Evil Dead Burn (Sébastien Vanicek, 2026)

The Evil Dead franchise is one of horror's most popular franchises. Like a number of other horror franchises, it has a strange, circuitous history. The first film was a straight forward, grab the audience by the throat horror film. The tagline on marketing material when it was released was, "The Ultimate Experience in Grueling Terror," and it does everything it can to live up to that claim.

The second film in the franchise, Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn, takes the premise of the original, adds Three Stooges style physical slapstick, and feeds them through the meat grinder that is Kandarian demons tormenting and possessing a cast of characters in a remote cabin in the woods. Though the first film showed flashes of unique creativity and a specific authorial voice, Evil Dead II is an orgiastic explosion of cinematic and visual creativity. Thirty-nine years after its release, it still has a credible claim to being the greatest horror comedy ever committed to film. Because of the number of people whose journey to becoming filmmakers (in every capacity) and/or lifelong cinephiles during their first viewing of it, it's influence (especially on the horror genre) in impossible to quantify. Thirty-nine years and many thousands of imitators later, and there really still isn't another film quite like it.

The third film, Army of Darkness takes the franchise hero from the cabin in the woods to a medieval sword and sorcery film, while retaining the slapstick, and making the comedic aspects even more broad. It has a loyal cult following, but it was a financial disappointment and left some of the fans from the previous two films cold.

For the next thirty years, the Evil Dead franchise would be absent from the big screen, despite a constant din of begging from fans for star/producer Bruce Campbell, director Sam Raimi and producer Rob Tapert to return to the Evil Dead universe and deliver another film.

At some point, Raimi, Campbell and Tapert decided it was time for the franchise to return, but instead of being the principal filmmakers, they'd be producers and hire an up and coming young filmmaker to put their stamp on the Evil Dead universe. First came 2013's Evil Dead, written and directed by Fede Alvarez, with what was essentially a reboot, retaining the original premise of a group of young people in a remote cabin, tormented by a supernatural terror. It is a gnarly, brutal exercise in grueling horror. In 2024, Lee Cronin got his opportunity to put his spin on it with Evil Dead Rise. It takes the terror out of the woods, into an apartment building, with the Deadites tormenting a single mother, her three children, her sister and the inhabitants of her buildings floor. It is also intent of providing a horrific, disturbing experience with a heavy dose of disgust.

Now, in 2026, filmmaker Sébastien Vanicek has brought his flavor of Deadite chaos and madness to Evil Dead Burn. Like Alvarez and Cronin, Vanicek has taken the claim of the original film as "The Ultimate Experience in Grueling Terror" as his mandate. Not so much a sequel to Evil Dead Rise, it does pick up strands left from that film to jump off into it's own story. It's not necessary to have seen any of the other films in the franchise to understand what's happening in Burn, but for those fans who have, the connective tissue can be rewarding. It's an elegant way to establish the films are taking place in the same universe and there is a connecting timeline.

Like Alvarez and Cronin's films, Vanicek gives Burn a cold open before the title card that tells the audience exactly what kind of experience the film has in store. Mercy has never been a quality to be found in the people possessed by Kandarian demons, and that's still the case here.

The pacing of the film, as a whole, is as ferocious as the Deadites. It takes a few minutes to establish its characters after the title, but there is not much time for the audience to breath after. Once it reaches its primary location, it feels like a sensory assault, and at nearly two hours in length, becomes an endurance test. Though there are some particularly effective sequences, and Vanicek's Deadites employ a kind of emotional manipulation related to the film's themes that hasn't been so deeply explored in the previous films, the relentless ferocity of the pace also runs the risk of rendering some viewers numb. For those viewers who are rendered numb by the pace, those added interesting touches Vanicek brings to the Deadites aren't going to have as much impact.

He also uses character and story to bring an added tension in a way that's interesting. There's more to what's happening in this film than just the characters having to deal with the onslaught of these merciless demons. It's something that's been present to a much lesser degree in the previous films, and whether it works is probably also going to depend on the individual viewer. It creates a certain kind of isolation that like the pace of the film, is either going to work in increasing the impact of that isolation or lessening it.

There are a few standout sequences in terms of staging and choosing how to shoot scenes too. Though the film is relentless, this gives it some variety in how the audience is experiencing different events, and they are visually imaginative. These unusual choices present certain set pieces and character actions in a visually interesting way, without detracting from their impact. The only downside to the visual aspect of the movie is that the color palette is very gray and washed out. As a stylistic choice related to the content and the tone, it does make some sense, but it does mean that in terms of color and light, it's visually bland.

The cast have all fully committed to their characters and the film itself. Given the nature of the film and what's required of them for it, this is impressive. This had to be a difficult production, considering how physical so many of these scenes are and how intense so many of the interactions between the characters are. That there aren't any weak links in the cast is a testament to their individual dedication, and Vanicek's ability to direct actors. Lucianne Buchanan and Erroll Shand are the standouts, giving layers to what could have been one dimensional moments.

There is one particular sequence employing CGI that I found disappointing. The writing in the scene works, but Evil Dead is a franchise that's been synonymous with practical effects and makeup effects from its inception through to the 21st century incarnations. It did take me out of the experience when it first appeared on screen.

Vanicek is a skilled filmmaker, and he clearly has a deep respect for the Evil Dead franchise. The particular ways he makes it his own are likely to be contentious among die hard fans, and that adds all the more credence to Raimi, Campbell and Tapert's choice to let up and coming filmmakers make their mark on it.

Keep an eye out if you're interested in a spoiler free breakdown and discussion of the sociopolitical aspects of the film. I'll be posting that later this weekend.