🎬 Movie Overview

• Title: When Evil Lurks (Spanish: Cuando acecha la maldad)

• Release Date: Premiered at TIFF September 2023; IFC theatrical release October 6, 2023; Shudder streaming October 27

• Genre: Supernatural/Possession Horror with a cosmic, contagion twist

• Director & Writer: Demián Rugna (director of Terrified)

• Cast: Ezequiel Rodríguez (Pedro), Demián Salomon (Jaime “Jimi”), Luis Ziembrowski (Ruiz), Silvina Sabater, Marcelo Michinaux

• Where to Watch: IFC Films theatrical; streaming exclusive on Shudder

1. Plot Summary

In a remote Argentine farming village, brothers Pedro and Jimi awaken to distant gunshots late at night. Investigating, they discover a decapitated body and an old shack hiding Uriel—an infected man becoming a vessel for a demon about to be “born.” The town’s attempt to remove the threat backfires, unleashing a supernatural infestation. As possessions spread among humans and animals alike, the brothers race to contain the evil before it consumes their family and the wider world

2. Notable Elements

• Subversion of possession tropes: Rugna flips the exorcism model by treating corruption as a fast-spreading plague—evil is literal contagion, not just spiritual invasion

• Impaling practical gore: The film delivers shockingly graphic scenes—possessed animals, maimed bodies, and dog attacks—with visceral effects that feel brutal and unflinching

• Strong ensemble performances: Rodríguez and Salomon ground the horror in sibling camaraderie and fear, while supporting roles like Mirta and Ruiz add emotional texture and moral complexity

• Visual bleakness: Rugna frames the countryside in bleak, dramatic landscapes. Children, goats, and villagers become unwilling pegs in this pure evil’s expansion—filmed with an unsettling, documentary-like style

3. Themes and Messages

• Evil as an unstoppable force: This isn’t a classic exorcism story, but a narrative of evil that replicates like disease—spreading institutionally and socially, indifferent to prayer or reason

• Human error and moral complicity:

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  The brothers’ decision to dispose of Uriel into another property mirrors the film’s broader metaphor: attempts to ignore or relocate horror often accelerate it.

• Post-religious despair: The sense that “God is dead” permeates the film—rural folkways offer little spiritual defense when evil has already triumphed

4. Personal Impressions

Strengths:

• A fresh take on possession horror—intense, punishing, and narratively unpredictable

• Gore enthusiasts will be satisfied: the practical effects are nauseatingly effective and profoundly disturbing

• Strong direction from Rugna, who keeps the pacing relentless while building dread in quiet, rural spaces.

Weaknesses:

• Some criticism targets a narrative that leans heavily into genre staples, with less thematic nuance than expected

• Occasional lapses in character depth—some villagers and victims feel like functional archetypes rather than lived people.

5. Audience Recommendations

✔ Fans of Terrified, It Follows, or The Exorcist who appreciate horror grounded in body horror and rural isolation.
✔ Viewers who enjoy horror that challenges emotional comfort and offers gore with existential terror.
🚫 Not for those who prefer horror with redemptive arcs or sanitized violence.

6. Conclusion & Rating

When Evil Lurks is an ambitious, gut‑punch of a horror film—brutal, bleak, and unafraid to let evil win. Platforms have called it “a gleefully mean‑spirited ride to hell” and “a fresh carnival of demonic contagion” . Though stylistically raw, its bold worldview and practical terrors mark it as a standout in modern horror.

Final Recommendation: Highly recommended for mature horror fans and those seeking something legitimately terrifying and unforgettable.

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5 stars)