Wikipedia

When Evil Lurks

Not to be confused with What Evil Lurks.

When Evil Lurks (Spanish: Cuando acecha la maldad) is a 2023 supernatural horror film written and directed by Demián Rugna. An international co-production of Argentina and the United States, the film stars Ezequiel Rodríguez, Demián Salomon, Luis Ziembrowski, Silvia Sabater and Marcelo Michinaux.[4]

When Evil Lurks
Promotional release poster
Directed byDemián Rugna
Written byDemián Rugna
Starring
CinematographyMariano Suárez
Edited byLionel Cornistein
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • September 13, 2023 (2023-09-13) (TIFF)
  • October 6, 2023 (2023-10-06) (United States)
  • November 9, 2023 (2023-11-09) (Argentina)
Running time
99 minutes
Countries
  • Argentina
  • United States
LanguageSpanish
Box officeUS$1.6 million[2][3]

When Evil Lurks premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 16, 2023.[4] It received a theatrical release by IFC Films on October 6, and debuted on the streaming service Shudder on October 27.[5][6][7]

Plot

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The morning after hearing gunshots in the woods near the land they work, brothers Pedro and Jaime discover half of the eviscerated body of a man, which leads them to a nearby shack where María Elena, an elderly woman, and her two sons, Uriel and Eduardo, are in hiding. Uriel has become a "Rotten", a being possessed by an unborn demon awaiting physical birth. The corpse was that of a "Cleaner", a professional who was meant to kill Uriel and abort the demon before it could possess others.

The authorities dismiss the demon as not their problem. The brothers then inform the landowner, Ruiz, whose solution involves removing Uriel from the shack and dumping him far away from his land. After driving several hundred kilometers, the men realize that Uriel has fallen off the truck somewhere along the way. Unable to find him, Ruiz declares the matter resolved and returns home. The next morning, Ruiz's wife Jimena discovers that one of their goats has become possessed. Despite her warning against using guns because they will only spread the infectious possession, Ruiz shoots the animal with his shotgun. A possessed Jimena immediately kills Ruiz then commits suicide with her axe. That night, Eduardo knocks on Pedro and Jaime's door. He tells them that his mother disappeared after the men took Uriel, and that he found Ruiz and his wife dead. Afraid to return to his shack alone, he begs the men to let him stay they night. Jaime does not fully believe that Eduardo was abandoned by his mother, but Pedro allows Eduardo to sleep in the horse shed next to their house, provided he surrenders his pistol and promises to leave at sunrise.

Early the next morning, Jaime and Pedro plan to leave town with their family members and escape to safety. Jaime gets their mother, Sara, while Pedro goes to his ex-wife Sabrina and his two children, Santino and Jair, who is autistic. In Sabrina's house, while Jaime argues with Sabrina and her new husband Leonardo, the family dog, who previously licked Pedro's demon-mucked clothes, savagely attacks Vicky (Leonardo and Sabrina's daughter) dragging her outside. The two men chase the dog, and Leonardo proceeds to shoot it despite Pedro's warning. Pedro returns to Sabrina and finds discovers that Vicky is back, and seemingly normal. As Pedro steals a car and drives away with his sons, he witnesses a possessed Leonardo ram his truck into Sabrina and Vicky, who later dances gleefully.

After Pedro picks up Jaime and their mother, the assembled family leaves town. Pedro receives a phone call from a demonic Sabrina, who demands her children back. They meet up with Mirta, a former Cleaner and Jaime's acquaintance from the city, who invites them to stay overnight. Mirta warns Jaime about Jair, who is as already exhibiting signs of possession, which Jaime dismisses as related to Jair's autism. Mirta explains that they must find and kill Uriel using the appropriate ritual to prevent the demon from being fully born. When the possessed Sabrina arrives and kidnaps Santino, Jaime chases after her in their car while Mirta and Pedro take Mirta's truck to search for Uriel. On a darkened road, Jaime approaches Sabrina and discovers that she has already brutally killed Santino. In a fit of rage, he runs her down and pins her to a tree. Sara stays behind at Mirta's house to wait with Jair, who is now able to walk unassisted and speaks clearly, without impediment.

Pedro and Mirta's search leads them to a local schoolhouse filled with possessed children who have killed all the nearby adults and worked to conceal Uriel. The pair eventually discover Uriel hidden under the stage in the small auditorium, and Pedro tries to properly unearth him as Mirta sets up for the exorcising ritual. Losing his patience and believing that a nearby fire axe might help him to dismember and move Uriel, Pedro runs to the office only to become locked-in by the children. While he is occupied, the children kill Mirta and dismantle her equipment. Breaking through the door, a desperate and angry Pedro proceeds to beat Uriel to death. The demon is then born out of Uriel's corpse, appearing as a nude, blood-covered child. The demon taunts Pedro, marking him with streaks of blood and sparing his life as he walks out into the morning sun, followed by the children.

Pedro and Jaime reunite at Mirta's house, where they embrace and weep. They collect Jair and return home. Inspecting the property, Jaime finds the possessed Eduardo, who admits to killing and eating the original Cleaner four days ago. He also reveals that he did the same to his own mother, and he alludes that Jaime and Pedro's mother has suffered a similar fate. Inside, Pedro feeds Jair ice cream, but Jair chokes, and proceeds to cough up his grandmother's hair and necklace. Pedro walks outside, collapses, and wails in grief.

