Six films deep, the Evil Dead franchise has somehow never had a genuinely bad entry — and Evil Dead Burn doesn’t break that streak. It’s the meanest, most relentless installment yet, trading some of the series’ signature campy humor for raw, visceral horror grounded in real trauma. It’s not the smartest or funniest Evil Dead movie, but it might be the most brutal.
Overview
Evil Dead Burn is a 2026 supernatural horror film directed and co-written by Sébastien Vaniček, serving as a standalone sequel to Evil Dead Rise (2023) and the sixth installment in the Evil Dead franchise. It follows Alice, a young woman who seeks comfort with her in-laws after the death of her abusive husband, only for the family reunion to spiral into a nightmare as relatives are possessed one by one and turned into Deadites.
Key Details
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Runtime | 1 hr 50 min |
| Director | Sébastien Vaniček |
| Genre | Supernatural Horror, Fantasy, Mystery |
| Cast | Souheila Yacoub, Hunter Doohan, Luciane Buchanan, Tandi Wright, Erroll Shand, Maude Davey, George Pullar |
| Release Date | July 8, 2026 |
| Where to watch | In theaters now (Warner Bros. in North America, Screen Gems/Sony internationally); streaming release expected to follow |
| Rating | 6.3/10 |
Plot Summary
After her abusive husband William dies in a car accident, Alice attends his funeral and travels with his family to their secluded lakehouse. What starts as an uneasy gathering of grieving relatives — survivors, enablers, and lingering resentments all under one roof — quickly turns into something much worse. Elsewhere, Joseph Price has been digging into his late grandfather’s obsession with the Necronomicon and uncovers the Kandarian Dagger, said to be capable of destroying Deadites. His discovery draws the attention of a Deadite already loose in the area, and it isn’t long before the family reunion turns into a fight for survival as possession spreads through the house. Alice, already scarred by trauma from her marriage, has to fight her way out — only to discover that some vows apparently don’t end with death.
Why You Should Watch It
- It’s the most feral entry in the franchise. Critics have called it the “evilest” Evil Dead yet, with maximum-brutality kills and an unrelenting pace once it gets going.
- Genuinely inventive gore. Between fish hooks, corkscrews, a dishwasher, and a jackhammer, the film finds creative and stomach-churning ways to weaponize everyday household objects.
- Strong technical filmmaking. Reviewers have praised the cinematography and editing, especially a standout dinner-scene-into-car-chase sequence that ranks among the franchise’s best set pieces.
- A director unafraid to take risks. Vaniček, chosen personally by Sam Raimi after Infested (2023), pushes the series into a more grounded, trauma-driven direction rather than repeating past formulas.
Recommendations
If Evil Dead Burn worked for you, here’s where to go next:
- Evil Dead Rise (2023) — The direct predecessor and a Certified Fresh entry (85% on Rotten Tomatoes) that connects directly to this film’s story.
- Evil Dead II (1987) — The franchise’s highest-rated chapter, for a taste of the series’ classic blend of horror and dark comedy.
- Infested (2023) — Director Sébastien Vaniček’s breakout horror film, which is what got him hired for this project in the first place.
- Talk to Me (2023) — Another visceral, possession-driven horror film with a similarly relentless intensity.
- Barbarian (2022) — For fans who want another modern horror film that isn’t afraid to get genuinely mean and unpredictable.
Conclusion
Evil Dead Burn doesn’t quite hit the heights of the franchise’s best entries, but it’s still an entertaining, technically impressive, and unapologetically brutal addition to one of horror’s most consistent series. It swaps some of the classic camp for a darker emotional undercurrent tied to trauma and abuse, and while that trade-off won’t work for everyone, longtime fans willing to embrace a meaner, more feral Evil Dead will still find plenty to sink their teeth into.