When Evil Lurks is a 2023 supernatural horror film directed by Demián Rugna, and the cast includes Ezequiel Rodríguez, Demián Salomon, Luis Ziembrowski, Silvia Sabater and Marcelo Michinaux.
In a rural Argentine town, two brothers confront an ancient evil that threatens their community, setting the stage for a gruesome genre showdown.
Building on the success of his 2017 film, Terrified, writer and director Demian Rugna pushes the boundaries of traditional horror tropes to create an unsettling and at times, gory experience.
I really enjoyed the performances in this movie, in particular by Ezequiel Rodriguez and Damen Salomon who truly bring their characters to life on screen.
Rodriguez's portrayal of Pedro and Salomon's portrayal of Jimi are filled with emotional depth and authenticity, as they try and get to grips with the supernatural events unfolding around them.
From the children to the adults, each character in the film, including the ancillary ones, delivers a compelling performance, with the main characters, especially, navigating their roles with a sense of urgency and vulnerability, making their interactions and decisions feel grounded in the face of demonic forces.
The fear, sadness, and regret portrayed by these characters drive the narrative forward, making most of their decisions relatable and believable.
While some decisions were a bit dumb, I did ask myself in the face of all that terror, what would I have done?
The practical effects used in the movie also help add a visceral and realistic element, and while digital effects are also present, the seamless blend of practical and digital moments creates a cohesive viewing experience.
From full-body suits to gory scenes, the practical effects enhance the storytelling, making the horror feel brutal and intense.
Director Damian Rugna's masterful use of practical effects, combined with effective camera work, elevates the visual impact of the film, and the attention to detail in the effects work adds to the overall atmosphere of fear and tension.
The brutality and violence portrayed in the film serve the narrative, creating a sense of dread and unease that keeps you engaged, while the storytelling in the movie is dark and bleak, filled with elements of violence and gore that create a truly intense viewing experience.
As I delved into the film, I found the characters' decisions to be driven by fear, making them relatable and realistic in the face of supernatural events as mentioned above.
The world-building in the film is subtle yet effective, never looking spoon-feed you, but instead, you are encouraged to decipher the narrative based on character interactions, reactions, and the overall state of the world portrayed in the film.
The story, while dark and bleak, is brutally simplistic in its premise, adding layers of psychological and emotional complexity through the lens of demonic possession.
The approach to possession and demonic forces in the film is grounded and at times realistic, keeping you guessing and questioning the characters' motives, with fear playing a significant role in driving character decisions, leading to moments of suspense and paranoia that heighten the overall horror experience.
While some characters may make questionable decisions as mentioned, you also need to consider the emotional state they are in, as fear, sadness, and anger play a significant role in shaping their choices, making them relatable and understandable.
The characters' agencies are influenced by the overwhelming sense of dread and paranoia that the demonic forces instill in them, and a viewers, and we need to remember that fear can cloud judgment and lead to irrational behavior.
After watching When Evil Lurks, I was pleasantly surprised by the unique take on the possession genre that the film offered.
The brutal practical effects and compelling acting kept me intrigued throughout the movie, and while some may find the pacing slow in the beginning, I appreciated how it laid the groundwork for the escalating tension and suspense that followed.
When Evil Lurks a great horror movie that didn't hold back on the violence and gore.
The characters' decisions, driven by fear and realistic emotions, made the narrative relatable and engaging, and for horror fans looking for a visceral and brutal viewing experience, it is a must-watch, and is the best horror movie of 2023 for my money.
I would rate this film 83% on my horror movie nerd-o-meter.