I've been trying to figure out exactly what makes certain horror movies enjoyable to me while others are almost impossible to sit through. Watching Evil Dead Burn helped me put that into words.
I love the Evil Dead franchise, especially the Deadites. They're mean, ruthless, sadistic, and absolutely love tormenting their victims. But there's something about their particular brand of evil that I find entertaining. They're not just killing people. They're mocking them, playing with them, and doing things that are so outrageous and unnatural that it's almost impossible to predict what they'll do next.
There's a scene in Burn where a possessed father shoots himself twice. It's brutal and disturbing, but what makes it different for me is that it's the demon doing it. The body is just a puppet for something malicious and supernatural. It's horrifying, but it's also so far removed from reality that I can enjoy the madness of it.
That's the distinction I've been trying to make about my taste in horror.
I can't stand movies like Terrifier, Saw, Hostel, or Wrong Turn. I know Art the Clown is technically supernatural, but his violence still feels like something a sadistic human being could do. It's graphic, visceral, and focused on prolonged suffering. That kind of horror doesn't entertain me.
The Deadites are different. They're wicked, theatrical, and almost gleeful about being evil. Their cruelty is part of their supernatural personality, and that's what makes them so much fun to watch.
Don't get me wrong, Evil Dead Burn has some scenes that genuinely make my stomach hurt. But it's the same kind of feeling I get on a roller coaster. I'm uncomfortable, maybe even a little nauseated, but I'm enjoying the ride because I know I'm experiencing something completely removed from reality.
It's entertainingly frightening.
I also appreciate how the newer Evil Dead movies are expanding the mythology. I wasn't a fan of the 2013 remake. To me, it felt brutal just for the sake of brutality, and it didn't capture the world or personality that made the originals special. But I really enjoyed Evil Dead Rise, and Burn continues giving the Deadites that wonderfully nasty personality.
I've watched all three seasons of Ash vs Evil Dead multiple times, and I'd love to see the franchise eventually build toward that post-apocalyptic future where the series ended. There's so much potential in that storyline.
Ultimately, Evil Dead Burn reminded me why I love this franchise. It's not about how much blood they can throw on the screen. It's about the imagination behind the horror, the supernatural evil, and those wonderfully horrible Deadites.
Some scenes were rough, but the Deadites made them worth it.
And that's exactly the kind of horror I enjoy.