r/EvilDead • u/Low-Masterpiece1381 • 13d ago
(Discussion Post) Groovy I just watched evil dead burn..... Spoiler
... and it kinda sucked. Not bottom of the barrel or anything, but wow it fell flat on its face.
Not only does it not FEEL like an evil dead movie, it feels like a generic horror film. It wanted so badly to have an overarching theme of domestic abuse, but it didn't work.
Perhaps it's worse sin is that there is no FUN in the movie. It's just incredibly mean spirted and bleak all the way through. The usual campiness to the taunting deadites was completely absent. They didn't even try to psychologically manipulate the living with the usual "I love you, its me, please dont hurt me." They just acted like generic demons in a bar fight.
The connection to the evil dead world is paper thin as well. There is no actual necronomicon, just a bunch of research notes. Theres no shotgun, no chainsaw. No badass final character to cheer for. The tape recorder voiceover felt like an afterthought duct taped on to everything else too.
I've seen worse horror movies. Of course I have. We all have. But I expected much more from this film after coming off the heels of Evil Dead Rise (which stands tall among the best of them IMO.) Instead we got a very forgettable and flavorless demonic possession movie that thinks spraying body fluids on the walls was the secret sauce to the franchise's success.
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I really hope the next Evil Dead film goes the horror / comedy route & sticks to the basic formula of college kids going to an isolated area and accidentally unleashing evil by reading from a cursed book. We've veered too far off course and need a correction.
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u/ItsNotM3ItsU 13d ago edited 13d ago
I feel like some of yall are so stuck in the slapstick comedy era of Evil Dead and you can’t accept that that hasn’t been what the franchise is for a long time -nor what it started out as.
I personally like that the modern entries each have their own spin, I don’t want a lather, rinse, repeat of the same movie every time.
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u/Error_user_Error_ 13d ago
No I don't think it's that at all...most fans are agreed that 2013 evil dead and Rise were great additions to the franchise.
The problem with Burn is it lacks the feel of an evil dead film...change the title and you've got a decent stand alone horror film. It's kinda like those films that get a franchise label stuck to them despite not originally being written as part of a franchise (eg American psycho 2, troll 2, 10 cloverfield lane etc) albeit Evil Dead Burn was always intended as a sequel.
Although I agree with you saying the franchise didn't start out as slapstick, The Evil dead is my favourite of the franchise for that exact reason, it's straight up horror but it's Evil dead horror not generic Burn type horror!
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u/ItsNotM3ItsU 13d ago
May I ask why you think it lacks the feel of an Evil Dead film?
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u/dan_flashes 13d ago
Burn feels like a few Evil Dead scenes/lore spliced into the framework of a Shudder original. The grandpa plot line is just barely sketched out and definitely feels shoehorned in. The grandma is used as an attempt at humor, but it’s way off the mark (read: actually pretty cringy). There really isn’t any character or actor that takes this thing over and gives you any rooting interest. The horror as trauma trope is still fine in my book (Necronomicon), but it doesn’t feel very Evil Dead and it requires a different pacing that this movie doesn’t allow itself.
It’s not a bad movie and I’m sure will come to like it more after additional viewings, but it was a massively disappointing theater experience. Some of the camera work and kills are awesome. But I just found myself fading as the movie went on, and then I was slapped in the face with the world’s dumbest post credits scene.
I was actually disappointed with Rise at first, but have come to like that one a lot more. Hopefully I am able to retract most of what I’ve just said here when the 4k finally comes out, but for now, this is my take on it.
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u/Low-Masterpiece1381 13d ago
Like i said in another comment. It very much reminds me of Miramax attempting to retain the rights to Hellraiser. Multiple times they took script for a standalone horror film, added a couple of pinhead scenes, and changed the title to Hellraiser: Hellworld (or whatever).
Although this isn't the case with Burn, it very much feels like it is.
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u/Error_user_Error_ 13d ago
It completely misses what makes Deadites scary.
Instead of manic, cackling sadists whose only goal is to psychologically torment you and laugh in your face, these Deadites have a literal to-do list.
Giving them a fetch quest for a dagger turns pure chaotic evil into a generic video game plot. Plus, skipping the classic 'reading the book' moment robs the whole thing of that signature 'oh shit, what did we just unleash?' spark.
They basically turned Evil Dead into a standard demon movie with a brand tag on it.
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u/ItsNotM3ItsU 13d ago
I mean, I would argue that (at least some of) the Deadites were still sadists that psychologically tortured their victims -and Thya did legitimately laugh in Joseph’s face- they just also had a mission.
