Sam Raimi's 'Groovy' Horror Sequel Officially Scares HBO Max This October

October movie nights have a way of starting with a familiar question: what's actually scary enough to watch? The Evil Dead franchise has offered a reliable answer for decades, even as it has traded Ash Williams' cabin for new characters and increasingly terrible family gatherings. This summer's Evil Dead Burn gave the Deadites another household to tear apart.

The latest installment arrived in theaters on July 10, with Infested director Sébastien Vaniček taking the reins. Its story follows a widow who visits her late husband's family at their secluded vacation house following the funeral, hoping to find some comfort in each other. There are a few problems, though: her late husband was terrible, the majority of the family doesn't like her, and this is an Evil Dead movie. And since this is an Evil Dead movie, the reunion goes about as badly as you'd expect.

Evil Dead Burn will begin streaming on HBO Max on October 2, giving viewers nearly the whole month to fit it into their Halloween watchlists. The movie stars Souheila Yacoub as Alice, whose visit to her in-laws turns into a fight for survival when members of the family become Deadites.

'Evil Dead Burn' Brings the Deadites Home for Halloween

Evil Dead Burn is the sixth movie in the franchise and the third released since 2013's Evil Dead introduced a new set of characters to its demonic mayhem. Yacoub's castmates include Hunter Doohan, Luciane Buchanan, Tandi Wright, Erroll Shand, George Pullar, and Maude Davey. The movie was produced by franchise creator Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert, with original star Bruce Campbell among its executive producers (and cheeky cameos). The series has been willing to change its surroundings while holding on to a particularly nasty idea: once the Deadites get into a home, the people closest to you can become the people you're most afraid of. Lee Cronin's Evil Dead Rise took that premise into a Los Angeles apartment building in 2023. Burn moves the danger to a remote family gathering, where Alice has nowhere easy to go when her visit takes a turn.

There's already another trip into the franchise planned after this one. Evil Dead Wrath, directed by Francis Galluppi, is currently slated for April 2028, and will explore a time even before the original Evil Dead movie. In the meantime, anyone who missed Burn in theaters can catch up when it lands on HBO Max on October 2.