Welcome to Knockout Horror and to day 7 of our 31 Days of Halloween 2024 feature. Today we are taking a look at another recent movie. Demián Rugna’s When Evil Lurks. This movie released almost a year ago in October 2023. It kind of slipped under my radar a bit as I really try to avoid wasting my money on Shudder, wherever possible.
People have really hyped this movie up. And while I do agree with much of the praise. I feel like many reviewers are ignoring some of the more pressing issues that When Evil Lurks has.
In fact, I have seen commenters on Reddit referring to people as “dullards” for voicing the things they dislike about the movie. Naturally, this is a very typical “Reddit” response to someone criticising something they happen to enjoy. And far more indicative of the level of maturity and intelligence (or lack thereof) of the person who feels the need to say such things. But what are the issues with When Evil Lurks? Let’s take a look.
Mostly Solid
Firstly, When Evil Lurks does a lot of things right. In fact, for the most part, it is a truly solid movie. Following the story of two brothers who live in a remote village in Argentina. When Evil Lurks sees the brothers come into contact with an infected “rotten” man who is about to give birth to the very incarnation of evil itself. Hoping for an easy solution, the brothers decide to dump the man in the middle of nowhere. Little do they realise, their actions will unleash something more horrifying than they could have ever imagined.
Firstly, this is a brilliant concept. It immediately sets up a ton of tension and offers up some fantastic opportunities for gruesome body horror. The rotten man is truly disgusting. The special effects team have gone out of their way to make sure you are repulsed by him. This is something that is pretty consistent throughout When Evil Lurks. There are a ton of gross out moments and some sensational gore. Rugna has really managed to tap into a genuinely visceral type of horror that feels just that little bit more impactful than most movies.
Tension is at its peak throughout the first half. As the brothers rid themselves of the rotten man, you are just waiting for the carnage to begin. You know it is coming and, when it does, it is complete chaos. With some legitimately brutal moments and a very real sense of atmosphere and panic.
Rugna pulls no punches. Nothing is off limits and some of the moments here are truly shocking. It works incredibly well and this pace keeps up throughout about two thirds of the film. Throw in some fantastic pacing, some gorgeous cinematography and a decent soundtrack and you have a lot to be happy about.
A Slight Problem
The vast majority of When Evil Lurks is really decent, very enjoyable, and pretty impactful. The problems start when it becomes clear that the characters are not just unlucky but, actually, beyond stupid. When Evil Lurks transforms into something of a possession movie. Not my favourite type of horror by any stretch but it is done pretty well, for the most part.
There are a set of rules that the characters must follow to avoid things getting much worse. Simple rules; rules that are very easy to stick to. There are, also, a bunch of female characters that constantly remind the men of these rules and, basically, put the whole situation on easy mode for the brothers.
The only problem is, the brothers never ever listen to the rules despite the constant reminders and reinforcement. Every single rule is broken and it is to a point of causing major frustration. The events of this movie would never happen if the simple rules were followed.
The events certainly wouldn’t escalate if the men didn’t constantly do the complete opposite of what they are told. It is beyond annoying and reeks of poor writing. Nothing that happens is believable or organic. Every single tiny bit of escalation is forced. It never feels like bad luck, it always feels like stupidity.
Ultimately Disappointing
Sure, there might be an explanation for this. You could argue that the evil is compelling them to break the rules which would make sense, to a degree. But it’s a weak explanation and even that detracts from the movie greatly. Maybe it is a commentary on misogyny and the pig pigheadedness of some men. Who knows?
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter. Understanding why it happens doesn’t wipe away the feeling of disappointment. By the last third of the movie, my fiancee and I had totally checked out. It just felt silly. When Evil Lurks descends into a game of woefully predictable escalation that is more annoying than compelling. It becomes enormously repetitive and wholly frustrating.
You know, immediately, that whatever situation occurs. There is little reason to become invested because someone will do something dumb and the worst case scenario will occur. It is consistently and relentlessly predictable. It’s a shame because much of the movie is very watchable. It is atmospheric, tense, impactful and shocking.
It just takes such a huge hit from some of the writing choices and I really feel like it never manages to recover. There’s nothing fun about being able to call out, with 100% accuracy, what will happen next. Especially when it is due to the characters being complete idiots.
Should You Watch When Evil Lurks?
I still think When Evil Lurks is, very much, worth a watch. The stupidity of the characters and predictable nature of the second half will only annoy certain people. The events leading up to that are impactful, shocking, and incredibly effective. Some of the body horror elements are brilliant and will make you turn away from your screen. The early parts of the movie are very compelling, as well. It just doesn’t stick the landing. If it did, this score would be even higher.