After the death of her husband, Alice seeks solace with her in-laws, only for a family gathering to become a terrifying confrontation with the Deadites.
Sébastien Vanicek's Evil Dead Burn takes the franchise in a direction that is further removed from The Evil Dead. I enjoyed Evil Dead Rise, but here the domestic family arguments and increasingly familiar supernatural-adventure influences feel further removed from the cutting, nasty spirit of the earlier films.
Hunter Doohan brings strong screen presence as Joseph, with Souheila Yacoub excellent as Alice. Tandi Wright, Luciane Buchanan and the supporting cast deliver solid performances, even when the material doesn't always give them enough to work with.
Technically, there is plenty to admire. Philip Lozano's cinematography is impressive, the film contains some effective horror set pieces and visual ideas, and the effects are outstanding. The Deadites still deliver suitably creepy moments, while the production shows clear ambition. However, with the French-inspired elements and a few conceptual tweaks, it could almost be a REC instalment, something from The Conjuring universe, or even The Exorcist series.
There are also some effective ideas, but the film increasingly feels closer to adult oriented Stranger Things-style supernatural chiller, particularly in its closing stages. Again, Evil Dead Rise does fit closer to the energy of a modern Evil Dead film, but not as fresh as its predecessors.
Evil Dead Burn has good performances, strong visuals and is entertaining, but its domestic themes, and increasingly familiar supernatural influences stop it from feeling like an Evil Dead.
The humorous tagged-on credit scene simply doesn't cut it. An after-credits scene then tantalisingly connects it to Evil Dead Rise - appealing in itself, yet ultimately making the whole exercise feel like cheating.
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