---
title: "Evil Dead Burn"
year: 2026
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/evil-dead-burn"
fi1m_id: "evil-dead-burn"
imdb_id: "tt31170389"
tmdb_id: 1212763
wikidata_id: "Q132731331"
fi1m_score: 55
critics_score: 56
critics_reviews: 20
published: "2026-09-09"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:37:42.450761+00:00"
region: "EE"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Evil Dead Burn (2026)

Directed by Sébastien Vaniček · 1h 50m · Horror

## Identity

Evil Dead Burn

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/evil-dead-burn
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** evil-dead-burn
- **IMDb ID:** tt31170389
- **TMDB ID:** 1212763
- **Wikidata ID:** Q132731331
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31170389/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1212763, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q132731331

**Fi1m score: 55** · Critics 56 from 20 reviews

*In a sentence:* Relatives torn apart, first by conversation and then by everything in the kitchen

> Sébastien Vaniček’s spin-off is the most brutal film to carry the name, and Souheila Yacoub holds it together. But it has traded the series’ mischief for a domestic-abuse allegory it states rather than dramatises, and by the hour mark the gore has stopped landing.

## Synopsis

Alice (Souheila Yacoub) is drawn into the orbit of a family she has married into, and into their house, where old grudges are kept as carefully as the crockery. Susan (Tandi Wright), Joseph (Hunter Doohan), Thya (Luciane Buchanan), Edgar (Erroll Shand) and Polly (Maude Davey) are all under the same roof when something in the place wakes up, and the dead begin to speak through the living. What follows is the series’ familiar business, possession, mutilation and household objects put to new use, directed for the first time by Sébastien Vaniček, who co-wrote the script with Florent Bernard. Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert produce. It runs 110 minutes and carries an 18 certificate.

## Review

Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert, who produce, have handed their series to Sébastien Vaniček, the French director of *Infested* (2023), and he has written it with Florent Bernard. What they have made is the cruellest film to carry the Evil Dead name and, for long stretches, the least enjoyable. That is partly deliberate. The Deadites here are turned loose on a family that was already hurting each other before anything supernatural arrived, and every possession plays out as an argument that had been going on for years. The idea is a decent one. The film states it, then states it again, and by the halfway point it has stopped frightening us and started explaining.

The craft is real, and it is where the film is easiest to like. Philip Lozano’s camera hardly ever sits level. It tilts, drifts through doorways and follows bodies across rooms in long takes where most horror films would cut, so that when a thing happens to a person we see all of it. Nick Connor’s house is cluttered and ordinary, every drawer and sideboard stocked with something that will later be picked up in anger, and the film’s best jokes, such as they are, come from watching a household implement do a job it was not sold for. The trouble is the colour. Lozano and Connor have settled on greys and browns, and blood on a grey wall in grey light reads as damp rather than red.

Souheila Yacoub carries it. She plays Alice with a set jaw and a total absence of self-pity, and she can make running down a corridor look like a decision rather than a reflex. Tandi Wright’s Susan is the film’s other real presence, a woman whose every kindness has a bill attached. Hunter Doohan, Luciane Buchanan and Erroll Shand are given one trait each and play it competently. There is a sequence involving an older member of the household, which we will not spoil, that is the film’s best few minutes, the one place where the appalling and the ridiculous sit in the same shot as they used to for Raimi.

Here is what we felt. Early on there is a set piece involving an ear, and we were horrified, properly, and looked away, and were glad of the 18 certificate. There is also a sequence in a car that is staged with real ingenuity and had us braced in our seats. That was the first hour. By the second we noticed we were watching a body come apart the way one watches rain, and then we were annoyed at ourselves for being numb, and then at the film for having spent our capacity to be shocked so early and so freely.

The allegory does not help. Vaniček and Bernard want the demons to say what the family has always thought, and so the demons say it, in full sentences, at length. There is no need to work anything out; the film has done the working out and hands it over. Raimi’s originals had Bruce Campbell falling over furniture and a camera that ran at people like a dog. This has neither, and its refusal of comedy is not a mistake so much as a choice we cannot share. Maxime Caro leaves shots long, which serves the set pieces and starves the scenes between them, so that the family drama the film cares about most is the part that drags. Xavier Caux and Douglas Cavanna’s score drones low under everything and shrieks on cue, and we could not hum a note of it.