Cast

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  • Ezequiel Rodríguez as Pedro Yazurlo[8]
  • Demián Salomon as Jaime "Jimi" Yazurlo[8]
  • Silvina Sabater as Mirta
  • Luis Ziembrowski as Armando Ruiz
  • Marcelo Michinaux as Santino Yazurlo
  • Emilio Vodanovich as Jair Yazurlo
  • Virginia Garófalo as Sabrina
  • Paula Rubinsztein as Sara
  • Lucrecia Nirón Talazac as Vicky
  • Isabel Quinteros as María Elena Gómez
  • Desirée Salgueiro as Jimena Ruiz
  • Federico Liss as Leonardo "Leo"

Production

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In 2021, the screenplay for When Evil Lurks won the Runner Up Prize at the Sitges Pitchbox, an international pitch event hosted by Filmarket Hub and the 56th Sitges Film Festival.[9][10]

When Evil Lurks is produced by Shudder and La Puerta Roja, the latter a joint venture partnership between the Argentine-based Aramos Cine and Machaco Films.[9] It is Shudder's first Spanish-language production.[11][12] Filming took place in 2022.[9]

Release

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During the film's post-production, an early market screening was held for the film at Ventana Sur in Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires, where it won the Blood Window Screenings Award.[11][12][10]

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 13, 2023[4] as part of the festival's "Midnight Madness" section.[13] Paris-based company Charades managed international sales for the film at the festival.[13]

The film was theatrically released by IFC Films on October 6, followed by a release on the Shudder streaming service on October 27.[5][6]

Reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 97% of 118 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "A hard-hitting horror film whose surface-level frights are just as engaging as its thematic concerns, When Evil Lurks marks a viscerally unsettling addition to the possession horror canon."[14] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 75 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[15]

Accolades

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Sitges Film Festival October 14, 2023 Best Feature Film When Evil Lurks Won [16]
Blood Window Award for Best Feature Film Won
Festival international du film fantastique de Gérardmer February 2, 2024 Critics' Prize Won [17]
Audience Award Won
Critics' Choice Super Awards April 4, 2024 Best Horror Movie Nominated [18]
Platino Awards April 20, 2024 Best Sound Pablo Isola Nominated
[19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Cuando acecha la maldad (2023)". Advisory Commission of Cinematographic Exhibition (in Spanish). National Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts. Archived from the original on February 10, 2024. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  2. ^ "When Evil Lurks (2023)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  3. ^ "When Evil Lurks (2023)". The Numbers. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Jones, Holly (September 6, 2023). "IFC Films, Shudder Set Release For 'Terrified' Director Demián Rugna's "When Evil Lurks," Drop Trailer (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Navarro, Meagan (September 6, 2023). "'When Evil Lurks' Trailer Previews Gnarly New Horror Movie from 'Terrified' Director". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Behold, The First Trailer For Demián Rugna's When Evil Lurks". Fangoria. September 6, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  7. ^ Mack, Andrew (September 6, 2023). "When Evil Lurks Teaser: New Bone Crunching Horror Flick From Demian Rugna!". Screen Anarchy. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Yeo, Amanda (September 6, 2023). "An amateur exorcism goes very wrong in 'When Evil Lurks' trailer". Mashable. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c Mayorga, Emilio (December 2, 2021). "Shudder Takes 'When Evil Lurks,' From 'Terrified' Director Demian Rugna (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Jones, Holly (December 8, 2022). "La Puerta Roja Preps 'The Oxford Murders' Author Guillermo Martinez Story, Sneak Peeks Demián Rugna's Next (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Hopewell, John; Juárez, Virginia (December 3, 2022). "Ventana Sur: 'Warrior,' 'Convince Me,' 'When Evil Lurks,' 'Leon' Win Big at Latin America's Largest Market". Variety. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  12. ^ a b Mayorga, Emilio (December 3, 2022). "'When Evil Lurks', 'León', 'Almamula' win at Ventana Sur". Screen Daily. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  13. ^ a b Grobar, Matt (August 23, 2023). "TIFF Midnight Madness Entry 'When Evil Lurks' Sets Release With Shudder & IFC Films As AMC Studios Eyes TV Expansion". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  14. ^ "When Evil Lurks". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  15. ^ "When Evil Lurks". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  16. ^ "56th Edition Award Winners". Sitges Film Festival. October 14, 2024. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  17. ^ "Festival International du Film Fantastique de Gérardmer - Palmarès Awards PDF Document" (PDF). Festival Gerardmer Int'l. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  18. ^ "Nominations announced for the Critics Choice Association's 4th Annual "Critics Choice Super Awards" honoring Superhero, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Horror, and Action Movies and Series". Critics Choice Association. March 7, 2024. Archived from the original on March 7, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  19. ^ "PLATINO AWARDS XCARET 2024: SEE THE COMPLETE LIST OF WINNERS". ¡Hola!. April 20, 2024.
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