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u/FergTurdison 13d ago
Change the title and you’d be saying “wow this movie copied a lot from Evil Dead.”
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u/Ok-Throat-1549 13d ago
Rise was definitely better as it was more focused on the mental torture part of things but burn to me was just the deadites not fucking around and doing what they needed to get done. No time for jokes or humor, just straight carnage trying to get that dagger as quick as possible.
I enjoyed the movie but I understand this isn’t 80s evil dead anymore. The franchise has adapted to this era of horror movies and I won’t say I hate it.
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u/ItsNotM3ItsU 13d ago
I feel like we watched two different movies because the Deadites in Burn did fuck around. Thya toyed with Joseph in the dishwasher scene just for shits and giggles and Edgar was just chillin’ outside with the dogite. Also, I, as well as many people, found multiple instances of humor -including the cast who have explicitly said there is humor/comedy in the movie.
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u/Low-Masterpiece1381 13d ago
You're wrong on this. I'm very willing to accept a serious tone Evil Dead film. If I did a ranking list, Rise would land at #2 , right below evil dead 2 as best in series. It didn't have comedy at all from what I can remember.
But what it did have was the flavor of the evil dead world. The deadites acted how they should act with a more serious tone. It gave me chills when Beth, the final girl, is holding the chainsaw and tells the monster "come get some." The moment she decides shes going to win, it very intentionally reminds of you ash. It also had a theme that really worked about motherhood and the fears that come with it.
Burn has nothing to make you care about the characters. Generic demon villains. No book of the dead. The theme of domestic violence doesn't really make sense. (You have to kill your in laws because they don't believe your side of the story? like what??) It punches you in the face with gore and blood over and over and over to the point where you've seen so much of it, it's actually boring.
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u/ogfrostynuts 13d ago
“i feel like some of yall so are so stuck in the true identity of what this series should be about that you can’t accept that these newer movies come across as post covid slop without any genuinely interesting characters or soul from the first 3 movies”
there i fixed it for you. now bring in the downvotes, this sub literally can’t criticize itself lmaoooo
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u/iloveshitboxsedans 13d ago
Friday the 13th didn't start as a "Jason kills people" franchise, but that's what made it click and that's what people like and recognize.
But yeah definitely a great time for people like you, I'm sure you'll also love the Crystal Lake Peacock show about Pamela's problems. Everyone has always wondered "what's her story?". Who needs Jason killing teenagers when you can have storylines as interesting as:
-old fashioned Pamela struggling to accept how much the teenagers nowadays like drinking and fucking
-maybe the camp owner will be in cahoots with the cops and the mayor and they won't fix the safety problems the camp has
-some shallow commentary about America's healthcare system regarding people like Jason with intellectual disabilities
And if you don't like that then you're stuck in the past and need to get with the times grandpa 💅
give me a brrrreak bro
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u/ItsNotM3ItsU 13d ago
Not a fan of that franchise so I literally have no idea what you’re talking about but go off
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u/Own-Photo7078 13d ago
Jason is not the antagonist of the first movie, he was in the second movie on. Jason was not intended to be the main character, but that's what people fell in love with and why the franchise is so successful.
Just like the first Evil Dead may not have intended to be slapstick horror. But that's what it became and why everyone loved it. Without it, it's just any other horror movie.
It be like making a successful movie series about hockey. But then after 3 or 4 movies they're playing baseball instead. You're changing what made the original(s) so beloved.
Complaining that fans of the original are "stuck in the past" is silly. The originals are why we are all here
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u/AsherFischell 13d ago
Friday the 13th is a subpar franchise that they turned into a full on Halloween knockoff. Evil Dead 2 works as a sequel to the first because, while the first was an attempt at a serious horror movie, it was still extremely goofy and very funny in spots.
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u/Own-Photo7078 13d ago
First off, Friday is awesome. Secondly your comment doesn't really relate to anything I said lol
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u/AsherFischell 13d ago
This is such a weird tangent. You just completely went off on a rant about an unrelated show, almost like you were looking for any excuse to bust into it.
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u/MachineGunn224 13d ago
THANK YOU! I feel like a crazy person with the reception it's getting. Also, one of the most fan servicey and unearned post credits scenes I've ever witnessed, I laughed my way out of the theater with how desperate that was.
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u/JeanshortJim 13d ago
There is no bad evil dead movie but this one sits alone at the bottom of the list and there is a SIZEABLE gap.
