Evil Dead Burn Red-Band Trailer Is Absolutely Brutal

If you’ve been waiting for a horror trailer to genuinely disturb you this summer, your wait is over. Warner Bros. has dropped the first red-band trailer for Evil Dead Burn, and it is exactly as brutal as that title suggests — missing fingers, a car headrest embedded through a Deadite’s skull, a zombie drinking burning candle wax, and a very graphic reminder to always load your dishwasher with the knives pointing down. You’ve been warned.

The official tagline says it all: “Family is the root of all evil.” The film follows a woman who, after losing her husband, seeks comfort with her in-laws at their secluded family home. One by one, they’re transformed into Deadites — and as the synopsis puts it, “she comes to discover that the vows she took in life live on… even in death.” It’s a clever, emotionally grounded hook for what is clearly going to be an absolute bloodbath.

Evil Dead Burn is directed by Sébastien Vaniček, the French filmmaker who announced himself to horror audiences with the creepy-crawly spider thriller Infested (also known as Vermin). It’s a very Evil Dead way of doing business — Raimi and his partners have a long history of handing the keys to hungry first-time feature directors. Fede Álvarez got the call after his short film impressed the franchise’s rights holders. Lee Cronin earned his shot on the strength of The Hole in the Ground. Now it’s Vaniček’s turn, and based on this trailer, he’s pulling absolutely no punches.

A Franchise That Refuses to Slow Down

Sam Raimi launched this whole nightmare 45 years ago with the original The Evil Dead in 1981 — five friends, a cabin in the woods, and the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis unleashing hell. Evil Dead II followed in 1987, Army of Darkness in 1992, and Bruce Campbell’s Ash Williams eventually got his own TV run with Ash vs. Evil Dead on Starz, which ran for three seasons. Then, in a genuinely smart move, the franchise pivoted to standalone anthology-style films — no Ash, no cabin, just the Deadites dropped into new settings and new nightmares.

That bet paid off. Evil Dead Rise, Lee Cronin’s 2023 high-rise apartment horror, grossed $147 million worldwide on a budget well under $20 million. It proved that audiences didn’t need Ash to show up — they just needed the Necronomicon and something they care about to be destroyed.

Evil Dead Burn is the third standalone entry and the sixth film in the franchise overall. Vaniček co-wrote the screenplay with Florent Bernard and has said he intended to bring a French sensibility to the material. Raimi and Rob Tapert produce under the Ghost House Pictures banner, with Bruce Campbell, Cronin, Romel Adam, and Jose Canas on board as executive producers. The film is co-financed by New Line Cinema and Sony Pictures, with Sony handling international distribution through Columbia Pictures.

Who’s in the Cast

Leading the film is Souheila Yacoub, the Swiss actress — and former rhythmic gymnast and Miss Suisse Romande — who appeared in Dune: Part Two. She’s joined by Hunter Doohan, best known as Wednesday Addams’ love interest Tyler in Wednesday and more recently from Your Honor and Daredevil: Born Again; Luciane Buchanan from The Night Agent; and Tandi Wright, who appeared in Ti West’s Pearl. Errol Shand, George Pullar, Maude Davey, and Greta Van Den Brink round out the cast — all presumably offering the Deadites plenty to work with.

Behind the camera, Vaniček is joined by director of photography Philip Lozano, production designer Nick Connor, editor Maxime Caro, and costume designer Sarah Voon.

And the franchise isn’t stopping here. Evil Dead Wrath, written and directed by Francis Galluppi (The Last Stop in Yuma County), is already in development, with a 2028 target. An animated series follow-up to Ash vs. Evil Dead is also in the works. Raimi and Campbell made clear after Evil Dead Rise that they wanted a new entry every two to three years — and so far, they’re delivering.

Evil Dead Burn opens in theaters on July 10, 2026.