FATHER OF THE DIED

2 hours ago
7 min read

EVIL DEAD BURN (18)

Director: Sebatsien Vanicek

Screenplay: Sebatsien Vanicek, Florent Bernard, Sam Raimi

Starring: Souheila Yacoub, Hunter Doohan, Luciane Buchanan

Running time: 110 minutes

Cinema

Review: David Stephens

Is there a more consistent horror franchise than “Evil Dead”? After all, there hasn’t been a ‘bad’ film entry yet. That’s a personal opinion, obviously, so argue amongst yourselves if you disagree. The original and the sequel were (of course) classics in the genre, and “Army of Darkness” was goofy fun, if a lesser example of the brand. But it’s the crossover from ‘legacy’ to ‘modern’ horror that has been impressively accomplished. With Sam Raimi still heavily involved, the 2013 ‘rebootquel’ directed by Fede Álvarez genuinely rocked and introduced a gritty feel to the proceedings, as well as a fan favourite character in Jane Levy’s Mia. And ‘Evil Dead Rise’ in 2023, helmed by Lee Cronin, again confounded expectations by being extra ‘groovy’ and refreshing the franchise. Compare that pleasing steadiness with the screeching-of-brakes-sound that came with “Halloween Kills” and “The Exorcist: Believer”. Yeesh! So, for once, hopes are high for this new sequel (and it is a sequel of sorts). Personally chosen for the project by Raimi, after seeing his well-received spider-horror “Infested”, it was up to French director Sébastien Vanicek to bring this next chapter to the big screen, fashioned from a screenplay that he co-wrote. It’s worth noting that as well as Raimi producing, Bruce Campbell and Cronin served as executive producers on the shoot. Keeping it in the ‘family’. It stars Swiss actress (and ex-gymnast) Souheila Yacoub as the lead protagonist, who was recently seen as Lillith, opposite Nic Cage in “The Carpenter’s Son”. So, with all that in mind, will it be another successful outing or should it roast in the pits of Hell?

It starts with two guys trawling for crayfish in a woody glade before they are attacked by a deadite. If the deadite (and the location) looks familiar, this is probably due to the fact that it carries on that plot thread from the start of “Evil Dead Rise” at the lakeside cabin. Although it’s never spelt out, the deadite is presumably Jessica from that film, especially as she is now played by Greta Van Den Brink (who was the stunt double for the actress playing that character in “Rise”). Got that? Anyway, she moves with purpose and deliberately causes a car crash, which results in Will (Geore Pullar) burning to death. Sometime later, Will’s widow (French native Alice played by Yacoub) meets the grieving in-laws at the crematorium, which includes scowling father Edgar (Erroll Shand), passive-aggressive mother Susan (Tandi Wright), and wimpy brother Joseph (Hunter Doohan). To say there’s a lot of bad feeling amongst the group is understating it somewhat, as the parents partially blame Alice for the accident and it’s implied that the marriage was on the rocks anyway. After a strange encounter in the crematorium between Edgar and ‘someone’, the group returns to the ramshackle family home that is being barely upkept by Joseph. However, the place soon bears witness to some shocking violence and mutilation as the Deadites start to control members of the family to find ‘something’. It means that the abuse Alice has suffered in the past is coming back to haunt her.

First off, seeing this on opening day and then reading some of the mainstream reactions, you can’t help but notice a sudden backlash of dreary, incompetent negativity in some quarters. Our favourite was a truly slappable quote from one numpty who said “Have the guys who made the last three Evil Dead movies even seen Raimi's trilogy? The key descriptor for all three was fun”, which is quite breathtaking in its arrogance and ignorance. Never mind the filmmakers, have they seen the original?! Jesus! Some hacks are even dusting the cobwebs off the tired old “torture porn” critique. Anyway, ignore all that. Because this is excellent and another fine entry in the franchise that still (fight us!) has yet to disappoint. Despite rumours of cutting out some intense sequences and some reticence over the set-up, this is a gory, mean, tough horror that knows its core audience. With the entrails and chaos, Vanicek also remembers to throw in some Easter Eggs and some extremely dark humour, as befits the tone. There’s also some pleasingly uncomfortable scrutiny given over to abuse and fractured familial values. Something for everyone then!

