Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for ‘Evil Dead Burn.’After two modern Evil Dead films, the universe expands this week with the franchise’s latest installment, Evil Dead Burn. The new sequel — which follows an already unpleasant family reunion that is interrupted by Deadites — features some shocking connections to 2023’s Evil Dead Rise, and it looks like longtime franchise producers Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert have some big plans for future sequels, with Evil Dead Wrath scheduled for release in spring 2028.

However, fans who want more now won’t have to wait two years — the film includes two post-credit scenes, one of which hints at a connective thread between Evil Dead Burn and the franchise’s previous entry, and suggests how the series might move forward in its next installment.

The Mid-Credits Scene of ‘Evil Dead Burn’ Continues the Film’s Story

The plot of Evil Dead Burn is largely set at the summer home of the Price family following the funeral of their adult son, Will (George Pullar), who has seemingly died in a fiery car wreck. However, his death was no mere accident. Will was killed by the Deadite Jessica from Evil Dead Rise (portrayed in the new movie by Greta Van Den Brink), and she infected Will with her Deadite curse.

As the rest of Will’s family gathers, the Deadite curse spreads, picking them off one by one. In the end, only Will’s wife, Alice (Souheila Yacoub), survives. We learn that the Deadites were drawn to the Price family because Will’s brother, Joseph (Hunter Doohan), had unearthed a Kandarian dagger, a weapon that can be used to destroy the Deadites. The dagger was created by the Council of Wise Men, a group that included Joseph’s grandfather, Robert Price (Bruce Campbell in a brief cameo), who studied the Necronomicon and methods to repel the Deadites.

Alice barely survives finding the Kandarian Dagger, fighting off the rest of the demons, then dispatching the smoldering Deadite corpse of her abusive husband. However, Will’s grandmother, Polly (Maude Davey), who was also turned into a Deadite, manages to escape before the family summer home burns down. In the mid-credits scene, Polly is seen crawling across an open road, bemoaning the way Alice got the better of the Deadites. A female driver discovers Alice, believing the Deadite to be an innocent victim. The septuagenarian demon then plays dumb for a moment before attacking the hapless motorist, who meets a grim fate before the movie cuts to the closing credits.

In ‘Evil Dead Burn’s Post-Credits Scene, A Familiar Face Makes a Shocking Return

Following the closing credits, a second post-credits scene plays, returning us to the crematorium where Will Price’s funeral was held. The proprietor of the crematorium is with her young daughter, tending to urns of human ashes, storing the remains of individuals whose families never claimed them. She puts the urns on a shelf before moving to another room. Meanwhile, her daughter reads the names on the urns, one of which is Ellie Bixler (Alyssa Sutherland), the single mother who was transformed into a Deadite and attacked her family in Evil Dead Rise.

The daughter hears a voice calling out to her, and Ellie’s image appears in the mirror. However, it’s not a mere hallucination, as the Deadite version of Ellie appears behind the young child and brutally murders her, remarking, “Mommy’s back,” in a shocking turn of events. It appears that getting put through a wood chipper and being turned into bloody mush wasn’t enough to finish off Deadite Ellie for good. The movie smashes to Alyssa Sutherland’s credit as Ellie before the lights finally come on and it’s safe to leave the theater. However, the implications of Ellie’s return are astounding for the future of the series.

How Was Ellie Resurrected in ‘Evil Dead Burn’?

It looks like the Deadites are even more difficult to kill than originally thought. Essentially, the Deadite curse works similarly to possession, with demonic spirits inhabiting human hosts — so previously, it was believed that Deadites could be killed by using a Kandarian dagger, physical dismemberment, or destroying the demon’s host body. This leaves several questions about Ellie’s reappearance. To begin with, how Ellie Bixler’s ashes came to be at the crematorium remains unexplained. Ellie’s own sister, Beth (Lily Sullivan), kicked Ellie into a wood chipper, making it seem unlikely that any of Ellie’s remains would be left to be cremated. Also, upon her return, Ellie looks completely undamaged. Her formerly human body appears whole, with no visible damage, though it’s clear she’s still a Deadite.

Ellie and other Deadites in Evil Dead Burn, could represent a completely new version of Deadite different from those depicted in earlier movies. Additionally, it appears that even dismemberment or destruction of bodies no longer works. Now, their only known weakness is still believed to be the Kandarian Dagger which they invaded Price home to destroy. Ellie’s return also sets up significant implications for future Evil Dead sequels. It seems that these new movies can no longer be classified as standalone events and some unsuspecting victims may now face Ellie’s wrath in upcoming features. The saga continues in Evil Dead Wrath, which hits theaters on April 7, 2028.

Evil Dead Burn is in theaters now.