When Evil Lurks is a Spanish language horror movie written and directed by Demian Rugna. The premise of the movie concerns a remote village where two brothers viz. Pedro and Jimi find a demon-infected man (a “rotten”) just about to ‘give birth’ to evil incarnate. The brothers decide to get rid of the body, only to end up unintentionally spreading the chaos.
It’s sobering to realise that too much of the modern day horror franchises e.g. The Conjuring or Halloween movies are not really very terrifying at all, relying on jump scares to frighten rather than well written concepts to provide genuine horror to audiences. That’s where indie horror films come to the fore, low budget productions which deliver where it matters – the horror!
When Evil Lurks certainly falls into the latter category. With a troubling premise that eschews the demon possession cliches and instead interprets the same as sickness and contagion (yes, the COVID analogies land!) supported by realistic (and disgusting) visual effects, the stomach churning gore and body horror may be a bit too much for some. So be warned!
There is a strong familial theme running through the spine of this movie. The breakdown in relationships and the fear of loss that fuels the demon inexorably towards its goal. Throughout the movie, there is a palpable sense of an ancient terror that has become part of folklore, with rules of engagement firmly established but none taking them too seriously, until it is too late!
Upon closer scrutiny, there are plot lapses and continuity issues but presumably the low budget played a hand in this and even the film alludes to these flaws when a critical character jokes about the convenience of her appearing at the right time! You definitely get a pass from me! In the final analysis, When Evil Lurks is an indie horror classic worth your time and effort. Recommended!
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