And when we say, ‘dark humour’, we mean it! Darker than Batman in a bathtub of ink. Before the demon-fighting, Vanicek lays it on thick with a funeral service interrupted by construction noises, a dementia-affected character making inappropriate comments, the same character calmly taking a slow stair-lift as chaos erupts, and severed fingers dropping to the floor with impeccable comic timing. The funnies are there if you look for them. But of course, in keeping with the previous entry, this is primarily a dark and nasty affair that has no fear in going for it when it matters. Both children and dogs are deep-sixed without a second thought in this world! Vanicek brings a touch of the French ‘extreme’ wave to the proceedings with squirm-inducing moments aplenty. Like the cheese-grater in “Rise”, instead of guns and chainsaws (although this tool is cheekily teased for a moment before the audience is wrong-footed), expect household and garden implements to be used for deadly reasons. You’ve already seen the dishwasher gag in the trailer, but you can also expect inventive outings for shavers, pens, weed whackers, and jackhammers.

Vanicek invents new ways to repulse (in a good way) with a character having their face smooshed into the concave remnants of another person’s head, like a puppy being disciplined for messing on the floor. And the less said about the denture scene, the better! It’s ‘playful’ only in a way that hardcore horror fans might appreciate, and there’s a kind of honesty in the more ‘disgusting’ scenes that works. That’s all well and good for us sickos, but luckily there’s plenty of other stuff to satiate the audience with during the running time. The director has a good visual style that keeps in line with Raimi’s frenetic and jumpy camerawork. There are loads of Raimi (and Edgar Wright) type ‘smash-cuts’ or quick-cut sequences to forward the narrative. There are unnerving bird's-eye view shots of confrontations and the (seen in the teaser) one-take fight scene that focuses on one character’s plight as bedlam breaks out. One sequence (following the aftermath of a lethal encounter in a car) is a handsomely mounted slo-mo moment with gently falling snow to add atmosphere. And then there’s a great shot that emulates the camera swinging up from a prone character’s perspective like a classic moment from Raimi’s original. All good stuff that ensures that this isn’t ‘just torture porn’.

The character of Alice, whilst not hugely fleshed out, is given enough depth and detail by Yacoub to make her a worthy successor to Ash, along with Mia and Lily Sullivan’s Beth (from ‘Rise’). A tough individual, she nonetheless takes some dirty punishment (eardrum trauma! Ouch!) and fights back to a believable extent. We wouldn’t argue with a weed-whacker-wielding Alice, that’s for sure. The underlying theme of domestic abuse might seem a little crass or trite in an Evil Dead movie, but it works in context, along with the subtle theme of misguided familial loyalty and enablement. It also helps to give the final act an extra satisfying ‘umph’ along with the body horror.

If there are any gripes to be had, it’s that the central concept is still essentially the same as all other Evil Dead films. A group isolated in a building fights off Deadites as they possess their number. Only “Army of Darkness” has shirked this narrative so far. Also, whilst mostly great, Vanicek’s jumpy camerawork occasionally becomes so erratic that it’s almost impossible to work out who’s doing what horrible thing to whom. Those are minor moans, though, and the whole thing is excellent otherwise. Kudos are also due to the terrific music as well. Created by French electronic and film score duo Double Danger (who also worked on “Infested”), it’s a wonderful mixture of OTT gothic dirges and other appropriate sounds that really complements the mood onscreen. So good and likely to be overlooked by most people. Longtime fans of the franchise will appreciate nods to the lore, with a major physical MacGuffin being a familiar object and the expected visual cameo of a certain visage. And those who sit through the whole of the end credits will get a moment that is likely to be insanely pleasing for many and adds yet another carrot on a stick for future entries. Do not miss it! (Or just be lazy and look for spoilers online… It’s entirely your choice.)

And that’s the picture. It’s crowd-pleasing for its core audience and longtime fans, but it’s hard to guess whether it will pick up the fervour and legs that “Rise” gained for a wider audience. We hope so. In a month that is annoyingly bereft of horror on the big screen, this is a tasty treat that will keep you satisfied until the August genre efforts start dropping. It’s smart and faithful to the franchise's ethics, even if some moments don’t make a great deal of sense in retrospect. It always feels weird trying to explain to non-genre fans why we like stuff like this and why we ‘enjoy’ it. But it is a ‘fun’ film in that respect, and it plays with the audience’s expectations in the best way. First dud of the franchise? Gedouttahere! Let’s hope the upcoming “Wrath” (a prequel to the whole narrative and set in the 1970s) is just as good. ED is still hot.

Relentless and delirious, this is a clever and satisfying continuation of the beloved franchise. Horror fans will have a blast and won’t be disappointed, as no prisoners are taken during the bloody mayhem. Yacoub shines, blood flows, Vanicek displays a keen eye for the genre, and the music score is fantastic. Minor quibbles aside, this is another win for Raimi’s offspring. The grooviness goes on…