Against the series’ own standards it sits oddly. *The Evil Dead* (1981) and [*Evil Dead II*](https://film.one/film/evil-dead-ii) (1987) were cheap, quick and delighted with themselves. Lee Cronin’s [*Evil Dead Rise*](https://film.one/film/evil-dead-rise) (2023) was grim too, but it kept a ration of glee. *Burn* is better made than any of them, shot for shot, and it is the one we would least want to see again. Most critics are split down the middle on it, and for once we think the middle is the right place to stand.

See it if you have followed the series this far and want to know how much further it can go. Go with someone who does not flinch, and do not eat first. It is 110 minutes long, which is about twenty more than the material can carry, and the last of them are the loudest.

*Fi1m score 55, published 9 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

The reviews split almost evenly, and the spread is wide. Most critics agree on the ingredients: the practical effects and the inventiveness of the violence are praised repeatedly, as is Philip Lozano’s restless camerawork and Souheila Yacoub’s central performance. The disagreement is over what all the gore is for. Roughly a third find it a worthy, nastier new chapter that gives the series a darker purpose; the middle group find the set pieces strong but the relentless cruelty numbing and the pacing slack. The most persistent complaint concerns the film’s treatment of domestic abuse, which many call heavy-handed or literal-minded, along with the loss of the humour and mischief of earlier entries. The harshest verdicts, from The Times and Vulture, call it grim and miserable, with the brutalisation of women dwelt on to no purpose. Collider and The Wrap dissent in the other direction, calling it a frightening, funny successor and the series at its most vicious.

## Straight answers

**Is Evil Dead Burn worth watching?**

*Evil Dead Burn* is worth watching only for those who have followed the series this far and want to see how much further it can go, and we scored it 55. Souheila Yacoub holds it together and the first hour has two set pieces that horrified us, but the gore stops landing by the halfway point and the domestic-abuse allegory is stated rather than dramatised.

**How long is Evil Dead Burn, and what is it rated?**

*Evil Dead Burn* runs 1h 50m. It is a horror film.

**Where can I watch Evil Dead Burn in Estonia?**

*Evil Dead Burn* is not on any streaming or rental service in Estonia at the moment. It is available in 30 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is Evil Dead Burn, and is it suitable for children?**

*Evil Dead Burn* is not suitable for children; it carries an 18 certificate in the UK and is the most brutal film in the series. Possession, mutilation and household objects put to violent use run throughout, and an early sequence involving an ear made us look away. The squeamish should stay well clear, and nobody should eat first.

