When Evil Lurks (2023) Review

After Demián Rugna’s Terrified, which has amassed a cult following for its unsettling imagery, When Evil Lurks is the long-awaited directorial return horror fans cannot pass up this year.

Rugna has created a great niche for his work that lies somewhere between the realms of magical realism and existentialist horror. Supernatural forces and visuals collide with grim reflections on humanity that make When Evil Lurks a unique addition to the possession genre.

The film starts with brothers Pedro (Ezequiel Rodríguez) and Jimi (Demián Salomón) investigating mysterious gunshots they heard the night before. They discover that a neighboring family is harboring a “rotten” person. The nature of the condition is slowly revealed as the brothers partner up with another neighbor, Ruiz (Luis Ziembrowski), who seems familiar with this kind of possession. In an attempt to protect their families and the surrounding town, since city officials don’t have any sense of urgency, the trio attempts to destroy “the rotten” themselves.

In their highly emotional state and haste they fail to deal with the infection properly; meaning that the evil still exists and has new targets to seek revenge on. The infection follows Ruiz and the brothers, quickly proving itself impossible to outrun, leaving a trail of utter devastation in its wake.

This is when the onslaught of boundary-pushing violence begins. Nothing is safe from the chaos, not even the beloved family pet. The special effects and sheer shock from these scenes will, without a doubt, leave audiences wincing and asking “What did I just watch?”

From there, Pedro and Jimi seek out an old friend who reveals the origin of this evil infection and its ultimate goal to bring about the end of the world. The rules and purpose of this possession are innovative along with the gross-out visual representation. The physical possession is unlike anything else shown in popular exorcism flicks. The evil is an ugly, bloated, infection that does not heal through equal evil and will spread as fast as it can.

As each character sets out on their task to prevent the spread of evil, it’s clear that there is no reasoning with this force. There is no act too heinous in pursuit of its goal. The only way to stop it is a complex, complete destruction. Unfortunately, not many people know how to perform the ritualistic abortion of the antichrist. With that, the film ends just as grim as it began with the protagonists left hopelessly ill-equipped to face the coming apocalypse.

Rugna is not one to shy away from nightmarish visuals and this film is filled to the brim with them. The brutality is unrelenting and shocking in the most effective way. When Evil Lurks unabashedly explores the depths of fear and disgust, shining a blinding light on the ugliness of evil.

Amidst all the gore, there are equally as horrifying ideas about evilness and humanity’s role in perpetuating it. Evil being fueled by fear, transferring through generations, and the driving force for senseless abuse and loss of innocence. Rugna even manages to work in themes of religious corruption, guilt, and moral punishment. All of these ideas give the film great emotional depth and will surely leave audiences pondering the presence of evil in their own lives with a heavy sense of dread.

Movie Rating:

When Evil Lurks trailer