Evil Dead Burn Does One Thing The Legendary Horror Franchise Has Never Done Before

This article contains spoilers for "Evil Dead Burn."

As most fans of the "Evil Dead" franchise know, continuity has been loose at best. To be clear, it's true that the original three movies and the TV show "Ash vs. Evil Dead" are intended to exist as canon with each other, especially considering that it's the only way the character arc of Ash Williams (as played by Bruce Campbell) makes sense. However, due to rights issues with footage from the various films, there are glaring differences and/or omissions in the transitions between installments of Sam Raimi's original trilogy. When Fede Alvarez made "Evil Dead" in 2013, it seemed to be a reboot of the series' continuity. Similarly, 2023's "Evil Dead Rise" appeared to have no direct connection to the 2013 film, and the references (like a Campbell vocal cameo) were more like Easter eggs than anything universe-building.

That all seems to be changing with the latest installment, "Evil Dead Burn." From a creative standpoint, the new film continues the anthological tradition of the last two movies in the series. It has a brand new director in Sébastien Vaniček, a new ensemble of actors playing new characters, and even the cause of the Deadite breakout, the Book of the Dead aka Necronomicon ex Mortis aka Naturom Demonto, has a fresh design. Yet unlike "Evil Dead" and "Evil Dead Rise," the Deadite breakout in "Burn" isn't begun all over again by people reading or playing audio of demonic incantation passages. Instead, a Deadite seen at the end (or rather, beginning) of "Evil Dead Rise" is directly responsible. That's only the beginning of how "Evil Dead Burn" appears to be building a direct line of continuity between the series' past and future, which is something the franchise has never really done before.

In every prior "Evil Dead" movie (save one; more on that soon), Deadites are agents of chaos. They're awoken by the book's resurrection passages, given license to possess the living, and take full advantage of that until every human in the vicinity is dead by dawn. 2013's "Evil Dead" added a slight wrinkle to this, with the Deadites killing people in a specific manner so as to awaken a demon called the Abomination. "Evil Dead Rise" featured its own final boss-type demon called the Marauder, which similarly seemed prophesied via the Book's pages.

While "Evil Dead Burn" includes an Uber-Deadite in the form of the constantly burning Will (George Pullar), the Deadites have a motive beyond random murder and mayhem. They're stirred by the discovery of a Kandarian dagger, an object which can de-possess someone taken by the Deadites. It was hidden by Benjamin Price, the late grandfather of Joseph (Hunter Doohan), who finds it. Thus, Will is intentionally infected by Jessica (Greta Van Den Brink) — who was possessed while on a lake trip at the end/beginning of "Rise" — so that the demons can infiltrate the Price family to find the dagger. 

Deadite Jessica's reappearance is a big first for the series. While every "Evil Dead" film has ended with the reveal that the Evil has not been completely quelled, Jessica is the first Deadite to return in a sequel, however briefly. Her resurrection by two hapless fishermen in the lake where she was taken even feels reminiscent of how slasher sequels connect to previous installments, especially in one of the latter-day "Friday the 13th" films. This, plus the reappearance of the corpse of Teresa (Mirabai Pease), makes "Burn" the most direct sequel in the franchise yet.

The connective tissue in "Evil Dead Burn" seems to be part of a larger plan to build a new mythology for the series. Although the Kandarian dagger and its powers were last seen in the first two "Evil Dead" films, the Deadites' mission in "Burn" is highly reminiscent of the plot of "Army of Darkness." In that film, Ash learns that the Deadite horde is after the Necronomicon itself, which means that the only thing that can dispel the evil also attracts it. Even though there is a Necronomicon in "Burn," the dagger adopts this function instead. It begs the question: is the dagger and how it operates just homage to the series' traditions, or confirmation that all the films are in the same universe?

As for whether the Ash saga is canon in these three new films, the jury's still out. A picture of Bruce Campbell on the wall of the Price house could be a cheeky in-joke, or it could be a clue. Perhaps "Evil Dead Wrath," set in 1972, might shed some light on this in 2028. Meanwhile, the post-credits scene in "Burn" reveals that Deadite Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) from "Evil Dead Rise" is still around for sure. So far, we can only confirm that "Rise" and "Burn" are in direct continuity with each other. 

Given how loosely inclusive the "Evil Dead" series has traditionally been, and how Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema must love the idea of a new multi-film franchise taking over for the recently concluded (?) "The Conjuring," I would bet money on the series featuring direct callbacks and reappearances going forward. After all, those Deadites are always asking everyone they can to join them.

"Evil Dead Burn" is in theaters everywhere.