### Reviews we read (25)

- **Sight and Sound** (75/100, inferred): The critic welcomes the film as a grisly new chapter that delivers everything Evil Dead fans could want and need. It singles out DP Philip Lozano’s restless, canted camerawork and the inventive use of domestic weapons for praise. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/evil-dead-burn-franchise-returns-with-fire-fury-family-dysfunction)
- **Slant Magazine** (3/4): The critic calls it a personal if literal-minded schlockfest that is relentlessly cruel and makes prior entries seem like Sunday school. It praises Vaniček’s scare-making and inventiveness in bloodletting but complains that the meditation on gendered abuse feels uncomfortably literal-minded. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/evil-dead-burn-review-sebastien-vanicek/)
- **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman (70/100, inferred): The film is an effective piece of gross-out guignol that keeps the evil dead spirit alive through thematic, nonstop violence rooted in family rancor. It praises the practical effects, strong performances especially from the supporting cast, and the shift to darker family drama over comedy. [Read](https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/evil-dead-burn-review-1236802737/)
- **The Guardian** (65/100, inferred): The film goes harder on gore and family drama than prior entries but still feels overshadowed by Sam Raimi's originals, with clever technical flourishes amid the violence. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jul/08/evil-dead-burn-review)
- **Little White Lies**, Billie Walker (4/3/2): The critic finds the film a disappointing addition undermined by clumsy pacing, a heavy-handed abuse narrative and lack of the director’s distinctive vision. It singles out the exhausting and insincere handling of generational trauma and domestic violence for complaint. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/evil-dead-burn)
- **Radio Times**, Patrick Cremona (3/5): The critic describes a relentless onslaught of horror set pieces that can become numbing at times. It singles out the inventive staging of the many violent, blood-soaked sequences and franchise lore nods for praise. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/evil-dead-burn-review/)
- **The AV Club**, Monica Castillo (C): The critic finds the film a misfit entry that struggles to balance domestic violence themes with undead chaos, losing the Evil Dead spirit of guilt-free fun. It praises the dynamic camera moves and stylish tricks but complains that the somber tone and literal approach interrupt the rollercoaster horror. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/evil-dead-burn-review)
- **The New York Times**, Beatrice Loayza (55/100, inferred): The latest Evil Dead installment unleashes nasty thrills in bursts but never feels fully in control of its chaos, delivering inventive violence mainly in contained set pieces. It singles out the grim family dynamics and contained face-offs for praise while noting the director falls short of the previous reboot. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/09/movies/evil-dead-burn-review.html)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Joshua Rothkopf (50/100, inferred): Evil Dead Burn offers slick but diminishing returns as extreme horror that finds glee in destruction, pushing R-rating boundaries with gory set pieces. It complains about the muddy gray palette, show-offy and ill-considered gore, and narrative impatience while noting the loopy grandma scene as a highlight. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2026-07-10/evil-dead-burn-review-sebastien-vanicek-sam-raimi-souheila-yacoub-hunter-doohan-maude-davey)
- **Screen Daily** (50/100, inferred): The critic concludes that the film has lots of gore but little substance and makes less of an impact than its predecessors. It singles out the inventively schlocky setpieces and strong central performance from Souheila Yacoub for praise. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/evil-dead-burn-review-latest-in-long-running-horror-franchise-has-lots-of-gore-little-of-substance/5218450.article)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Brian Tallerico (40/100, inferred): The film is remarkably dumb and for completists only, with some clever set pieces undermined by incompetent filmmaking like flat visuals and clunky editing. It praises the inventive car sequence as a standout but criticizes the relentless cruelty and lack of personality. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/evil-dead-burn-horror-film-review-2026)
- **The Telegraph**, Ed Power (2/5): This spin-off drains all the fun from the franchise, delivering a bleak, plodding parade of slaughter focused on familial dysfunction instead of Raimi-style splatter-punk energy. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2026/07/10/evil-dead-burn-review-remorselessly-grim/)
- **The Times**, Kevin Maher (20/100, inferred): The film turns the franchise into an ill-advised issues-based drama about domestic abuse and toxic masculinity, devoting excessive time to the brutalisation of women in an unholy spectacle that glorifies violence. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/evil-dead-burn-film-review-3668w3thd)
- **Vulture** (20/100, inferred): The review deems it a grueling hell that doubles down on misery and graphic nastiness without emotional payoff. It singles out the relentless brutality, ear trauma and graphic dog murder for complaint while noting the camerawork often distracts from the flow. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-evil-dead-burn-is-a-grueling-hell-to-watch.html)
- **Empire**, Ben Travis: The critic finds it a bold and brutal but gruelling ride that cranks the series darker with inventive Deadite purpose and strong craft in extended takes and gore, while noting it occasionally becomes too unpleasant and dour with slack pacing. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/evil-dead-burn/)
- **IndieWire**, Alison Foreman: The review calls it the single strangest Deadite movie yet, an oddly emotive gorefest in which organized French cinema chaos collides with brutal in-law drama. It praises the distinctive blend of styles and emotional undercurrents while noting its departure from franchise norms. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/evil-dead-burn-film-review-sebastien-vanicek-1235204025/)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney: The critic sees it as an orgy of unmodulated mayhem that gives gorehounds what they want while sticking to the formula. It singles out the practical effects, inventive weaponry and Souheila Yacoub’s resilient performance for praise while complaining about the lack of humor, character depth and antic spirit of the originals. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/evil-dead-burn-review-1236637831/)
- **Total Film**, Brad Hanson: The critic describes the film as a relentless endurance test of blood-and-bile soaked nightmare fuel. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/horror-movies/evil-dead-burn-review/)
- **Collider**, Aidan Kelley (8/10): The critic praises it as a frightening, funny, worthy successor to the franchise, highlighting the director's skillful direction, strong third act, mix of horror and comedy, and practical effects. The one singled out for praise is the unforgettable third act. [Read](https://collider.com/evil-dead-burn-horror-sequel-review/)
- **The Wrap** (80/100, inferred): The film is the evilest entry in the Evil Dead series, with spectacular violence and dizzying camerawork that underscore the ugliness in its characters’ hearts and a family history of abuse. It piles on brutality and inventive gore until the house and everyone in it is obliterated, delivering peak Evil Dead showmanship. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/evil-dead-burn-review/)
- **Digital Spy**, Ian Sandwell (75/100, inferred): The critic praises the disgusting set pieces, darkly funny beats, striking cinematography and the way new director Vaniček brings his own style while keeping the franchise creatively alive. It is memorable and distinct despite a somewhat flat ending. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a71834842/evil-dead-burn-review/)
- **/Film**, Chris Evangelista (7/10): The critic praises the film's blend of body horror nastiness and surprising humor, noting it avoids being unrelentingly grim like previous entries while delivering creative gore. They single out the director's visual flair and inventive camera tricks for keeping the action lively and fun. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/2210521/evil-dead-burn-movie-review/)
- **NME**, Lou Thomas (3/5): The film has solid pacing and ingredients for a good horror yarn but never quite catches fire, lacking sufficient scares or brutality compared to the previous entry. It remains entertaining in isolation but is slightly disappointing as a follow-up. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/evil-dead-burn-review-souheila-yacoub-hunter-doohan-3955675)
- **Polygon**, Maria Loreto (40/100, inferred): The critic finds the film caught between horror and camp, trying to blend elements but ultimately falling flat; praises technical aspects like camera work and sound design but complains about underdeveloped story, weak character connections, and lack of tonal control. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/evil-dead-burn-review/)
- **Den of Geek**, David Crow (2 out of 5): The critic finds the film crude, cruel and misanthropic, lacking the mischief and visual flair of prior entries and resembling unpleasant torture porn more than fun horror. The toxic family metaphor is rote and the experience is an endurance test with little to redeem it. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/evil-dead-burn-review-horror-not-in-good-way/)

