territory of the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, or the Book of the Dead, and the cursed pages that release Kandarian spirits turn with relentless gore in director Sebastien Vanicek’s film. Joseph, played by Hunter Doohan, a writer trying to make a book, unknowingly opens his grandfather’s copy of the Book of the Dead, freeing the demons.

The pre-credits scene makes the mood with a demonic being (Greta van den Brink) rising from a lake and hooking two men (Keanu Karim and Victory Ndukwe) with tackle, line, and fishing hooks. The story then goes to Will (George Pullar), an abusive husband who speeds off after a heated argument with his French wife, Alice (Souheila Yacoub), at a bar. He becomes the next victim of the Deadite, also connecting to his grandfather’s journey for a Kandarian dagger that the Deadites want and can destroy them. As he family fathers to mourn him at their isolated home, the damage begins.

Dhaval Roy said in her review, “Vanicek and co-writer Florent Bernard deliver a splatter horror that is as mean, cruel, and frenzied as one would expect from the franchise. If the previous instalment, Evil Dead Rise, got the bloodfest right, this chapter goes a step further. The gore and brutality are relentless and splendidly staged in a macabre way. There are demonic elements, but only a few traditional supernatural jump scares. Instead, the film relies more on sudden attacks, mutilation, bodily horror, and the sheer shock of violence to make you gasp and turn away.”

Roy continued, “Philip Lozano’s cinematography stands out not only for capturing the carnage but also for framing the desolate house and bleak landscape. The practical effects are masterfully done, adding a nauseating realism to the blood-soaked set pieces.” While most of the scenes are disgusting, a handful are actually terrifying, especially the possessed father, Edgar, played by Erroll Shand, repeatedly shooting himself in the face.

Roy said, “The tension remains constantly escalated, if not through horror, then through the family’s equation.” Will’s parents blame Alice for his death, while his mother, Susan, played by Tandi Wright, is a tired woman who has sacrificed so much for the family. The movie also gets a few depressingly funny moments through the grandmother, Polly, played by Maude Davey, who suffers from dementia. At a little under two hours, the film moves at a fast pace, though it weakens during Alice’s final act.

Roy credited, “Souheila Yacoub is brilliant as the resilient Alice, not only for facing the Deadites but also for the hatred that comes her way and stoically hiding that Will was, in fact, an abusive husband.” Tandi Wright is outstanding as Susan, a mother strongly devoted to family values. Erroll Shand is really scary as the angry father and violent Deadite. Maude Davey, Hunter Doohan, George Pullar, and Luciane Buchanan give good support.

Roy ended her review by saying, “While Evil Dead Burn is visceral and gets the gonzo gore perfectly, it will appeal only to those who like splatter horror. Those who get squeamish at the sight of innards and flesh are better off skipping this one.”

I will admit that I didn’t like the way the film started. I didn’t understand what was the point of the opening, but after the Deadites showed up in the family, it started going from there. This was legitimately scary and I think everyone will like it starting at that part. Check it out on HBO Max if you have been a fan of this franchise. There are some very gory and bloody moments in here, when you see everyone in the family getting possessed, but that’s what this franchise is all about. Also, make sure to check out the mid-credits and post-credits scene with Coco White and Alyssa Sutherland. I wonder if they’re going to make another sequel, which I will be looking forward to.

Thank you for joining in on this review. Stay tuned next Friday for the continuation of “Halloween Month 2026.”