When Evil Lurks
Schedule
Overview
In a remote village, two brothers find a demon-infected man just about to give birth to evil itself. They decide to get rid of the man but merely succeed in spreading the chaos.
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Review
When Evil Lurks stands out as a typical genre film in this year’s Midnight Cinema lineup. The film’s motif of evil possession is commonly seen from horror classics like The Exorcist (1973) to more recent releases such as The Conjuring (2013). Unlike many possession films rooted in a Christian worldview, this film takes a secular approach. Despite including the line “Churches are dead, ma'am.” it maintains a generally indifferent stance on Christianity. The film portrays landowner Ruiz instructing Pedro and Jimi, brothers working on his land, to expel the possessed Uriel. Simultaneously, it depicts the police and local government remaining inactive despite receiving reports, illustrating the film’s realistic grounding. This realism is why many situations in the film draw parallels to those experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Viewers sensitive to brutal and horrific scenes are advised to refrain from watching, as the setting itself is even more terrifying than the descriptions of the scenes. (MOON Seok)
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Credit
- DirectorDemián RUGNA
- ProducerFernando DIAZ, Roxana RAMOS
- ScreenplayDemián RUGNA
- CinematographyMariano SUAREZ
- MusicPablo FUU
- EditorLionel CORNISTEIN
- CastEzequiel RODRIGUEZ, Demián SALOMON, Luis ZIEMBROWSKI, Silvia SABATE, Marcelo MICHINAUX
Film Source
Charades⎜leonard@charades.eu
Director
Demián RUGNA
Born in Haedo, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1979. Director and screenwriter Demián Rugna specializes in fantasy and horror films. His fourth film, Terrified (2017), was multi-awarded, sold to platforms all over the world, and was the most successful horror film at the box office in Argentina. His fifth feature film, When Evil Lurks, premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.
