Capsule Review: When Evil Lurks (2023)

The Argentine import isn’t kidding in fulfilling its English title When Evil Lurks (originally Cuando acecha la maldad). It’s pure, unadulterated evil that writer-director Demián Rugna doesn’t shy away from in-your-face shock horror and gory visuals.

Right from the get-go, Rugna wastes no time setting up the story as we follow brothers Pedro (Ezequiel Rodriguez) and Jimmy (Demián Salomón), who live in a farmhouse in rural Argentina. One night, they heard gunshots somewhere in the woods and decided to investigate the next morning.

From there, not only do they discover the hideous remains of a corpse but also a possessed man named Uriel in a nearby shack, looking grossly overweight while secreting pus. We learn that anyone who is possessed by a demon is called “rotten” and a “cleaner” is the only qualified professional who can exorcise the evil safely without causing it to possess someone else’s mind.

But here lies the problem: No authorities, especially the local police seem to bother about handling the “rotten” situation. This, in turn, prompted the brothers to look for landowner Ruiz (Luis Ziembrowski). What follows next is an ill-fated decision that triggers a series of gruesome events, affecting a few more people as the problem only gets worse.

The first half is where the movie excels the most as Rugna ratchets up the tension by portraying the evil in a consummate way possible. The possessed victims aren’t just restricted to adults but children and even animals too. The violence and gore are uncompromisingly graphic, complete with dare-you-not-to-look-away disturbing imagery (one of them revolved around a kid and a dog comes to mind).

Rugna certainly does a great job executing the pessimistic tone of the movie. The malevolent nature of the demonic force possessing the humans and animals, which spread like a contagious disease reminds me of the real-world pandemic that we have experienced over the past two years.

But as the movie progresses further, Rugna’s screenplay begins to crumble with exposition dumps. We get to learn, if not more about the lore surrounding demonic possession and certain “rules” that need to be adhered to. The movie, which culminates in Children of the Corn-like third act feels strangely anticlimactic, even though the epilogue does pack a provocative punch. Apart from the latter, the second half does have its moments but considering the sheer urgency that Rugna successfully displayed in the first half, I was expecting nothing less from him.

Several shortcomings aside, When Evil Lurks remains a visceral horror experience that deals with demonic possession. The oft-told subject matter in the horror genre is definitely a lot better than the unbelievably dull Exorcist: The Believer earlier this month. Special effects are top-notch — the kind that would likely satisfy most gorehounds. As for the acting, Ezequiel Rodriguez delivers an engaging lead turn as the frustrating protagonist trying to make things right amidst the chaos. The only exception is his character’s questionable decision at one point in the movie, which makes me wonder about Rugna’s hasty excuse to spice up his story.

When Evil Lurks is currently streaming on Shudder.