Before taking the helm of Evil Dead Burn, Sébastien Vaniček spent nearly a decade building his cinematic universe through a series of self-produced short films. In 2015, Mayday already staged a tense locked-room thriller aboard an airplane, followed by Crocs (2017), which explored dog fighting. Film after film, the French director honed a nervy visual style, a mobile camera, and a strong taste for creatures, practical effects, and real sets.
The Infested Breakthrough
This identity was revealed by Infested in 2023. For his first feature, supported by the Selective Aid for Digital Visual Effects, Sébastien Vaniček transposed the monster movie into a housing project in Seine-Saint-Denis, where venomous spiders proliferate. Presented at the Venice Film Festival and awarded at numerous international festivals, the film drew nearly 275,000 spectators in France and received two nominations at the 2025 César Awards, including one for Best First Film.
Beyond its commercial success, Infested attracted attention for its technical mastery, inventive direction, and its ability to make the most of a limited budget. Qualities that crossed the Atlantic and attracted the attention of Sam Raimi and his production company Ghost House Pictures, who invited Sébastien Vaniček to direct the new installment of the Evil Dead Saga.
Sam Raimi’s “Casting”
The first meeting with Sam Raimi felt less like a business meeting than a long conversation between film enthusiasts. Over a meal, Sébastien Vaniček shared the first fifteen pages of his vision for Evil Dead Burn. “He first asked me a lot of questions about Infested; about how certain shots and certain scenes were conceived. Then, very quickly, we started talking about Evil Dead, my ideas and the direction I wanted to take. I soon realized it was a kind of audition. He wanted to know whether I had what it took to handle a franchise like this.”
While Hollywood is often associated with a system in which studios keep strict control over their franchises, Sébastien Vaniček discovered a different working at Ghost House Pictures. “It’s their franchise, it’s their project, and if they decide to give you freedom, then you have it.” Of course, discussions took place, particularly with producer Robert Tapert, whose role was to ensure the saga’s continuity. “We didn’t agree on everything.” Yet those exchanges were always driven by the same goal, and the trust he was given allowed him to preserve a strong visual identity, far from a mere commissioned project.
Honouring the Saga … While Shaking It Up
As with Infested, Sébastien Vaniček chose to co-write the screenplay with Florent Bernard. The two writers approached the franchise from complementary perspectives. As longtime fan of the saga, Florent Bernard brought his knowledge of the universe, while Sébastien Vaničekfocused on crafting a film of his own.
Together, they spent time rewatching the previous Evil Dead films. “What do we like? What do we want to change?” Once that step was complete, the references were set aside. “We only talked about characters, storytelling, and meaning. Only afterwards did the Evil Dead ‘salt’ come back.” Their goal was twofold: “We quickly found a balance between respecting the saga and shaking it up at the same time.”
Keeping a Handcrafted Cinema
With a budget of around 20 million dollars, Evil Dead Burn had resources on a completely different scale from Infested, which was made for around 5 million euros. Yet the director refused to change his approach: “My style was born out of the resourcefulness of making short films.”
On set, he continued to favor simple solutions over sophisticated setups. While the crew imagined complex systems for certain camera movements, he proposed a much more direct approach: “Let’s put the camera on a towel and pull the towel.” This culture of improvisation initially surprised the technicians, but it quickly won over the crew.
Evil Dead Burn was filmed in New Zealand. Sébastien Vaniček discovered there a local crew whose mindset reminded him of European film sets. “New Zealanders have a very European, very family-oriented, very respectful side.” An atmosphere that encouraged technical exchanges and allowed the director to keep experimenting.
This philosophy is reflected in the film’s visual style. Despite the larger budget, he refused an overly polished look. “When they offered me a very stable Steadicam, I said no. We’re going to keep that ‘handmade’ quality, the shaking, the imperfection. If there’s dirt on the camera, let’s keep it.” This imperfection is an integral part of his cinematic language: “I need it to be a little chaotic and a little dirty.”
Bringing His Entire Team to Hollywood
A vision that goes beyond simple fidelity. According to him, his artistic identity is the product of a collective effort built from his short films to sound creation. With his composers and sound designers, he developed a genuine artistic direction for months before shooting began. And even as the scale of production grew, the team remained faithful to its handcrafted approach.
Believing in French Genre Cinema
Having become one of the few French directors to move directly from a first feature film to a Hollywood franchise, Sébastien Vaniček refuses to present his career as an unattainable model. “I do everything I can not to create distance between myself and others.” For him, Infested is, above all, the result of years of work: “It’s this passion, and this work that allow you to go and make a film in Hollywood.”
He encourages young filmmakers to create without waiting for external validation. “Just make things, even if they’re imperfect. Make things with heart, passion, and a lot of hard work.” For him, the internet has changed the rules of the game. “Hollywood has its eyes fixed on Europe and France.”
But while American studios are multiplying projects, French genre cinema still suffers from a lack of production volume. “We only produce about ten genre films a year.” The director, however, has no intention of permanently turning his back on French cinema. He is currently developing an original French project while pursuing his American career. His ambition is clear: to bring back what he has learned from American studios, and not to treat Hollywood a final destination.
“We truly have the means to make great French films that can succeed internationally. Koreans are not the only ones whose genre films have opened doors in the United States. France must show what it can do.” A conviction that ultimately sums up his career path: proving that ambitious genre cinema can emerge in France, while also achieving international success.
EVIL DEAD BURN
Directed by: Sébastien Vaniček
Screenplay by: Sébastien Vaniček and Florent Bernard
Produced by: Ghost House Pictures
Distributed by: Metropolitan FilmExport
Release date: July 8, 2026
This film benefited from the Taxe rebate for international productions (TRIP).
