‘Evil Dead Burn’ First Reactions Are Here: Is This the Most Fun ‘Evil Dead’ Since ‘Evil Dead II’?

Evil Dead Burn is about to ignite theaters next week, but last night Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema held fan events across the country to give Evil Dead fans their very first taste of the latest entry in the saga Sam Raimi created more than 40 years ago.

Dread Central hosted screenings in Chicago and Atlanta, and I was personally on hand in Chicago to get a first look at the film and see if it lives up to the hype.

Our official Dread Central review will be coming next week. But in the meantime, the social embargo is up, and horror fans are finally sharing their first reactions online.

Walking out of the theater, my biggest takeaway was just how much fun I had.

Evil Dead Burn is right there with Evil Dead Rise for me. It’s a gory blast that’s jam-packed with gross-out scenes, nastiness, and moments that had my entire theater either laughing or squirming. More than once I caught myself wondering how the hell some of this made it through with an R rating.

What surprised me most, though, was the comedy.

Ever since Fede Álvarez‘s Evil Dead hit theaters in 2013, the franchise has leaned hard into brutality. Evil Dead Rise continued that with one of the nastiest studio horror movies we’ve gotten in years. Evil Dead Burn keeps all of that brutality, but it’s the first time since Army of Darkness that the [film] franchise really leans back into absurdity.

Not slapstick. Not goofy.

Just the kind of situational comedy where things get so outrageous that the audience can’t help but laugh.

I kept thinking about the French horror wave while I was watching it. Inside. Frontier(s). Martyrs. High Tension. It has that same brutality and that same willingness to just keep going. But then it gives you that little elbow to the ribs and reminds you you’re here to have a good time, too.