Evil Dead Burn review: Deadites are back, but the fun isn’t

Slasher movies in the 1970s and ‘80s produced a particular oeuvre that would forever inform the genre. However, Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell challenged the norm, sprinkling humour throughout their first film in 1981 before going full slasher horror comedy in the sequels. Their in-depth understanding of cinematic tropes allowed them to play with the conventions, particularly around the reluctant hero. The result was a cult following that still endures to this day. A couple decades later, the franchise was revived. Now, the latest installment, Evil Dead Burn, attempts to carry on the tradition.

While exploring his late grandfather’s research into the Book of the Dead, Joseph (Hunter Doohan) uncovers a weapon that awakens the evil. As he and Tina (Luciane Buchanan) celebrate his birthday, his brother, Will (George Pullar), and his wife, Alice (Souheila Yacoub), get into yet another argument. Will speeds off into the night and dies in a fiery car crash. His funeral brings the family together, forcing a tense reunion between Alice and Will’s parents (Erroll Shand and Tandi Wright). However, deadites crash the wake, interrupting their mourning. The demons have come to destroy the weapon and anyone that stands in their way.

Lee Cronin staged a triumphant return for the franchise just three years ago with Evil Dead Rise. But this movie goes back to repeating the mistakes of the 2013 remake. The Evil Dead series was never just about being scary, gory or violent. It had a dark sense of humour that separated it from other horror movies. But contemporary additions to the saga forget to laugh, instead fixating on the brutal carnage. This movie is preoccupied with the deadites attacking people, bringing the camera in close during cutting or stabbing scenes. It lingers on the pain and audience’s discomfort, bordering on torture porn.

In spite of some early scenes feeling like a music video, the film offers a somewhat promising start. The recordings of a man who spent his life researching the Book of the Dead harkens back to the original film when a scholar’s audio tape initally released the evil. The opening also establishes continuity with its immediate predecessor, while introducing yet another piece of lore to the Necronomicon saga.

This is the first mention of a weapon that can potentially stop the demons. Unfortunately, it’s a bit of a disappointment. The legend states its discovery will attract the deadites, but it’s unclear why they didn’t come for the weapon when it was first unearthed. In addition, its impact on the narrative is minimal for something that causes such a fuss.

Most egregious is the messy and unsurprising script. Alice is simultaneously on the periphery and at the centre of the fraught family dynamics. It’s as if their disdain causes the house that hosted her wedding just a year ago to deteriorate into disrepair. The deadites also emotionally target Alice, using her flawed relationship with Will as ammo. Meanwhile, the rest of the self-absorbed family keeps him on a pedestal.

By only really developing one personality, the film falls into the boring trap of people making stupid choices to ensure the story works. For instance, helping the person that just tried to kill you or was definitely dead minutes earlier. Later, they figure out the solution to their problem, then stand around and do nothing about it. There’s also the classic, mind-numbing fail — clumsily handling and repeatedly losing the one thing that can save your life.

This tiresome predictability lessens the impact of any attempt to scare viewers or deliver a gut punch. The only thing more monotonous is the constant cruelty. There’s no variation or creativity in the relentless violence, making it a chore to keep watching. In fact, there’s only one intentionally funny line in the whole film and audiences starved for relief find themselves in stitches.

Director: Sébastien Vanicek
Starring: Souheila Yacoub, Hunter Doohan and Luciane Buchanan