The Evil Dead franchise is gearing up for its next terrifying chapter with Evil Dead Burn. Directed and co-written by Sébastien Vaniček, with Florent Bernard serving as co-writer, the upcoming supernatural horror film is the sixth instalment in the long-running franchise. Produced by Rob Tapert and franchise creator Sam Raimi, the film serves as a standalone sequel to Evil Dead (2013) and Evil Dead Rise (2023).
Starring Souheila Yacoub, Tandi Wright, Hunter Doohan, Luciane Buchanan, Erroll Shand and Maude Davey, Evil Dead Burn promises to expand the franchise while staying true to the elements that have made it a cult favourite for decades.
Speaking about the responsibility of writing for one of horror’s most iconic franchises, Florent Bernard admitted that striking the right balance was one of the biggest challenges. “Writing for Evil Dead is an honour and a great pleasure,” he explains. “It’s a recipe with very specific ingredients, horror, action, comedy, suspense, drama, but it’s up to us to decide the right dosage of each.”
Bernard revealed that much of the writing process revolved around building authentic characters before placing them in terrifying situations. “Sébastien and I talk a lot, mainly about the characters. They’re the ones who bring the film’s themes. We talk about them as if they were people we know, asking how they would react in different situations, and then we throw them into the worst possible scenarios.”
Director Sébastien Vaniček echoed that excitement, recalling how every day on set brought something new.
“Every day there was a surprise, every day something crazy to shoot. I was not going to a warehouse or an office job… I was making a movie, and that’s incredible.”
Meanwhile, Vaniček’s work on Vermines caught the attention of producers Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell, ultimately leading him to helm the next chapter in the Evil Dead saga. Explaining why the filmmaker stood out, producer Rob Tapert said, “One of our team came back from a festival and said, ‘You need to see this new movie, Vermines.’ Sam, Bruce and I watched it and we all went, ‘Oh, that’s the guy for the next chapter of Evil Dead.’ In Vermines, he created real tension with minimal resources, which is exactly the kind of fresh vision we want to keep the franchise alive and growing.”
Bernard also shared how the team consciously avoided repeating familiar storylines from previous films in the franchise.
“The biggest challenge was avoiding too much repetition of what had already been done. That’s why we decided not to use a group of friends or people of the same age. But a woman uprooted and stuck with her in-laws, especially after a loss that affects them all, carried real narrative promise. Sébastien didn’t want to make the bloodiest Evil Dead, but definitely the most violent one.”
Summing up what they hope audiences take away from the film, Bernard said, “If audiences walk out of the theatre feeling like they’ve experienced a horror-action film that’s emotional and funny, as well as uncomfortable and exhilarating, that’s what we’re aiming for.”
Evil Dead Burn will be released theatrically on July 10.
