The Evil Dead franchise has set itself apart in the horror sphere by proving that its lore can be terrifying no matter the setting. While the series will forever be associated with that cabin in the woods, 2023 standalone spin-off Evil Dead Rise brought those same vibes to a crumbling apartment building. Next, this summer’s Evil Dead Burn will put its own spin on the familiar set-up involving the Necronomicon, a reluctant yet resourceful hero, an unfriendly location, and Deadites intent on swallowing souls.
In a new Empire feature, director Sebastien Vaniček (Infested) hinted at what to expect from Evil Dead Burn. Another isolated house is involved, but this time, it’s where a recently widowed woman, Alice (Souheila Yacoub of Climax and Dune: Part Two), goes to spend time with her in-laws. Unfortunately, what should be a quiet time of mourning turns into, well… you can guess; the marketing dubs the experience “a family reunion from hell.”
As Vaniček explains, Alice isn’t a character cut from the same oversized cloth as Bruce Campbell’s Ash, who battled and quipped his way through the first three Evil Dead films as well as the TV show Ash vs Evil Dead. Instead, Alice is “really grounded.” She’s just lost her husband, after all, and “I wanted to create characters that are behaving like it’s real life.”
However, it sounds like real life spirals into gruesome fantasy once the movie’s humans start turning into cackling, calculating demons. “They are smart. They are playing with you,” he said. “When I was talking with the actors, I was telling them, ‘Behave like animals.’ Every one of these Deadites has a fighting style that is completely different.”
And it sounds like Evil Dead Burn will have its own equivalent of the kitchen horrors seen in Evil Dead Rise, a movie that ensured we’ll never look at a cheese grater the same way ever again. “I really want the audience to feel different when they use their dishwasher after watching the movie,” Vaniček teased.
Evil Dead Burn hits theaters July 10.
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