'When Evil Lurks' Review: A Horror Movie That Dares You Not To Look Away
Some horror films play the role of courage. In When Evil Lurks, the challenge is not whether you can overcome the horror of this story of obsession, but whether you can overcome its merciless brutality.
Horror fans should expect the same from writer/director Demián Rugna, the madman behind the 2017 horror film Horror. But for those who might come across the story of a demon destroying a family - sometimes literally - these are the horrors contained. How surprising. They can be scary creatures that follow you around the house and scream in your ear as you fall asleep.
For some of you, this might be enough to decide when evil is lurking is on the don't watch list while others are already gearing up to see if they can handle this terrible film diversion.
What is "When Evil Hides" about?
Our story begins in a remote village where brothers Pedro (Ezequiel Rodriguez) and Jimmy (Demián Salomon) live in a simple hut. What brings you here? This is not immediately obvious or important. After all, shots could be heard at night. Even though they had weapons, the brothers knew better than to go into the darkness where everything could be hidden. What they found the next morning was a horrific scene of violence, but they had few answers.
With good intentions and willful naivety, they visit their neighbors to understand what they see in the forest. What they found was a young man who had turned evil. His body was swollen and full of boils and pus, like worms in humans. The family doesn't know what to do next, but the answers are never easy.
What follows are the brothers' attempts to rid their city of evil, and when that fails, they flee. But from the first shot in the woods you should know that this is not a story with a happy ending.
Meanwhile , “Evil Lurks” will win over even the most die-hard horror fans.
Don't watch this movie while eating. I made the mistake of watching When Evil Sleeps for lunch. As soon as the brothers saw the body, I knew something had gone wrong. When Evil Lurks is so prolific with dirty images , you can smell the rotting body from the inside. Close-up shots of rotten flesh are more disturbing than some subtle hover shots. There's a reason they're called "lazy." But this excessive distortion of the human form is only the beginning.
This opening sequence may make your stomach turn, but your weak heart may give out as Pedro races to save his children from this nefarious path of infection. It is not only innocent people who can escape the brutal violence of the Kalbur people. Except this director doesn't bat an eyelid in showing us what the carnage looks like.
“When Evil Lurks” is a heartbreaking story about parental failure.
Filled with truly frightening scenes, the film could easily be seen as an evil howl that attacks well-meaning people and their beloved children, only to destroy our hopes for their safety, like a child banging his head on a tombstone. Unlike the gruesome murder in Saw In movies, the violence here is strong and constant. We should not enjoy the violence that is happening, but rather be shocked and horrified by how this evil disease is spreading from neighbors, homeowners, pregnant women, etc. But there is a method to this madness.
Halfway through the film we learn not only that Pedro has a son, but also why he doesn't live with him. Before the film begins, he has abandoned her and been kicked out of her life by her protective mother. Now he returns home, determined to do the right thing this time. And the mistakes he made were terrible, but also very human.
As the brothers search first for a solution and then a way out, we are drawn to the predicament they find themselves in, even as we feel its inevitable weight. As such, Evil Lurks is a uniquely scary cinematic experience that forces one to understand how scary it is to be a parent who can't control the world around their kind, sweet, and very dangerous children.
If you're looking for a new movie this Halloween season that's not only creepy but will also terrify you, then When Evil Lurks is for you.
How to watch: “Evil Lurks” hits theaters on October 6 and premieres on October 27.
