The Deadites have never been especially respectful of family boundaries, and “Evil Dead Burn” appears to be pushing that idea into a new domestic nightmare. The film is being billed as the third standalone entry in the modern era of the “Evil Dead” franchise, following 2013’s “Evil Dead” and “Evil Dead Rise,” with a new director, new characters, and another unlucky group discovering that some books are better left closed.
The connective tissue is still loose by design. “Evil Dead Burn” does not seem to directly continue the events of “Evil Dead Rise,” or the original Sam Raimi trilogy, but the franchise has always left room for blood-soaked mythology to creep in at the edges. Online, fans have also been circling a different possible link: the overlap between Lee Cronin’s “Evil Dead Rise” and his recent “Mummy” film, with some pointing to tonal and stylistic similarities.
Cronin, who serves as an executive producer on “Evil Dead Burn,” recently added fuel to that theory by suggesting that an archaeologist character in “The Mummy” may be related to key characters in “Evil Dead Rise.” Since 2013’s “Evil Dead” has long been treated as existing within the broader orbit of Raimi’s films, it is not impossible to imagine the modern entries forming a looser, stranger canon of their own. For now, though, that remains speculation—fun speculation, sure, but speculation all the same.
“Evil Dead Burn” stars Souheila Yacoub, Tandi Wright, Hunter Doohan, Luciane Buchanan, Errol Shand, Maude Davey, George Pullar, and Greta van den Brink. Sébastien Vaniček directs the film from a screenplay he co-wrote with Florent Bernard, based on characters created by Raimi. Raimi and Rob Tapert produce through Ghost House Pictures, with Romel Adam, Bruce Campbell, Jose Cañas, and Cronin executive producing.
The premise keeps the franchise in familiar, nasty territory. After losing her husband in a car accident, a woman seeks comfort with her in-laws at their remote home. The reunion curdles after the discovery of an ancient book, and soon the family gathering becomes another Deadite nightmare.
Here’s the official synopsis:
“Evil Dead Burn” unleashes the franchise’s most savage and terrifying ride to date, blazing onto big screens with an all-new chapter of carnage and demonic mayhem. After the loss of her husband, a woman seeks solace with her in-laws in their secluded family home. As one by one they are transformed into Deadites—turning the gathering into a family reunion from hell—she comes to discover that the vows she took in life… live on even in death.
Warner Bros. Pictures will release “Evil Dead Burn” in theaters on July 10. Watch the trailer below.
