The Book of the Dead, also known as Naturom Demonto, has been a primary character in the Evil Dead franchise. When one reads the words in the book, they unknowingly are summoning demons that look to possess the living, murder, and cause chaos. What makes it so scary is that it can not be destroyed, thus allowing anyone who stumbles upon it to share the same fate. Even if a demon is defeated once it inhabits a human’s body, demons and evil beings will always still exist, waiting to be summoned.
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Evil Dead Burn, the third film in the modern franchise and sixth in the Evil Dead universe, is another chapter in the horrors of the Book of the Dead, this time following the Price family. Where it seems the franchise has never been able to hold up to the original two or three (depending on who you ask), Evil Dead Burn is the best entry into the new franchise, allowing familial destruction and history to guide its story, showing that humans can sometimes be just as terrifying as the demons that are held within the Book of the Dead.
Alice and her husband Will go to the bar one night to celebrate her brother-in-law Joseph’s birthday with his wife Thya. When Alice and Will get into a heated argument Will storms off and gets into a car accident in which he hits a “woman” who seems to know more about him than he thinks. When the Price family all get together for Will’s funeral, Alice stumbles upon a mysterious book in the attic that belonged to Will and Joseph’s grandfather. What Alice and the rest of the family don’t know is that Benjamin Price has already read and summoned the dead from the book, and they are looking to finish what they started.
Evil Dead Burn is a gnarly and sinister horror that utilizes some of the best aspects of the franchise while deepening its examination on how destruction and abuse can destroy a person even after the source ceases to exist. It is a fantastic example of filmmaking in the utilization of its set design and practical effects that find the family stuck within their home, in their own nightmare.
Household objects are used uniquely to create gore and ruin as Alice must find a way to survive her own family that is getting possessed one by one by the powers of the Book of the Dead. The bleak and gloomy cinematography is maintained throughout, making it one of the most devastatingly dark entries so far in the franchise while still adding in some soft humor throughout, as Evil Dead typically does.
With how it compares within the Evil Dead films, Evil Dead Burn opts for a more family centered examination. The film displays how Benjamin Price’s obsession with the Book of the Dead and the actions he took before he died impacts the Price family in the present. This allows for the film to examine how family sins are passed down where those alive are left to take on the pain left in their wake.
An even deeper layer to this is shown through Alice’s perspective in which she is brought into a new family by her husband. Even if he is no longer alive, she is forced to face the evil with the rest of the Price’s. As the audience gets a better idea of Alice’ place in the family and how Will’s parents view her, it becomes evident that one can not choose their family, and they definitely don’t get to choose the family they marry into either.
Not only is Evil Dead Burn one of the goriest, but its thematic outlook on domestic abuse is why it feels even darker than its predecessors. Alice not only has to fight evil but she also must continue to fight the trauma from her past relationship that still haunts her. People often think that abuse can be attributed to two people, one the perpetrator and one the victim.
However, this movie examines how being tied to the family of an abuser often keeps one closer to the abuse and makes it more difficult to leave or seek help. Alice feels alone in her world, the only one fully aware of Will’s temperament and actions. It becomes evident that his family’s allegiance lies with Will, even if they were to uncover his true personality.
This heightens Alice’s fear, knowing that those who are supposed to be close to her through marriage are the last people who will keep her safe. Evil Dead Burn also brings up the physical and emotional scars that one has, continuing to hurt even after the monster is dead. In this, Alice becomes a true final girl, dealing with evil on two sides that she must combat on her own. Evil Dead Burn has reignited the franchise, opening it up for new directors to put their own flair on the original conventions.
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