Director: Sébastien Vaniček
Starring: Souhelia Yacoub, Tandi Wright, Hunter Doohan, Luciane Buchanan, Erroll Shand, Maude Davey
Certificate: 18
Run Time: 109 mins

Evil Dead Burn is the sixth instalment in the supernatural horror franchise about an ancient Sumerian text that unleashes havoc on its prey, serving as a follow-up to 2023’s Evil Dead Rise. It’s one of few horror series where all the entries have been of decent quality, although contrary to its excellent reception, I thought Evil Dead Rise was terrible. I didn’t connect with any of the loathsome characters and director Lee Cronin made the crucial error in not understanding the franchise logic, as well as failing to make use of the film’s urban setting and turning in a very shonky script. Fortunately, Cronin’s out and Infested director Sébastien Vaniček is in, who co-writes the script with Florent Bernard.

Souhelia Yacoub plays Alice Price, a young woman in an abusive marriage to Will (George Pullar) who gets bumped off after crashing car into a Deadite-possessed Jessica from Evil Dead Rise. The film then jumps forward to Will’s funeral, where his entire family and Alice attend. After a possessed Will escapes his coffin and attacks his father, Edgar (Erroll Shand), the family return to back to their lakehouse home where all kinds of mayhem ensues.

Although not without its flaws, Evil Dead Burn is a wickedly entertaining sequel that’s undoubtedly the series’ most vicious to date. It’s superbly directed by Vaniček, who demonstrates a real flair for horror – he’s going to be in hot demand after this. There are multiple standout sequences here, including the aforementioned funeral, as well as a continuous tracking shot of a character while carnage unfolds in the distance, plus many memorable shots by cinematographer Phillip Lozano. Vaniček and Lozano have clearly taken meticulous care with how the action is staged, and it really shows. The score by French composers Double Danger is also excellent, ramping in intensity with memorable themes.

It’s all well and good having gonzo horror sequences, but you need to have strongly written characters to back them up – an aspect where Evil Dead Rise miserably failed. This sequel does a very reasonable job with its central family, where there are clear personalities clashing with one another. Souhelia Yacoub is excellent as the sympathetic Alice, who feels like an outsider to the family she married into. Hunter Doohan is another highlight as the initially meek Joseph, Will’s brother, who finds courage as the film progresses. Maude Davey’s grandmother, Polly, gets lots of the comedic line and Erroll Shand is suitably nasty as Edgar, Will and Joseph’s father with a mean streak.

But Evil Dead Burn is not without its flaws. Firstly, its opening scene is rather perplexing in that it goes against franchise logic, but fortunately it’s not really relevant to the rest of the film once Alice and Will are introduced. I also didn’t need the inevitable final showdown sequence, which while fun, felt unnecessary and there’s a perfect moment of a house burning and a character standing outside that would have been the ideal moment to end.

Otherwise, Evil Dead Burn is a grin-inducing and blood-soaked surprise that really cements Vaniček as a key voice in horror. He does something very interesting with the franchise, combining modern horror with French extremism while keeping the story focussed with a well-developed family filled with sympathetic and deliciously despicable characters. The film also explores family rather adeptly as a theme and how trauma runs through it, and I loved the oppressive and persistent dread-induced tone of the film, balanced with comedic moments that never cheapen the action. It’s not perfect, but I always admire when a director takes a risk and Vaniček has ultimately turned in one of the best entries in the series.