When Evil Lurks (2023), directed by Demian Rugna, stars Ezequiel Rodriguez, Demian Salomon, Silvina Sabater, Luis Ziembrowski, Marcelo Michinaux, Emilio Vodanovich, Virginia Garofalo, Paula Rubinsztein, and Lucrecia Niron Talazac. The film comes from Argentina and follows two brothers who inadvertently unleash a powerful evil within their small rural village. When brothers Pedro (Rodriguez) and Jimi (Salomon) discover a neighbor who is slowly dying of a flesh-eating illness, they decide to dispose of his body by any means necessary, fearing that dark entities may have caused his sickness. Unfortunately, the two brothers ignore warnings from the neighbor’s mother to dispose of his body “properly,” causing an evil entity to escape and sending the surrounding village into a violent frenzy. The brothers are then forced to retrace their steps so they can fix their mistake before it’s too late.

The two leads create a believable sibling dynamic that really anchors the film. The balance between these characters bickering and working together feels accurate as opposed to over-the-top like it usually is in these kinds of films. Even though the film is brutally intense throughout, they still find moments for some fun interactions that really flesh out the characters. The only problem here in terms of character is that Pedro often suffers from annoying protagonist syndrome. The character’s personality isn’t annoying, but his consistently poor choices are. This helps to push the plot along in the ways horror films often require, but feels somewhat unrealistic and therefore immersion-breaking. 

The film opens with an immediate sense of intensity and sustains that feeling throughout. It features an efficient runtime that is nail-bitingly intense due to intense, emotional characters and brutal surprises that push the limit. This makes the film unpredictable and genuinely terrifying. This is all bolstered by authentic-looking, practical gore effects that manage to elevate the scares as opposed to just soullessly grossing you out similar to something like Saw (2004). 

To my American ears, the score emulates something along the lines of a Spaghetti Western which works surprisingly well with this kind of rural-set horror film. The film seems partly inspired by many classic horror films that include but are not limited to Night of the Living Dead (1968), The Omen (1976), Children of the Corn (1984), It Follows (2014), and even The Happening (2008). This could imply that the film is a hodgepodge of callbacks and references to better films, but that’s not the case. It’s like a satisfying dish made with flavors of other great films. It’s actually something entirely its own that stands out among the horror genre. 

Overall, this a fast-paced, surprising, and genuinely scary horror film that is sure to excite fans of the genre. Although I think it stumbles a bit with its main character as well as an unimpressive ending, it succeeds enough to become a guaranteed classic for certain viewers. Though little “why” is explained when it relates to the supernatural/spiritual lore, it doesn’t feel like it matters. It’s just strange that the characters are so quick to accept the existence of demons/spirits without question. It’s the opposite of the usual problem I have with horror films; I guess there’s a balance that needs to be struck. Anyway, if you like keeping up with the genre, check it out. B