Directed By Demian Rugna

Starring – Ezequiel Rodriguez, Demian Salomon, Luis Ziembrowski

The Plot – In a remote village, two brothers (Rodriguez, Salomon) find a demon-infected man just about to give birth to evil itself. They decide to get rid of the man but merely succeed in helping him to deliver the inferno.

Rated R for brutality involving gore, adult language and peril

When Evil Lurks – Official Trailer | HD | IFC Films – YouTube

POSITIVES

If you’re seeking a spine-tingling, stomach-churning chiller to seamlessly fill the gap of extremist horror left unfulfilled by ratings restrictions, then look no further, as “When Evil Lurks” takes pride in the elements of tragedy and disgust, which once flew ferociously in this genre. Rugna’s direction here is fearlessly resilient, combining overwhelming vulnerability in the actions of his audacious screenplay, but beyond that an unabided vantage in imagery depiction for the audience, which flourishes in everything from the unnerving to the downright squeamish, to produce a truly visceral engagement. He also manages to imbed something freshly unique to the concepts of possession horror, which typically feel confined to the claustrophobic surroundings of one stage settings, but here expand as far as the conflict is willing to take it, with a variety of plagued personas and paranormal predicaments that seamlessly convey that no person, animal or in-between are safe from the inevitability of this unforeseen force coming right for them. Rugna refuses to show much about the demon, until the moments when the reveal means more, and because of such we’re treated to some of the very best practical effects involving make-up and prosthetics that I’ve not only seen this year, but over the last decade, easily. There’s a gruesomely grotesque element to what these constructs are conveying, articulating an external agony in stretched anatomies with an internal suffering in restlesness, to cement designs enriched with lived-in paralysis. When coupled with these lethally ruthless attacks and kills that quite literally come out of nowhere and attain a couple of meaningful jump scares to their appeal, the film maintains your attention consistently throughout the smoothly-paced 94 minute run time, in turn proving that nothing or nobody is off limits as a victim to this force. Those fighting against these elements invest towards a cohesively decorated ensemble who each bring to life the urgency and terror of something that they can’t even begin to understand. Ezequiel Rodriguez is most palpable in this regard, channeling an unfiltered rage and soul-crushing remorse towards Pedro that fuels the spontaneity of his character design, often making him the spark towards so many surrounding combustible elements. However, Demian Soloman’s Jimmy is easily my favorite, stitching a bountiful blanketing of heart to the crumbling of this family dynamic that would better be served to follow his meaningful guidance. Together, the two not only share a seamless connection in conductive chemistry that supplants heart to the construct of the narrative, but also their efforts help to override some of the flat characterization that cut directly into the strength of the respective dramatic arcs.

NEGATIVES

While the script elicits an experience that often has its audience on the edge of its seat, a few hindering instances keep it from being a downright classic that earns every bit of its praise as what some are calling the best horror film of 2023. We start once more with the script, where the elements of aforementioned flat characterization from the word go stunt our investment to the peril that only takes five minutes to materialize. This is fine if the film grows their constructs naturally throughout in ways that exceed what they began as, but unfortunately we learn so little about them or what makes them tick throughout that it tragically limits the desire to see any of these people live, with a first act that should’ve slowed down and articulated who these people were before evil came knocking. On top of this, much of the storytelling is a bit sloppy in execution, beginning with the aforementioned opening act, which explains nothing about possession in this world. This aspect somewhat works because at least initially it revels in that fear of the unknown for its captivating factors, but eventually the film feels precoccupied in trying to explain too much, and between leveling us with this laundry list of seven rules for defeating a demon, to which the characters often break without consequence, and throwaway characters sprouting these long-winded exposition dumps while halting the movie’s momentum, confusion starts to set in, leaving audiences with a growing disconnect that extends the longer the film persists. Finally, while the technical components dazzle terrifically towards the integrity of the experience, the editing during key sequences of terror garners unintentional laughter on a few occasions, pulling the wrong kind of emotion for scenes and sequences that should be terrifying, but instead come across as hilarious. This definitely isn’t what you want in scenes where kids, dogs and even mentally handicap characters are on the offensive, and it makes me wish they worked harder to hide the artificiality of its depiction.

OVERALL
“When Evil Lurks” isn’t quite the next great possession horror film, but it is one definitely deserving of the overwhelming praise garnered from some truly audacious imagery, gruesomely grotesque special effects work, and unforeseen surprises that continuously ratchet the tension and attention of its audience. Demian Rugna ups the ante in only his second directing effort, with a viscerally sobering pre-apocalyptic chiller that intensifies suspense by lurking before it leaps.

My Grade: 7/10 or B-