| Director: | Demián Rugna |
| Producer: | Fernando Díaz |
| Music: | Pablo Fuu |
| Cinematography: | Mariano Suárez |
| Editing: | Lionel Cornistein |
| Runtime: | 99 minutes |
| Language: | Spanish |
| Gross: | US$2.1 million[1] [2] |
When Evil Lurks (Spanish; Castilian: Cuando acecha la maldad) is a 2023 supernatural horror film written and directed by Demián Rugna. An international co-production of Argentina and the United States, the film stars Ezequiel Rodríguez, Demián Salomon, Luis Ziembrowski, Silvia Sabater and Marcelo Michinaux.[3]
When Evil Lurks premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 16, 2023. It received a theatrical release by IFC Films on October 6, and debuted on the streaming service Shudder on October 27.[4] [5] [6]
The morning after hearing gunshots in the woods near the land they work, brothers Pedro and Jaime discover half of the eviscerated body of a man, which leads them to a nearby shack where María Elena, an elderly woman, and her two sons, Uriel and Eduardo, are in hiding. Uriel has become a "Rotten", a being possessed by an unborn demon awaiting physical birth. The corpse was that of a "Cleaner", a professional who was meant to kill Uriel and abort the demon before it could possess others.
The authorities dismiss the demon as not their problem. The brothers then inform the landowner, Ruiz, whose solution involves removing Uriel from the shack and dumping him far away from his land. After driving several hundred kilometers, the men realize that Uriel has fallen off the truck somewhere along the way. Unable to find him, Ruiz declares the matter resolved and returns home. The next morning, Ruiz's wife Jimena discovers that one of their goats has become possessed. Despite her warning against using guns because they will only spread the infectious possession, Ruiz shoots the animal with his shotgun. A possessed Jimena immediately kills Ruiz then commits suicide with her axe. That night, Eduardo knocks on Pedro and Jaime's door. He tells them that his mother disappeared after the men took Uriel, and that he found Ruiz and his wife dead. Afraid to return to his shack alone, he begs the men to let him stay the night. Jaime does not fully believe that Eduardo was abandoned by his mother, but Pedro allows Eduardo to sleep in the horse shed next to their house, provided he surrenders his pistol and promises to leave at sunrise.
Early the next morning, Jaime and Pedro plan to leave town with their family members and escape to safety. Jaime gets their mother, Sara, while Pedro goes to his ex-wife Sabrina and his two children, Santino and Jair, who is autistic. In Sabrina's house, while Jaime argues with Sabrina and her new husband Leonardo, the family dog, who previously licked Pedro's demon-mucked clothes, savagely attacks Vicky (Leonardo and Sabrina's daughter) dragging her outside. The two men chase the dog, and Leonardo proceeds to shoot it despite Pedro's warning. Pedro returns to Sabrina and discovers that Vicky is back, and seemingly normal. As Pedro steals a car and drives away with his sons, he witnesses a possessed Leonardo ram his truck into Sabrina and Vicky, who later dances gleefully.
After Pedro picks up Jaime and their mother, the assembled family leaves town. Pedro receives a phone call from a demonic Sabrina, who demands her children back. They meet up with Mirta, a former Cleaner and Jaime's acquaintance from the city, who invites them to stay overnight. Mirta warns Jaime about Jair, who is as already exhibiting signs of possession, which Jaime dismisses as related to Jair's autism. Mirta explains that they must find and kill Uriel using the appropriate ritual to prevent the demon from being fully born. When the possessed Sabrina arrives and kidnaps Santino, Jaime chases after her in their car while Mirta and Pedro take Mirta's truck to search for Uriel. On a darkened road, Jaime approaches Sabrina and discovers that she has already brutally killed Santino. In a fit of rage, he runs her down and pins her to a tree. Sara stays behind at Mirta's house to wait with Jair, who is now able to walk unassisted and speaks clearly, without impediment.
Pedro and Mirta's search leads them to a local schoolhouse filled with possessed children who have killed all the nearby adults and worked to conceal Uriel. Mirta insists that there is still time to stop the demonic birth, as sounds of nature can still be heard. She states outdoor silence is the first sign of the evil unleashed. The pair eventually discover Uriel hidden under the stage in the small auditorium, and Pedro tries to properly unearth him as Mirta sets up for the exorcising ritual. Losing his patience and believing that a nearby fire axe might help him to dismember and move Uriel, Pedro runs to the office only to become locked-in by the children. While he is occupied, the children kill Mirta and dismantle her equipment. Breaking through the door, a desperate and angry Pedro proceeds to beat Uriel to death. The demon is then born out of Uriel's corpse, appearing as a nude, blood-covered child. The demon taunts Pedro, marking him with streaks of blood and sparing his life as he walks out into the morning sun, followed by the children.
Pedro and Jaime reunite at Mirta's house, where they embrace and weep. They collect Jair and return home. Inspecting the property, Jaime finds the possessed Eduardo, who admits to killing and eating the original Cleaner four days ago. He also reveals that he did the same to his own mother, and he alludes that Jaime and Pedro's mother has suffered a similar fate. Inside, Pedro feeds Jair ice cream, but Jair chokes, and proceeds to cough up his grandmother's hair and necklace. Pedro walks outside, collapses, and wails in grief, as birdsong dies down to a dead silence around him.
In 2021, the screenplay for When Evil Lurks won the Runner Up Prize at the Sitges Pitchbox, an international pitch event hosted by Filmarket Hub and the 56th Sitges Film Festival.[8] [9]
When Evil Lurks is produced by Shudder and La Puerta Roja, the latter a joint venture partnership between the Argentine-based Aramos Cine and Machaco Films. It is Shudder's first Spanish-language production.[10] [11] Filming took place in 2022.
During the film's post-production, an early market screening was held for the film at Ventana Sur in Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires, where it won the Blood Window Screenings Award.
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 13, 2023 as part of the festival's "Midnight Madness" section.[12] Paris-based company Charades managed international sales for the film at the festival.
The film was theatrically released by IFC Films on October 6, followed by a release on the Shudder streaming service on October 27.[13] [14]
[15] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 75 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[16]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sitges Film Festival | October 14, 2023 | Best Feature Film | When Evil Lurks | [17] | |
| Blood Window Award for Best Feature Film | |||||
| Festival international du film fantastique de Gérardmer | February 2, 2024 | Critics' Prize | [18] | ||
| Audience Award | |||||
| Critics' Choice Super Awards | April 4, 2024 | Best Horror Movie | [19] | ||
| Platino Awards | April 20, 2024 | Best Sound | Pablo Isola | ||