The latest installment in the iconic Evil Dead franchise, Evil Dead Burn, is officially streaming on HBO, and holy hell, is it an absolute blast! Teased as the series’ most savage, terrifying ride yet, this latest entry delivers non-stop demonic mayhem from start to finish. The story follows a grieving widow named Thya as she seeks solace with her in-laws at their secluded family home. Naturally, things go horribly wrong as family members are systematically turned into bloodthirsty Deadites! Let’s dive into it in this review.
An Amazing Cast Facing Absolute Carnage
Facing off against the Kandarian Demon is a phenomenal ensemble cast. Souheila Yacoub, Tandi Wright, and Hunter Doohan lead it. Rounding out the unfortunate family are Errol Shand and Maude Davey. However, Luciane Buchanan stands out as Thya. Buchanan absolutely nails her performance, striking a perfect balance between deep emotional vulnerability and raw, ferocious determination. If you thought Evil Dead Rise was intense, Burn turns the deadite brutality up to eleven with stellar special effects that deliver unrelenting gore—save for one slightly underwhelming CGI burned corpse.
The Masterminds Behind the Nightmare
The creative team behind this carnage is pure horror royalty. Directed by Sébastien Vaniček, who co-wrote the film alongside Florent Bernard, the film is produced by legends Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi. To make die-hard fans even happier, Bruce Campbell and Evil Dead Rise director Lee Cronin executive produce. The behind-the-scenes crew is equally lethal, with cinematographer Philip Lozano capturing every bloody frame, production designer Nick Connor crafting the claustrophobic trap, makeup and FX designer Jane O’Kane supplying endless buckets of blood, and Double Danger providing a pulse-pounding score.
A Glaring Misstep in a Great Movie
While the action, gore, and performances make a massive impression, the film stumbles hard with one deeply frustrating thematic choice. Throughout the movie, characters repeatedly engage in toxic victim-blaming toward Thya, explicitly claiming she stayed in her marriage because she “liked the pain” of being abused. This tone-deaf, insulting narrative angle severely undermines the emotional heart of her character. Victim-blaming is never okay, and repeating this line of thought leaves a foul taste that hurts the overall experience.
Final Verdict
On pure horror spectacle, technical craft, and performance alone, Evil Dead Burn easily earns an impressive nine out of ten. However, the awful, repeated victim-blaming narrative drags the final rating down to a five out of ten; it is simply too tone-deaf to ignore.
Genre enthusiasts can stream it today on HBO to judge the horror for themselves! And if you want to make a day of it, you can find the ultimate guide to where to watch every film in the franchise, in order, here.