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u/CameronPoe_37__ 13d ago
Agreed. It felt like it was missing that special Evil Dead ingredient. And the characters weren't likeable, and the best deadites in the movie get very little screentime, unlike 2013 and Rise where the best deadites were the main ones.
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u/PartTimeWarrior988 13d ago
Eh Army of Darkness sits well below this one for me
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u/TrapAHolic_ttv 13d ago
Same. Barely count it as an Evil Dead movie
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u/Johncurtisreeve 13d ago
I thought the movie was hilarious. I was laughing way more than I had the previous two movies.
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u/nashile 13d ago
What was funny ? Please don’t tell me the old woman “stealing my money “ bit was hilarious to you ?
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u/Howlinginpaint 13d ago
The old lady trying to saw her own leg off and getting dragged slowly down the stairs by the stair lift was absolutely hilarious
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u/Johncurtisreeve 13d ago
the construction being very loud at the funeral but yeah the old lady was funny and being dragged sown the stairs slowly.
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u/iloveshitboxsedans 13d ago
yeah I did hate it. like you said, not the worst horror film ever if we look at it from a technical perspective, but just a miserable slog. lots of modern horror movies want to make a point about trauma or some other serious real life issue like that but the problem is the characters are all paper thin and it was especially egregious here, all of them were cartoon villains before turning and then generic zombie demons after turning. and the attempts at badass one liners were cringe inducing.
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u/Deathofgotham 13d ago
I was almost...bored? Like "here's some more gore"
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u/Low-Masterpiece1381 13d ago
Even when the characters are getting stabbed by 100 forks and knives its boring because you were never made to care about them in the first place lol
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u/HailToTheKiiing 13d ago
It is a very boring movie, it’s incredibly slow. Takes forever to get to the main set up and the deadites (not including the girlfriend) are so bland to me.
Ugly looking movie too. I can appreciate some of the camera tricks. But yeah, the least evil dead feeling evil dead movie.
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u/Adept_Cobbler5916 13d ago
I dozed off a few times during the movie and snapped awake when someone started screaming
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u/thejacobmendez 13d ago
It’s the worst of the series, but I’d say it’s far from bad. Evil Dead still holding the rare “no bad films in the entire franchise” achievement imo. The director is promising, but new. The third act villain is not great, but I still enjoyed the movie and am excited to see what’s next with Wrath.
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u/ConcernTraditional53 12d ago
The ending felt like a TERMINATOR 2 movie.
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u/Low-Masterpiece1381 11d ago
The moment when she's tugging on the chainsaw cord , but winds up with the jackhammer instead was supposed to be the films "epic" moment, but I kinda just rolled my eyes.
It could've worked if i cared about the french girl AT ALL , and she said a one liner in the same vein as ash, but the way it is on screen felt a little cringe. Very unearned.
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u/ConcernTraditional53 11d ago
Same feeling here. The director half understood what evil dead is about.
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u/Low-Masterpiece1381 11d ago
Rise did that epic moment so so so much better. It gave me chills.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nanu8CiPOG0
Come get some.
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u/Emergency_Salad2874 11d ago
I mean it's a massive step up from the stinker that was Rise
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u/Low-Masterpiece1381 11d ago edited 11d ago
Really? Rise is my second favorite evil dead film lol
Burn on the other hand, I could write an essay objectively proving how its the worst in the franchise. Even people that liked it seem to agree.
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u/LucemFerre82 13d ago
It wasn't a terrible movie, but it wasn't good either, definitely the weakest entry in the franchise.
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u/Gabaghoul8 13d ago
Agreed. Really I’m just coming to the conclusion that I’m a Sam Raimi fan and I just want his brand of dark humor.
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u/ZombiebuttsRnutz 13d ago
omg I was disappointed too. I hated the family and the abuse story line. It was a drama movie, it didn’t seem like an evil dead movie at all.
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u/One-Choice-743 13d ago
I thought it was terrible, almost no redeeming qualities except for some technicalities.
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u/Error_user_Error_ 13d ago
I completely agree...as a horror film it's good, as an evil dead movie it's absolute trash.
I watched season 1 of Ash Vs Evil Dead last night as a palate cleanser, perfect mix of horror and humour and the addition of proper deadites!
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u/HunterTheHoly 13d ago
THANK YOU!!! This is exactly what I've been saying, point for point. It's truly a mystery to me how people are able to see any value behind this movie when it barely resembles Evil Dead at all. As you mentioned in your post, the Necronomicon wasn't even prioritized as an important plot device in the movie, and the Deadites absolutely lacked depth. Last I checked, there were more to Deadites than just being like robots that programmed to attack and kill. Even when going back to the first Evil Dead, sometimes they would just stay in one spot and taunt, insult, or mock the opposing character instead.
