Arriving in UK and US cinemas on Friday 6th October, and on Shudder from October 27th, is the Argentinian horror movie, When Evil Lurks (aka Cuando acecha la maldad). The film – written and directed by Demián Rugna – stars Ezequiel Rodríguez, Demián Salomón, and Luis Ziembrowski and follows the story of two brothers from a small rural town, who discover a demon is about to be born among them.
In the movie, brothers Pedro and Jaime hear gunshots in the middle of the night. The shots appear to be coming from off in the distance, just outside their property, causing the men to investigate.
A short while into their investigation, Pedro and Jaime come across the remains of a mutilated body. After searching the remains they find clues, which lead them to a home where a family anxiously awaits.
The mother of the family explains that she was waiting for the dead man to arrive so he could kill her son, Uriel. She believes her son has been possessed, and she needs help in destroying him before a demon is released and all Hell breaks loose in town.
The brothers agree to move Uriel from the family home, but when they do, they become a target for the demon. They believe the only way to escape is to leave town, but as they soon discover, it’s not easy to outrun evil.
Dark, disturbing, and occasionally a bit bonkers, When Evil Lurks is an intriguing horror movie about two brothers and their fight against evil. The movie follows Pedro and Jaime as they attempt to escape the clutches of a demonic force, all the while moving through some twisted and unnerving situations.
One of these situations involves a dog and a young girl, and it’s a pretty brutal scene. Another centres around an undead mother, a car, and a tree, and it is equally uncomfortable to watch.
Both of these scenes are expertly handled, and the same can be said about all of the main set pieces in the film. When Evil Lurks contains a number of sequences designed to shock or unsettle the audience, all are delivered with a good degree of punch, and all utilise practical effects that are suitably gruesome.
Where the movie struggles a bit is largely in the initial set-up, which doesn’t quite jump to life as much as it should. Despite diving into the story very quickly, the first 30-40 minutes of the film are a bit slow in places and this does impact some of the pace.
It takes until almost the mid-point before things really begin to click and this is a shame. There are some decent moments before this, a couple of which will have a few audience members squirming in their seats, but none of this early material is as strong as what comes later.
However, once the film does find its groove, it’s pretty much good stuff. Writer/director Demián Rugna has a clear vision and tone, the suspense and tension is unrelenting, and there’s enough blood and goo to satisfy most horror fans.
Although it wobbles in a couple of places, When Evil Lurks is solid horror. It sets out its simple premise very quickly, sticks to its guns about what it wants to achieve, and delivers a fair few shocks and uneasy moments along the way.
At times it is brutal, but for the most part When Evil Lurks is engaging. If you’re looking for some big screen horror this Halloween, outside of the mainstream titles such as Saw X or The Exorcist: Believer, or even re-releases like The Exorcist and Friday the 13th, then this is one to take a look at.
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