While I try to not let various discourses sway my reviews, I still pay attention to what people are discussing around a film. With “Evil Dead Burn,” the main topic was how mean it was (or wasn’t) versus how much humor was in it—especially when compared to franchise entries like “Evil Dead II” and “Army of Darkness.” This surprised me because I found it much funnier than the last installment (“Evil Dead Rise”), albeit with a dark humor and gonzo violence more associated with the French Extremity wave of horror from the early ‘00s. Is it harsh to its characters and possibly dole out extreme punishment to those that don’t “deserve” it? Certainly. But that’s always been part of the “Evil Dead” movies and it’s surprising that now, while horror is arguably at its most popular this year, people find this too dour. While “Evil Dead Burns” runs too long and its penultimate scene is better than the finale which makes it feel awkward, director Sébastien Vaniček has delivered a very entertaining entry that is delightfully bloody and vicious in outstandingly fun ways.
William Price (George Pullar) dies in an awful car accident after getting in an argument with his wife, Alice (Souheila Yacoub). There’s very little of the body, so the family is getting together to cremate him and have dinner. There’s the cowering Joseph (Hunter Doohan), William’s brother who reeks of disappointment; Thya (Luciane Buchanan), Joseph’s girlfriend who tries to navigate the awful family dynamics; Susan (Tandi Wright), William’s doting mother that turned a blind eye to her son’s terrible ways; Edgar (Errol Shand), William’s father who probably taught him how to be such an abusive person; and Polly (Maude Davey), William’s grandmother who suffers from dementia. Unfortunately for them, William’s death wasn’t a simple accident but instead tied into the Price family history with the Necronomicon, and soon they all become prey to the hyperviolent Deadites who seek to invade the land of the living. Things quickly take a turn for the horrible and it may be a long night in the isolated house…and who knows who will be left to greet the dawn, or what will be left of them.
I prefer my “Evil Dead” movies to have a bit of zaniness mixed in with the bloodcurdling terror, hence my favorite being “Evil Dead II.” If you’re looking for that type of mania, then “Evil Dead Burn” will surely disappoint. However, if you were astounded by movies like “Inside (2007)” or “Martyrs (2008)” or other titles in the new French Extremity wave of the aughts, then director Vaniček (who also co-wrote the script with Florent Bernard) certainly has something for you. Make no mistake, it is not as “extreme” as those two titles, but it inherits its escalation of violence and gore from that cinematic movement as the dismemberments and action grow increasingly crazy and bigger. That is until the finale, which feels like a dialed down version of the bloodshed we just witnessed. Still, until those final moments (not counting the two post-credit scenes), Vaniček and company constantly up the ante of their violent shenanigans in inventive and increasingly impressive ways.
What makes it work even better is that the violence and horror of “Evil Dead Burn” is (shockingly) rooted in the real. I don’t mean necessarily that the horrific beatings feel realistic (though they are rendered well with practical and CG FX), but that it is all grounded in this awful, awkward family. The Prices are a terrible group of people in many ways, and their resentment and abuse towards each other makes tension palpable even before the slaughter begins. The power dynamics are rotten and Vaniček works wonders making it feel incredibly real and lived in, fraught with possible missteps that will set off some new accusation or argument. Once the Deadites start taking over, in addition to the physical assault are the mind games of laying bare these unspoken hostilities that, while coming from some undead creature, are still impossible to deny. That fuels the gonzo violence and makes even the quieter moments feel tense and painful.
With the exceptions of “Evil Dead II” and “Army of Darkness,” all the other entries in the “Evil Dead” franchise have felt like marathons of discomfort. Sometimes it works, like “The Evil Dead” in 1981 or 2013’s “Evil Dead,” and sometimes it just feels like a slog, as in “Evil Dead Rise.” Vaniček splits the difference by having most of “Evil Dead Burn” move at a quick clip with a breakneck (almost literally) pace, until it hits a wall in its final act and just seems to drag until the credits roll. It’s unfortunate, as so much of the film is truly engaging until this happens. There’s a bunch of cool camera set-ups and well-choreographed sequences, occasionally feeling more like a war film than a horror spectacle, and the ever-changing realities of the siege make for interesting match ups between the survivors and the Deadites. But then when the ending stumbles into view, it feels dialed back and too muted compared to what has come before; the ever-present escalation that was fueling the events is absent and you can feel the movie while waiting for the inevitable conclusion to happen.
Even with that too-long run time (It’s just under 2 hours) and lackluster climax, “Evil Dead Burn” is a mostly entertaining film that incorporates a bunch of disparate sub-genre influences to produce something unique and engaging. Aspects of “Tales From the Crypt Presents Demon Knight,” “Inside” (2007), “Dead Alive,” and of course all the other “Evil Dead” entries weave their ways into this mostly tight bit of gore and violence. There’s lots of humor to be found in its extremism (and in the script, with plenty of jokes and sight gags), but people are forgiven if they are too overwhelmed by the blood splatter to notice. 2023’s “Infested” and “Evil Dead Burn” are excellent showcases for Vaniček, showing how clever he is at using single locations and contained groups to create mounting tensions and escalating terror. Truthfully, “Evil Dead Burn” isn’t as good as “Infested,” but it certainly is a worthy addition to the “Evil Dead” franchise and makes me curious about the upcoming “Evil Dead Wrath” and what Vaniček does next. “Evil Dead Burn” is bursting with arterial spray and imagination, and it’s a mostly fun ride for those sickos willing to take it.
3.5 /5 Stars
Directed by: Sébastien Vaniček
Starring: Souheila Yacoub, Luciane Buchanan, Hunter Doohan, Erroll Shand, Tandi Wright, Maude Davey, George Pullar
