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Sam Hill is a news writer at Polygon covering gaming and entertainment. He's a Portland, Oregon–based journalist known for covering gaming, the outdoors, national parks, tech, food, and internet culture. He has written for a range of publications including Outside Magazine, Boston Magazine, Vice, the Seattle Times and Digital Trends.
The latest installment in the Evil Dead franchise is a streaming hit, despite mixed reviews from critics
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Spooky movie season is officially here, and horror fans have plenty of fresh nightmares to choose from. Obsession has been making waves, a new adaptation of Stephen King's Carrie is drawing attention, and another Resident Evil movie is bringing more video game-inspired scares to the screen.
But if you're looking for something especially gruesome to add to your October watchlist, one of this year's bloodiest horror sequels is already a streaming hit.
Evil Dead Burn arrived on HBO Max in early October and 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 latest 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.