When it comes to franchise films, there are two things they should do to continue their success: reinvent themselves with each entry or consistently produce the same quality of content. The Evil Dead franchise has successfully done both, with movies like Army of Darkness leaning heavily into the campy nature of the franchise while 2013’s Evil Dead leans more toward gratuitous violence. Evil Dead Burn is more like the latter, but arguably hits a franchise high in terms of the gore.

The film follows Alice, played by Souhelia Yacoub, who attends the funeral of her ex-boyfriend after he tragically passed in a car accident. After one of the ex-boyfriend’s family members runs face-to-face with a deadite at the funeral, Alice becomes trapped with the rest of her ex-boyfriend’s family at their secluded home as the deadites attempt to kill everyone off one by one. From kitchen utensils to the most obscure parts of a car, Evil Dead Burn comes up with the most bizarre ways to harm a human, and the results are incredibly rewarding.

Nearly every Evil Dead film is mean-spirited in some manner, but Evil Dead Burn may take the cake as the most cruel and relentless movie in the series. In the opening moments, the film makes it clear that no character is safe, using fishing gear in a way that’s never been more deadly. Nearly every scene shows something horrible going wrong with a character, whether it’s something as small as an argument or as large as a horrific death, creating a constant feeling of uneasiness throughout. While previous entries have given moments to breathe between the horror, Evil Dead Burn never includes a scene in which something good happens to the characters.

The film is the darkest feature in the series in more ways than one. Aside from the dark red blood, the movie is almost entirely devoid of color, sticking with a grey palette that contributes to the film’s demented atmosphere. In most cases, having a grey color scheme is extremely unappealing, but because the film is so focused on delivering unpleasantness, the ugliness enhances the experience. Composition-wise, the movie is just as strong, with an excellent use of close-ups and long takes that showcase the character’s confinement. A oner involving Alice escaping from the deadites particularly stood out due to its visual parallels to war films. Although there are times where the cinematography harkens back to the original films, Evil Dead Burn very much has a visual identity of its own.

Many films in this franchise aim solely to deliver a good time for the viewer, and while Evil Dead Burn succeeds in this, it also attempts to tackle social commentary on domestic violence. In the film, the deadites aren’t only faceless demons but also embodiments of physical trauma. To Alice, they reflect her inner demons, and by fighting them, she is fighting for her self-worth. While the film is far from the first in the series to use motifs, the way it inserts real-life ideas into the most absurd scenes makes for an overall satisfying experience, even if the themes are only delved into at the surface level.

Through all the darkness and evil that oozes over the film, there are numerous moments of hilarity, especially regarding the grandmother, Polly, played by Maude Davey. Convinced that her grandson’s girlfriend stole money from her, Davey finds the perfect balance of comedy in the film’s most horrifying moments, allowing for desperately needed levity. For an Evil Dead movie, it wouldn’t feel right if there wasn’t at least some humor, and luckily, Evil Dead Burn finds the best way to slip it in.

Evil Dead Burn may not reinvent the franchise by any means, but it excels at everything that makes it so special. With standout deaths in the franchise while still finding moments of thematic resonance, the sixth film continues the series’ impressive consistency. With Evil Dead Wrath coming in the not-too-distant future, it’s going to be hard to top what this had to offer.

Evil Dead Burn is now playing in theaters nationwide.

Rating: 8/10

Oscar Prospects:

None.