Demian Rugna has already surprised the public in 2017, Frightened (available on Prime). In the film’s opening scene, a woman dies after being brutally beaten by an unseen force. In the fifth, a man encounters a creepy monster under his bed. But the scene showing the mummified corpse of a child sitting at his mother’s dining room table was completely baffling. Even the most avid horror fans were surprised by the nightmarish film, which demonstrated the ambition of the director and screenwriter.
The type of terror that was depicted in the film was more than just a horror story. It also explored our collective worst fears and concerns. Especially about death and the essence of evil.
When evil lurkswinner Sitges Film Festival 2023, follow the same line. But more than that, it becomes a view of genre cinema that completely transcends any boundaries it has established. From images that directly evoke disgust, to turning every character into a victim and an aggressor. If there’s one thing that sets the film apart, it’s that it’s not just a horror story.
When evil lurks
winner of the 2023 Sitges Festival, it is much more than just a good horror film. It is also a story with a fatalistic overtone, about the evil that lives within every person and what could happen if it were unleashed in its full force. Violent, brutal and disgusting, the film breaks all boundaries and becomes pure horror.
It is also a glimpse into the darkness of evil as an infectious, disturbing and destructive event. What starts with the premise of a simple possession ends up developing into a scenario that covers a variety of disturbing themes. Characters who kill, maim, and mutilate themselves. Creatures emerging from decayed human flesh. Little by little, the plot leaves behind any resemblance to similar narrative offerings through a combination of gore and subtext related to the creepy nature of people. We can all be monsters or have potential. All you need is a force that causes terror.
Fear that spreads like a web
The film begins seemingly simply. Brothers Pedro (Ezequiel Rodriguez) and Jimmy (Demian Salomon), they find a man infected by some unknown force. In the world imagined by Demian Rugna, possession involves more than just the ability of an unknown entity to inhabit a human body. It also implies the degradation and destruction of every part and element that connects him with his intelligent nature. Little by little, this version of evil turns into a wave of pollution that spirals out of control at an unstoppable speed. Because of this, the film immediately changes pace. From a tragic plot to unpleasant rudeness.
But the script has the ability to avoid turning its story into a series of horror stories whose sole purpose is to impress and displease. When evil lurks, is a narrative that follows a thread of very clear ideas. Evil – external, in the form of an uncontrollable disease – is contagious. And it does not manifest itself in the form of a series of unambiguous situations.
Terror without nuance
A pregnant woman can become a voracious creature, and a girl can become a bloodthirsty monster. If there’s anything surprising about the film, it’s the lack of mercy, compassion, or desire for redemption. All characters are capable of horrific cruelty and demonstrate that whatever affects them He uses what he finds in the minds of those who belong to him.
Demian Rugna finds the balance between showing everything his infected creatures are capable of and delivering cruel implications about what isn’t shown. How far can this obsessive infection go, turning any person into deranged and rotten creatures? Using visual resources that rely on practical effects and visuals that make clever use of light and shadow, the director turns the great mystery of how far what he shows can go into a fatalistic point.
As his characters flee and try to survive, the world outside the city they live in becomes fertile ground for the sinister force they have unleashed. It’s a moment that allows the film to have far more dimensions than a modest budget production would suggest.
The third section, which is disappointing
Nevertheless, When evil lurks He loses some of his impact when he tries to explain or emphasize his ideas, which don’t need to be read too deeply into. His argument, based on mystery, becomes hasty and weak. when you are trying to find the religious or mythological roots of a storytelling phenomenon.
From a brilliant first half in which bloody violence fills the screen coupled with a smoothly paced story, the final act of the film is disappointing. Especially when trying to use some random miracle opportunity will unbalance the tension of the script.
At all, When evil lurks He makes this failure inconsequential compared to the collection of his good ideas and the development of his main arc. An achievement that is confirmed in the final episode of the history of horror cinema and makes it clear that this history of evil as a devouring entity has only just begun.
Source: Hiper Textual
