Time: 99 Minutes
Age Rating: R16 – Horror, graphic violence & offensive language
Cast:
Ezequiel Rodriguez as Pedro Yazurlo
Demián Salomon as Jaime “Jimi” Yazurlo
Silvina Sabater as Mirta
Luis Ziembrowski as Armando Ruiz
Marcelo Michinaux as Santino Yazurlo
Director: Demián Rugna

When Evil Lurks was one of those horror titles that I had been hearing about, I knew practically nothing going in, except that it made a massive impression on people. While I do think some issues hold it back from being great, I still really liked it.

The film is something of a blending of the possession and infection genres of horror, in which it focuses on evil possessing and infecting an Argentinian town. While those kinds of movies have been done before, When Evil Lurks does have an interesting take on it. Much of the lore isn’t established the best (more on that later), but it is great that it has its own lore which you learn about over the course of the movie. One of its biggest strengths is how genuinely bleak and horrifying the movie gets, and really leans into the grim, apocalyptic despair and dread. It’s absolutely mean spirited and doesn’t hold back. While that can be said for many horror movies with how it aims for shocks, it actually delivers. Yes, there’s plenty of brutal and violent moments but it doesn’t allow you to enjoy it, even with how over the top it is. It is compelling rather than just deliberately revolting and offputting. It gives this atmosphere of doom that few horror movies can actually pull off. The first half moves quickly and is pretty strong, delivering a simple yet engaging story which I was invested in. The second half is unfortunately where it drops a little for me. It dumps a whole lot of lore on you, and the exposition for that can be a little rough. I didn’t mind it in the first half as it still allowed you to figure things out as the movie progressed. However in the latter part, when it flat out explained things, it slowed its momentum and that brought down the film for me. That said, it still did well in delivering a devastating ending. 

The acting is largely good overall, and I don’t have any complaints. Ezequiel Rodríguez particularly gives a haunting performance and conveys a lot of emotion, especially in the more devastating moments.

Director Demián Rugna’s work on this is fantastic. It is beautifully shot and very well made with memorable imagery, especially when it comes to the horror scenes. The practical special effects and makeup are impressive, the violence level is high and the kills are fittingly gnarly.

When Evil Lurks is a brutal, bleak, grim and incredibly directed horror film, not for the faint of heart. In spite of some flaws, especially in the second half, I think its pretty good, and one of the better horror movies of 2023.