The fifth film in the franchise was a bit of a surprise coming ten years after the 2013 remake. Its story once more saw the malevolent brain dead never able to be vanquished regardless of what happens to them presumably inspired by Meghan & Harry and therefore rightly titled ‘Evil Dead Rise’. Evil Dead Burn returns to the lake where the previous film also started and its where the story sees the turbulent marriage of Alice (Souheila Yacoub) and her husband inflamed by argument and ending in his death caused by a Deadite. At the funeral Alice sheds no tears but her in laws Erroll (Edgar Price looking like Bill Burr’s even more irate brother) and Susan (Tandi Wright) along with her brother in law Joseph (Hunter Doohan) and girlfriend are understandably distraught. But an incident at the crematorium sees Erroll’s fury at his son’s death exacerbated further that will provoke things further.
What to expect….
So when they all retire to the family’s dilapidated and isolated house in the forest where one legged dementia patient grandma Polly (Maude Davey) resides that the carnage commences in the accustomed catastrophic manner. The connection to the series here is that the Book of the Dead was part of their late grandfather’s research and has found its way back to the family’s country pile along with a ceremonial dagger that is central to dispensing with those possessed and those Deadites want it back.
Co-written and directed by French director Sebastien Vanicek as selected by the franchise overlord Sam Raimi this is relentlessly brutal in keeping with the previous films with ferociously intense set pieces which is a gift the prosthetic effects crew creating carnage often to queasy effect – and if Rise’s cheese grater scene made you wince wait until you see the scene with and ink cartridge pen.
Does Evil Dead Burn hot?
Vanicek certainly has a flair for eye catching shots and set pieces – the one shot seen in the first trailer where a character scrabbles around on the floor to get away from the bloody brawl in the back ground is well choreographed and there are several inventive shots that sees him turn his camera through 360 degrees that are stylishly realised and there’s even throwbacks to that ominous low angle POV camera shot charging through the forest. But unlike Rise where you rooted for the children to survive here there’s no one that you really sympathize despite the films entire subtext being about the victims of domestic violence. At 110 minutes It’s also the longest film in the franchise to date meaning that the relentlessly ferocious violence gets wearing.
End credits – both mid and end (but do stay for the very end credit !)
related feature : How that cheese grater scene in Evil Dead Rise came into being
related feature : Evil Dead Rise director Lee Cronin talks brutal horror, Easter eggs & Evil Dead 6 ideas!
Evil Dead Burn director & cast introduce the film, reveal story, characters & horror!
Here’s the trailer….