## Details

- **Director:** Sébastien Vaniček
- **Director:** Sébastien Vaniček
- **Writer:** Sébastien Vaniček, Florent Bernard
- **Cinematography:** Philip Lozano
- **Editor:** Maxime Caro
- **Music:** Xavier Caux, Douglas Cavanna
- **Production design:** Nick Connor
- **Costume design:** Sarah Voon
- **Producer:** Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi
- **Cast:** Souheila Yacoub as Alice; Tandi Wright as Susan; Hunter Doohan as Joseph; Luciane Buchanan as Thya; Erroll Shand as Edgar; Maude Davey as Polly; George Pullar as Will; Greta van den Brink as Jessica
- **Runtime:** 1h 50m
- **Release (Estonia):** 10 July 2026
- **Genres:** Horror
- **Budget:** $20 million
- **Box office:** $71 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RddZObTlmA8

## Where to watch in Estonia

Not streaming, renting or buying in Estonia at the last check.

Also available in: AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, ES, FI, GB, GR, HU, IE, IS, IT, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *The Evil Dead* (1981), Fi1m 77: Where it started, cheaper and faster and having far more fun with itself. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-evil-dead.md)
- *Possession* (1981): A marriage collapsing into body horror, done with actual feeling and a great deal of screaming.
- *Demons* (1985): Italian splatter with no message at all, which after this is a relief.
- *Relic* (2020): Family decay as haunted house, patient where Burn is loud, and it lands.
- *Infested* (2023): Vaniček’s first film: a tower block, spiders, and the wit this one is missing.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/evil-dead-burn