When Evil Lurks (2023) #482

 

I've been finding myself drawn to films that are more nihilistic and haunting, and "When Evil Lurks" is a perfect example of just that. Not since "Martyrs" have I seen such a bleak film that also had a theatrical release, which is how I first watched this movie. The pacing of the movie is perfect as it allows a thorough, but not complete, world building to be established, and how desperate the situation becomes for the main characters. This is a world where demons are an accepted fact and the concept of organized religion is a concept from the past. 

Pedro and his brother Jaime live on a farm in the rural countryside. One night they hear gunshots and decide to see what the commotion was about the following morning. Near the farm they find a person horrible torn apart by some unknown person or beast. They follow clues to a nearby house, where a woman lives with her two sons. The eldest son has become "rotten", a living host to a demon waiting to be born. It's quickly determined that the person found torn apart was on their way to deal with the demon infestation. When the local police decline to help, the hapless brothers, along with an arrogant neighbor, are forced to handle the matter themselves. But there are rules in dealing with the possessed, and when the rules are not followed, a domino effect of horrible events begin to take place.

One of the best world building features of this movie are the rules that must be followed. They seem like an old nursery rhyme or old wives' tale. These rules include not using electric lights, using guns, violence against the possessed, to stay away from animals, and never say their name. Throughout the course of the film, we see what happens when the rules are followed or when they are broken. Another intriguing act of world building is added the vaguely defined Cleaners, those who are able to abort the demon infecting the Rotton. This attention to detail feels like we've witnessed the creation of a new unique movie monster.

 

The spread of evil around the Rotten is quick and insidious. Both animals and humans can be infected, and when they are, they act out in violent and unexpected ways. Causing the death of an infected will infect pass the evil on to the next person which may cause them to self-harm or kill the nearest person. Pedro and Jaime, along with the Cleaner Mirta may be the only ones who can stop the chain reaction of death and stop the birth of a real demon!

Watch the trailer here!