•As horror season officially kicks off, one of this year’s most gruesome sequels has already become a streaming hit. Evil Dead Burn, which arrived on HBO Max in early October, quickly climbed to the top of the service’s U.S. movie charts.
According to FlixPatrol, the latest entry in the long-running horror franchise reached No. 1 on HBO Max just days after its streaming debut.
What is Evil Dead Burn about?
The newest installment in the Evil Dead franchise follows Alice, played by Souheila Yacoub (Dune: Part Two), a woman grieving the death of her husband who retreats to a secluded family home with her in-laws. But the family’s attempt to process their loss quickly turns into a nightmare when demonic forces turn them into Deadites — possessed, undead monsters that attack the living — leaving Alice fighting to survive.
Directed by Sébastien Vaniček, the film also stars Tandi Wright, Hunter Doohan (Wednesday) and Luciane Buchanan (The Night Agent). It follows 2023’s Evil Dead Rise, bringing another standalone story into the franchise’s increasingly gruesome corner of horror.
The film has earned a 70% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, suggesting that its blood-soaked approach has found plenty of admirers, even if it hasn’t won over everyone. Polygon’s review was less enthusiastic, arguing that Evil Dead Burn struggles to balance the franchise’s two defining elements: grotesque horror and slapstick comedy. While the review praised the film’s inventive kills, camera work and sound design, it found that the story’s attempts to explore grief and family violence never quite come together.
But for horror fans looking to spend spooky season watching demons wreak havoc and practical effects push the limits of good taste, it could be just the sort of bloody spectacle they’re after.
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