Evil Dead Rise had an excellent start, and Burn follows suit with another strong introduction. It doesn’t quite top Rise, however, some of the imagery is fantastic and sets an uneasy tone from the get-go. Narratively, the film meanders somewhat after this opening salvo before ramping up at around the halfway point, and it's hard not to think that it could have been at least ten minutes shorter for a tighter story. In an attempt to provide character depth and development, Vaniček and co-screenwriter Florent Bernard halt the momentum to introduce us to our cast of characters. The key issue is that, despite this, the characters still receive little depth or individuality outside of surface level descriptives. They are deliberatively abrasive given the situations they have found themselves in, but the story never really affords them any satisfying emotional release that would make later events more impactful.

 

Souheila Yacob goes all-in as Alice, though. She takes what she is given script-wise and throws herself in headfirst providing some excellent horror and action sequences only elevated by her performance. It’s a solid ensemble cast rather than spectacular, or even memorable.

 

This is an Evil Dead film, so, unsurprisingly, it’s got plenty of yucky visuals and goopy gore throughout, only this time there’s plenty of bodily fluids being swapped (ew). It lacks a real atmosphere, though, instead it’s more visually disgusting then it is ‘scary’. The tension is there but it certainly isn’t throttling. Burn does carry some decent jumpscares as to be expected, and, there are plenty of gags thrown in throughout, and whilst not all of them land or are executed as well as they could have been, it wasn’t as emotionally draining as Fede Alvarez’s Evil Dead. It feels more like Army of Darkness in that sense and certainly has the most humour since that film.

 

Burn is a sombre looking film, Philip Lozano’s cinematography lent a very European vibe, but there are some fabulous camera techniques employed that really elevate certain scenes. On the flipside, there is also some choppy editing at points which was noticeable and the third act didn’t land from a visual effects standpoint - which is a real shame as the practical effects throughout were as strong as ever. The third act as a whole fell slightly short because of this, and the aforementioned lack of emotional connection - or just connection in general - to the characters.

 

Evil Dead Burn is a solid entry into the franchise, and whilst it may not hit the heights or standards set by the two recent entries, it’s a worthwhile addition that carries its own unique and fist-pumping moments. It’s grimy, yucky, wince-inducing and bloody fun - even if it may not be perfect. Also, be sure to stick around for the post-credit scenes…

 

Evil Dead Burn is released in UK cinemas on 10 July 2026.