Directed by Sébastien Vaniček, Evil Dead Burn serves as the latest standalone chapter in the long-running Evil Deadseries. The film follows a grieving widow who seeks comfort with her late husband’s family, only to find herself caught in another brutal Deadite nightmare.

I’ve enjoyed different entries in the franchise for different reasons. I am a huge fan of the original Sam Raimi films. The 2013 Evil Dead remake struck a strong balance between relentless horror and characters worth rooting for. While Evil Dead Rise was still entertaining, it felt like a step down in overall quality. Unfortunately, Evil Dead Burn continues that downward trend.

The movie opens with one of horror’s oldest and most overused tropes. Rather than establishing meaningful stakes or providing a satisfying catalyst for the story, the sequence feels disconnected from everything that follows. It comes across as little more than an excuse to throw an early kill onto the screen before the real plot begins.

One of the film’s biggest shortcomings is its cast of characters. Effective horror works because audiences can imagine themselves—or someone they know—in the situation. That emotional connection is what makes terrifying scenarios feel personal. Here, however, the characters never feel relatable. They’re simply people moving from one gruesome set piece to the next, making it difficult to become emotionally invested in their survival.

The film also struggles with its environments. Several locations feel oddly constructed, existing primarily to accommodate future horror sequences rather than functioning as believable places. This creates a series of clunky setups where events seem dictated by the needs of the next scare instead of natural story progression.

Like many horror films trying to stretch their runtime, the Deadite threat fluctuates wildly depending on what a particular scene requires. At times the antagonist appears nearly unstoppable, while moments later its effectiveness drops dramatically for the sake of pacing or convenience. That inconsistency weakens the tension because the rules never feel clearly established.

To the movie’s credit, there are flashes of creativity throughout. Some of the practical gore effects are impressively realized, and not every gruesome moment feels excessive simply for shock value. During the final half hour, the pace improves and the film becomes noticeably more engaging as it leans into its larger set pieces.

Even so, the overall experience feels like a collection of horror imagery stitched together rather than a cohesive story. It’s as if every unsettling visual concept was thrown into the same movie without enough attention given to character development or narrative cohesion.

If you’re a dedicated gore enthusiast, Evil Dead Burn offers an endless buffet of blood, dismemberment, and practical effects. For viewers looking for memorable characters, mounting suspense, or the emotional investment that made earlier entries so effective, this installment is likely to disappoint.

Rating: 2/5

Instead, the fear comes from atmosphere, paranoia, and the growing realization that something feels deeply wrong long before the movie ever says it out loud.

That’s exactly why Obsession worked so well for me.

I caught the film over Memorial Day weekend, and it immediately brought to mind horror movies like Smile, It Follows, and Final Destination — movies where the dread itself becomes the monster. Obsession taps into that same uncomfortable energy by focusing less on traditional horror icons and more on tension, emotional instability, and the terrifying consequences of something that spirals completely out of control.

Directed by Curry Barker, the film follows a hopeless romantic whose desperate wish for love unleashes increasingly disturbing consequences. That premise could have easily become over-the-top or gimmicky, but the movie keeps things grounded enough that the escalation feels genuinely uncomfortable instead of ridiculous.

One of the most impressive things about Obsession is just how much it accomplishes with so little. The movie was reportedly shot for under $1 million and completed in only 20 days, which honestly feels unbelievable after seeing the final product.

That low-budget approach actually becomes one of the film’s biggest strengths. Everything feels intimate, raw, and strangely personal in a way that bigger studio horror movies sometimes lose. There’s a constant sense that the filmmakers had to maximize every location, every shot, and every moment of tension, and that creative restraint gives the movie its identity.

Even more impressive is the fact that the project reportedly sparked a major bidding war before Focus Features picked it up for distribution, with companies like A24 and NEON also interested in acquiring it.   That makes complete sense after watching it because Obsession has the exact kind of unsettling psychological horror energy that horror fans tend to obsess over once word-of-mouth starts spreading.

The performances are another huge reason the movie works. Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette keep everything grounded emotionally, which is important because the movie asks the audience to buy into increasingly disturbing situations without ever fully leaning into camp. The chemistry between the leads helps sell the emotional side of the story while the tension slowly keeps tightening in the background.

Visually, the movie does a lot with limited resources. Some shots feel intentionally dark and uncomfortable, almost like the movie wants viewers to sit in uncertainty rather than clearly see every detail. The sound design also deserves a lot of credit because so much of the tension comes from anticipation rather than cheap jump scares. Interestingly, one of the music store scenes was filmed in the same store used in Wayne’s World, which is one of those fun horror trivia details that makes indie filmmaking stories even better.

What I appreciated most is that Obsession trusts the audience. It doesn’t constantly explain itself or force unnecessary exposition into every scene. The movie understands that fear is often strongest when viewers are left sitting with uncertainty and discomfort.

That approach won’t work for everyone. Some viewers may want bigger reveals, more traditional scares, or clearer answers. But for horror fans who love slow-burn tension and psychological dread, this movie absolutely delivers.

It’s also fascinating seeing how quickly the film has exploded in popularity. For a movie made this cheaply and this quickly, its growing success almost feels like a modern reminder of what made indie horror so exciting in the first place.

Obsession proves you don’t need giant budgets, elaborate monsters, or endless CGI to create effective horror. Sometimes all you really need is a strong concept, committed performances, and the confidence to let tension do the heavy lifting.

Careful what you wish for.

Set roughly 50 years after the events of Blade Runner 2049, the upcoming Prime Video series will continue expanding the universe first introduced in Blade Runner. The series is being created by Silka Luisa, with original Blade Runner director Ridley Scott returning as an executive producer.

According to currently released story details, Blade Runner 2099 follows Cora, a mysterious woman who has spent her life hiding behind multiple identities while surviving in a fractured Los Angeles. In order to secure a future for her brother, she becomes entangled with Olwen, a Blade Runner facing the end of her life. Together, the two are pulled into a growing conspiracy that threatens the future of a city struggling to rebuild itself.

The cast is led by Michelle Yeoh as Olwen and Hunter Schafer as Cora, with additional cast members including Tom Burke, Lewis Gribben, and Dimitri Abold.

Production on the series faced multiple delays due to the 2023 Hollywood strikes, eventually relocating filming from Northern Ireland to Prague, where principal photography wrapped in late 2024.

While Prime Video has not confirmed an exact premiere date, Blade Runner 2099 is currently expected to release sometime in 2026, though some recent reports suggest the series may have shifted into 2027 as post-production continues.

Fan anticipation surrounding the project has been intense online, especially following the critical success and cult following of Blade Runner 2049. Discussions across Reddit and sci-fi communities have largely centered around whether the series can recreate the atmospheric worldbuilding, philosophical themes, and stunning visual identity that made the previous films legendary.

Even with limited footage released so far, Blade Runner 2099 is already shaping up to be one of Prime Video’s biggest sci-fi projects in years. Between its stacked cast, cyberpunk setting, and continuation of one of the genre’s most influential universes, the series has the potential to become a major event for both longtime Blade Runner fans and newcomers alike.