I think I would be pretty jazzed to see a movie called Evil Dead Burn if I was not already a huge fan of the Evil Dead movies. That being said, the fact that the series of great horror movies (which are ultra-gory takes on the demonic possession film genre) is my all-time favorite horror movie franchise easily makes this upcoming horror movie one of my most anticipated films, regardless of genre.
Yet, because there is only so much that we know about Evil Dead Burn at the moment, being the devoted admirer of the original classic Sam Raimi movies that I am, I have a few pressing thoughts regarding this new installment that I have to get off my chest. However, let’s first dive into a few confirmed things about this hopefully groovy sequel.
Quick Things To Know About Evil Dead Burn
- Evil Dead Burn is set to hit theaters in 2026, but the exact release date is unconfirmed
- Sébastien Vaniček co-writes and directs
- Evil Dead Burn is one of two sequels in development
In 2024, Bruce Campbell, who became a horror movie icon by leading the first three Evil Dead films, confirmed in interviews (such as with Entertainment Weekly) that the franchise would continue. Not until December would we learn, from an Instagram post by co-writer and director Sébastien Vaniček, the title and release window for his new chapter.
Sébastien Vaniček Wants To Make A "Mean FIlm" With Evil Dead Burn
Following the success of his feature-length debut, Infested – a thriller that audiences afraid of spiders might be hesitant to use their Shudder subscription to watch – Paris-born filmmaker Sébastien Vaniček was selected to helm the next Evil Dead film, as Deadline reported in February 2024. He later recalled to French website Konbini his plans for the sequel in the following quote:
I told the studio that I wanted to make a mean film, a film that hurts, that leaves you feeling exhausted.
Considering how 1981’s The Evil Dead is famous for delivering on its promise of being “the ultimate experience in grueling terror,” Vaniček is setting himself up to fill some big shoes and I sure hope he meets expectations with this new installment. The filmmaker is also penning the screenplay with his writing partner Florent Bernard, who also co-wrote Infested (known in their native country as Vermines). Franchise creator Sam Raimi is producing Evil Dead Burn with longtime collaborator and partner at Ghost House Pictures, Robert Tapert.
There Is Another Evil Dead Movie In The Works
Much like Fede Álvarez’s 2013 Evil Dead reboot and Lee Cronin’s Evil Dead Rise from 2023, Evil Dead Burn is going to be a standalone sequel, set in the same universe as the Bruce Campbell movies but with a new cast of characters and setting. The plan, as Campbell once told AV Club, is to release a new anthological installment every “two or three years” as opposed to decades in between like before, and the strategy is already in progress with yet another follow-up in the pipeline.
Two months after Vaniček was announced as one of the Evil Dead franchise’s next helmers, Deadline reported that Francis Galluppi is working on his own standalone chapter. The writer and director of the 2023 crime thriller The Last Stop in Yuma County reportedly developed the idea on his own which he then brought to Raimi and Tapert. As of late 2024, no information regarding the plot, nor a release date window, has been revealed.
Questions I Have About Evil Dead Burn
Now that we have established what we know about Evil Dead Burn, let’s discuss a few things I am wondering about the flick.
So, What Does The Title, Evil Dead Burn, Mean Exactly?
As I established at the top, I love the name Evil Dead Burn. In fact, I think it might be the best title for an installment in this franchise yet, and I am even taking into account the working title for Army of Darkness, The Medieval Dead. Yet, I am struggling to wrap my head around its inspiration.
Evil Dead Rise had a clever double meaning in how it refers to the return of the eponymous malevolent spirits and the fact that the story takes place in an L.A. high-rise, which has me wondering if the follow-up takes a similar route. Instead of a chainsaw-handed hero, will we be following a protagonist who wields a flame-thrower against the Deadites, meaning we would literally see the Evil Dead burn? Or, could this mean something a little more apocalyptic and the film will show a new chapter in the Necronomicon that brings forth Hell onto the earth, meaning the Evil Dead are the ones perpetuating the burn on a global scale? Either one of these ideas – or, perhaps, both – sound great to me.
How Might Evil Dead Burn Involve Bruce Campbell?
I have said before that I have no qualms about an Evil Dead movie without Ash, the hero of the original trilogy whom Bruce Campbell retired from playing (at least in live-action appearances) after the cancellation of the Starz series, Ash vs. Evil Dead. The actor, who also produced the previous installments, is producing this sequel but I am hoping to see the icon involved with the film in front of the camera in some fashion.
He made a fun vocal cameo in Evil Dead Rise as a voice on a vinyl recording that may or not have been a reprisal of Ash Williams out of time. However, considering this is meant to be another standalone, I would be fine with seeing him make a brief appearance in an entirely different role, maybe even as a really ugly, nearly unrecognizable Deadite.
How Heavy Will Evil Dead Burn Go With The Easter Eggs?
In 2023, when I wrote a feature envisioning a preferable future for the Evil Dead franchise, one aspect that I hoped to see less of was references to the previous installments. The Easter Eggs in Evil Dead Rise were fun but, at some points, felt unnecessary and egregious, if I am perfectly honest.
I am totally open to the idea of seeing Vaniček pay tribute to Sam Raimi's original films but would personally prefer they be more subtle than, say, a character quoting one of Ash’s catchphrases (i.e. Lily Sullivan’s Beth telling The Maurader to “Come get some”). I believe the filmmaker’s main focus should be crafting something that honors the series’ new strategy to be an anthology horror franchise with a story that stands out from the rest of the pack as much as possible.
Of course, I don’t want to allow myself to get too bogged down in speculation. If Sam Raimi chose Sébastien Vaniček to help carry on his franchise’s legacy with Evil Dead Burn, I believe I should be able to trust that he will deliver us something truly groovy.
