When Evil Lurks: A New Twist on the Possession Story

I’ve been searching for a new horror movie to watch when I stumbled upon When Evil Lurks. I had a few people mention this movie to me, and they couldn’t seem to give it enough praise. I decided to check out the hype and see if it lived up to the expectations. I can successfully say that this movie shocked me and had my jaw on the floor more than once.

When Evil Lurks is an Argentine film and the first original Spanish production by Shudder. I will try to avoid spoiling anything. The story follows two brothers, Pedro and Jimmy who stumble upon a possessed or a “rotten” in their town. However, they have been warned to not kill this possessed in fear of the evil spreading.

The solution was to move the body, but of course this has repercussions, otherwise there would be no movie. The brothers gather their loved ones and try to leave town, but the evil is relentless and follows them. In order to rid themselves of the evil they must face the demons that plague their small town.

The movie has received raving reviews, including Rotten Tomatoes with a 99%. I don’t entirely agree with these positive reviews, but I can appreciate the originality of the story. The possessed trope is one that has been done a million times over but When Evil Lurks presents a level of newness that I personally haven’t seen. The demon is easily passed on with just a single touch and can’t be killed by guns, but instead by professionals, known as “cleaners.”

The movie has the horror factor but also psychological elements because of how the demon can enter the mind. I can also appreciate the gore fest where no one is safe including animals, elderly, and even the children. Many of the scenes had my jaw on the floor, simply because I didn’t expect the story to head in such a horrifying direction.

However, my issue with the movie is with the final 30 minutes. I felt that the story had a few plot holes and didn’t wrap them up as nicely as I expected. At the end I asked myself, “was that the end?” I still have so many questions regarding the ending, especially circling around the son of Pedro and the future of the small town. I also had a few expectations walking into the movie considering people told me it was one of the scariest movies they have ever seen. I would argue the movie is more of a psychological thriller than a traditional horror movie. Nonetheless, I would still recommend this movie to others, just to see some jaws drop.