The Mosley Review: Evil Dead Burn

What drives us horror fans to the theatre when a new Evil Dead film is released? What are we excited to see? Is it the unhinged violence that befalls the new set of victims? Is the amount of bloodshed? Is it the dark comedy that happens inbetween the carnage? Is it the story that sets up the characters that then ultimately leads to the catalyst that sets off a chain of events? All of the above. I believe the entire Evil Dead franchise has become one of the pillars of quality long after its creator has left the writer and director's chair and it shows with each new and unique film. The last 2 films were spectacular in story and execution as they not only introduced new lore and new levels of terror that I have thoroughly enjoyed. Now comes this new entry and I am perplexed. I do enjoy the connectivity, expansion of lore and inventiveness of the carnage, but something was missing. The consistency of practicality is there with the Deadites and they were by far the most aggressive and grotesque this series has seen so far, but I felt it was the weakest story. I never desire Oscar caliber writing from these films, but I want to at least connect and empathize with a single character and well, none of that happened here. I loved the momentum and tension building once we get to the main location, but as we approached the final crescendo before the finale, I felt the film overstayed its welcome and delivered a pretty lackluster final confrontation.

Souheila Yacoub was good as our lead and grieving wife, Alice. The amount of pain, guilt and rage building inside of her throughout the film was well done by Souheila. Alice was not without her flaws as she was far from being the most innocent wife. George Pullar was good and confrontational as her late husband, Will Price. The two of them had a great chemistry in the beginning and to see their marriage deteriorate quickly was chaotic to say the least. It was a toxic marriage on both sides and I'm glad that it was explored. Hunter Doohan was great as Will's younger brother, Joseph Price and man was he the gentle child of the family. All he wanted was peace and once things start to go bad, you see the progression of fear and cowardice that was rightfully infuriating. Eventually, the bravery comes out in an especially bloody way and I loved that evolution of the character. Luciane Buchanan was excellent as his girlfriend, Thya and even more electric as a Deadite. The sequences between her and Joseph were the standout of the film as they were sadistic and especially intimate as the kitchen scene brought out the turth of both Joseph and Thyla. Erroll Shand was awesome and intense as the father of the family, Edgar. The amount of grief that strikes him early in the film was the perfect catalyst for his decent into madness. Erroll carries that amount of tension and delivers the first round of brutality expertly and I loved his creepy enjoyment. Tandi Wright was great as his wife, Susan Price. The entire family is truly toxic as there is an insane amount of unspoken abuse and through Susan, she showcases her trauma in the form of her casting blame on everyone else. I loved that layer of her and how it plays into the terror that befalls the family and her mental deconstruction.

The score by Double Danger was intense and thunderous in the best way. It really soars once the Deadites enter the house. The level of brutality is always a highlight of the franchise and this film is by far the most graphic and grotesque this franchise has ever seen. Its relentless and creative in set up and execution. There is a fall on the stair case that was so jarring and painful to witness and I loved it. The themes of abuse, toxic relationships and dissociation was all trough out the film and it didn't take long for them establish that. My main issue with the film was how chaotic the story felt. I loved the dark humor, but the story itself was very thin and almost an after thought completely. The characters themselves were not necessarily as fleshed out as I would've liked and it was hard to care for anyone because they're all horrible people. The finale of the film dragged on a bit too long for me and I hated the amount of CGI used when the staple of the franchise is practicality. Don't get me wrong, there's definitely CGI in the film, but here it was built up so much to the point where the reveal was lackluster. Overall, I did enjoy the film, but its definitely the weakest of the Evil Dead franchise. Do stick around for the 2 end credit scenes though as one of them needs a serious explanation. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!