‘When Evil Lurks’ (2023)

Set in a rural village, ‘When Evil Lurks’ is a psychological horror that follows Pedro (Ezequiel Rodríguez) and Jaime (Demián Salomón), two brothers that set out to investigate suspicious gunshots they had head on the outskirts of their farmland. What follows is an unprecedented journey in discovering the uncurbed extremes of evil.

Finding a dismembered man on the boarders of their land, Pedro and Jaime investigate to see where the man was headed. Reaching the neighbouring house of señora María Elena, the brothers discover a ‘Rotten’, - her son to be possessed and awaiting a ‘Cleaner’ to kill him in the right way before he can birth evil into our world.

Presenting an offensive portrayal of a man overcome and controlled by evil, ‘When Evil Lurks’ firstly introduces the viewers to what can be mistaken for a routine possession feature. Undetected however, the film develops in to a much deeper and singular examination of the crippling effects of actual evil wandering amongst us. Understated, the quiet of the opening sequence soon forgotten, the movie does not hide its intentions and dives off the deep end soon after the men decide to rid the location of the ‘Rotten’.

Having left what grotesque monstrosity remains of señora María Elena’s son by the side of the road, neighbouring Ruiz (Luis Ziembrowski) faces off against the evil as one of his farm animals exhibits signs of possession. Understanding the rules to the game however, to save her husband and herself, Ruiz’s pregnant wife takes an axe to his head and then her own, realising that there is no escaping what has come for them. Showing early on the main thesis of the feature, the film disallows for the men to rid themselves of the evil, underscoring the notion that things of this magnitude cannot be thrown aside and forgotten, and must be faced head on.

The following day Pedro and Jaime understand they have to leave, Heading to the nearby town to pick up his children from his ex-wife, Pedro encounters resistance as his wife stands in his way. The evil soon tracks them down, first possessing the family dog, then the new husband and then the wife. The film further twists its way into the viewers psyche by taking turns unanticipated and unimagined. It is rare for a film to manage to shock to the extent that this film does, but it manages to achieve this not through jump-scares or offensively loud screeches, but by taking liberties and leaving no one safe.

Wholly unorthodox, the movie does not hold its punches and crosses a certain line that rarely works, however ‘When Evil Lurks’ takes unmentionable moves and executes them without remorse. A dog attacking a young girl and mauling her, a possessed mother running away with her child and then proceeding to eat his brains and a grown man attaching a possessed child as he is pushed to his limits. The film doesn’t hold back and delivers not only deeply upsetting, but haunting imagery accompanied by terrifying thoughts of evil and the lines being blurred between what and who can be trusted.

A highlight, amongst a multitude in the feature, is Rodríguez’ portrayal of Pedro. A man scrambling to do what he thinks is right, repeatedly tested and teased by the evil, Rodríguez displays one at the end of their rope, trying to do the right thing, but ultimately buckling under the immense pressure the evil exercises on him, and Pedro failing to summon the strength of character necessary to defeat what unholy adversary he is facing.

Seeping in through the cracks, ‘When Evil Lurks’ finds its way inside uninvited, and not unlike an unwelcome guest seems to take liberties by making itself comfortable inside the viewers head. The film inhabits the space long after its conclusion, continuing to live in our minds rent free for much longer than can be considered appropriate.

Depicting a complete and total corruption of one’s spirit, ‘When Evil Lurks’ muddies the waters so much for Pedro and Jaime, and the viewers, that by the end of the feature nothing and no one left standing can be considered holy or pure, having been corrupted by the mere presence of the evil that has now been born into the world, roaming free and causing chaos wherever it goes. Truly a spectacular exploration of men haunted by a very real presence of evil, ‘When Evil Lurks’ delivers an unnerving and unforgettable experience.

Score: 4/4