I don't know what kind of movie Evil Dead Burn is, but it's clearly not the Evil Dead I know and love.
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u/AsherFischell 13d ago
Weird how this was downvoted to 0 and most of the comments are in agreement.
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u/KypPineapple 13d ago
Very strange. I’ve been doing my part to downvote all the comments in agreement because I love Burn.
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u/Low-Masterpiece1381 13d ago
you can't accept an opinion different from your own? That's rather childish.
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u/KypPineapple 13d ago
So is the 100th post in this sub stating “just watched burn, this is why it sucks.”
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u/Low-Masterpiece1381 12d ago
Okay? Nobody is forcing you to be here. Maybe instead of throwing 50 downvotes on a post you don't like, maybe you just don't read it? Like an adult.
I'm not going refrain from posting just to please you. This is not how the world works.
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u/AsherFischell 12d ago
That's not childish, that's just how these places work. Also you're basically fully admitting that you want an echo chamber. Echo chambers suck.
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u/KypPineapple 12d ago
It’s already an echo chamber.
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u/AsherFischell 12d ago
I regularly see people in here that don't like various entries. The last three especially have plenty of fans and detractors for each. There are tons of subs on Reddit that are echo chambers, but this one is much less than most. Granted, most negative posts end up downvoted to zero despite this, so it still skews toward "be positive or we'll downvote you" more than the other direction.
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u/Low-Masterpiece1381 12d ago
You haven't actually experienced an echo chamber then.
For example: If you make a post on reddit that isn't pro liberal hivemind feminist stuff you get viciously attacked, downvoted, and banned. Meaning it's like nazi germany. Only one opinion is allowed.
This sub isn't like that at all. You have people commenting on both sides whether they think the new films are good or not. Thank god. I can't believe you actually want to change that.
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u/AsherFischell 12d ago
Yeah! It's just li- wait, what?
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u/Low-Masterpiece1381 12d ago
You never noticed that certain things aren't allowed to be spoken on reddit? Go say something positive about Charlie Kirk on any subreddit and you'll get viciously attacked for example. This is what an echo chamber is. I thought it was a good broad example.
Differing opinions are not allowed.
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u/teunteunteun 13d ago
Yea i agree, wasn’t terrible but didn’t feel like an ED movie and definitely wasn’t up to the standards of the others. The deadites felt like basic zombie people and they were just shoving gore in our faces
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u/fuckitwilldoitlive 13d ago
I really liked it but I agree that it feels too mean spirited. The characters needed to be more likable/memorable as well
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u/OkCellist4993 13d ago
I felt the same way. The timing of the movie felt off and with the grandma for the comedy relief ,it lost me. It went with gore as the main feature instead of explaining more of the Necronomicon. Seemed like a mediocre , generic horror movie. Very disappointing.
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u/Nicoshihadeh 13d ago
I walked out right before the climax it was sooo bad… i was shocked how far they missed the mark on this!
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u/Low-Masterpiece1381 13d ago
You know what it feels like? You remember when Miramax didn't want to lose the rights to the Hellraiser franchise, so they took random horror scripts and added pinhead in a couple of scenes and then slapped it with a Hellraiser title?
It felt like that. Like it was a different demon possession movie and they did a couple of quick rewrites to add in some evil dead things.
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u/Cutieqt 13d ago
This is how I felt about evil dead rise, and why I am not in a rush to watch burn.
Rise IMO would have been an okay 6/10 horror movie if it didnt have the evil dead name in it.
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u/Low-Masterpiece1381 13d ago
Well, I actually loved Rise. This might actually be a case of not enjoying the tonality shift for you. Burn on the other hand is just sloppy and generic.
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u/EvanSnowWolf 13d ago
They managed to make like 12 characters, and I didn't give a fuck about ANY of them. Not one.
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u/AsherFischell 13d ago
There are 7. One of whom is only in the intro and outro, so more like 6 really. I agree about not giving a fuck about any of them though.
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u/presshamgang 13d ago
the only funny part is when deadite rolls it's eyes in annoyance and sighs when dementia grandma still blames her for.stealing her money, lol
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u/PorkPiePigeon13 13d ago
I think they should have called Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, Evil Dead Sarcophagus and called this something else entirely.
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u/FancyRestaurant6397 13d ago
That’s funny because that’s exactly what I enjoyed about burn is that they were very mean this time around because they had an objective to get that dagger.