Evil Dead Burn (2026) Review: French Extremity Meets Deadite Carnage
There are horror franchises that become increasingly watered down as the sequels pile up. Then there’s Evil Dead, a series that somehow continues to find new ways to horrify audiences over four decades after Sam Raimi first unleashed the Necronomicon upon the world. Evil Dead Burn, directed by Sébastien Vanicek, is the third entry since the franchise’s 2013 revival, following Evil Dead Rise, and while it may not quite reach the heights of its immediate predecessors, it still delivers enough blood, brutality and inventive carnage to satisfy even the most hardened gorehounds.
The film wastes absolutely no time getting started. Two friends are out fishing when they hook far more than they bargained for, dragging a Deadite from the lake. After an impressively gruesome encounter involving fishing line, the creature eventually wanders to a nearby road where it causes a horrific traffic collision. Things only become worse when its severed head begins reciting passages from the Book of the Dead, unleashing another wave of demonic possession. It’s a wonderfully nasty opening that immediately tells audiences this won’t be pulling any punches.
This time the action moves away from the isolated woodland cabin of Sam Raimi’s original trilogy and the apartment building of Evil Dead Rise, instead centring on an isolated family home where grief, resentment and decades of toxic family relationships already have everyone on edge before the Deadites arrive. Alice (Souheila Yacoub), still dealing with the death of her abusive husband, finds herself trapped alongside her late husband’s deeply dysfunctional family, who unknowingly possess both a Kandarian dagger and one of the cursed Books of the Dead.
Once the possessions begin, Evil Dead Burn settles into familiar territory. One by one, family members become twisted, mocking Deadites, turning the house into a relentless slaughterhouse packed with inventive kills and grotesque practical effects. This instalment leans even further into body horror than its predecessors, and at times it almost feels closer to a full blown zombie film than a traditional Evil Dead entry.
The violence is absolutely savage.
A face is shredded by fishing wire. A possessed victim repeatedly shoots themselves in the head. Fingers are severed in car doors. A face is pulverised against a metal gate until little remains. Someone lands face first into upright cutlery inside a dishwasher. Even the family dog isn’t spared. Horror fans with a strong stomach will likely relish every minute of it, while more squeamish viewers may find themselves looking away more than once.
Vanicek also proves himself an accomplished visual stylist. Several sequences are genuinely breathtaking from a technical standpoint, particularly one where Alice crawls desperately across the floor while chaos erupts behind her in a beautifully choreographed single sequence. Later, the film veers briefly into Braindead (Dead Alive) territory as she arms herself with a petrol strimmer for one of the film’s most entertaining action scenes. It’s outrageous, over the top and exactly the kind of spectacle audiences expect from this franchise.
The practical makeup effects deserve enormous praise. While CGI appears occasionally, most of the carnage feels tangible, messy and gloriously old school. The Deadites themselves remain every bit as unnerving as ever, balancing sadistic humour with genuine menace, while the sound design ensures every snapped bone and torn tendon lands with stomach churning impact.
Souheila Yacoub also makes for a strong central protagonist. Alice is easy to root for, particularly given the hostility she receives from her in-laws even before supernatural forces enter the picture. Hunter Doohan also gives a likeable performance as Joseph, arguably the only genuinely sympathetic member of the family.
Where Evil Dead Burn slightly stumbles is in its identity within the wider franchise.
Remove the Necronomicon and Kandarian dagger from the story and, in truth, much of what follows could easily belong to almost any possession or infected horror film. The Deadites remain, but much of the unique personality that separated Evil Dead from countless imitators feels dialled back once again. Since the 2013 reboot, the series has largely abandoned the manic, mischievous energy and darkly comedic charm that Bruce Campbell’s Ash brought to the originals. Nobody is expecting Ash to suddenly return, nor are we asking for endless one-liners about things being “groovy”, but a few more recognisable franchise touches would have helped this feel even more unmistakably Evil Dead.
The pacing can occasionally sag too. At 104 minutes, it is one of the longer entries in the series, and while the family drama adds some emotional context, Evil Dead has traditionally worked best when it keeps its foot firmly on the accelerator. There are moments where tightening the runtime by fifteen or twenty minutes may have made the experience even more relentless.
Still, these complaints feel relatively minor when judged against everything the film does well. The production values are excellent, the action choreography is inventive, the gore effects are among the franchise’s very best, and Vanicek demonstrates why Sam Raimi entrusted him with one of horror’s most beloved properties.
The film also expands the mythology without becoming bogged down in exposition, and fans should make sure they stay through the credits, as two post-credit scenes tease where the series is heading next with Evil Dead Wrath.
While Evil Dead Burn may lean more towards grisly survival horror than the chaotic splatstick madness longtime fans associate with the franchise, it remains a highly entertaining slice of extreme horror. It is less interested in delivering catchphrases than crushed skulls, less “groovy” than “gory”, but for many horror fans that will be more than enough reason to buy a ticket.
