When Evil Lurks kicks off when two farmhouse dwelling brothers, Pedro and Jimmy, discover in a nearby property first a corpse, then a bed ridden, bloated, pus infected boy, whose relatives intended to treat with the aid of a mysterious visitor they refer as a "cleaner". Soon enough we find out that this boy is harboring an unspeakable evil inside of him, and is going to give birth to hell itself.
After getting brushed off by the police, the men pay a visit to Ruiz, the wealthy neighbor, since the body was found in his land; Ruiz is bitter towards the family of the sick boy, suggesting they are squatters, and even blaming the government for "planting" the curse in his turf. The three men decide to remove the boy from the house and throw him in a ditch several miles away from where they live.
When this plan fails miserably, hell breaks loose for this group of people. Literally. Because for the rest of the movie, we follow these unfortunate individuals haplessly running from one place to the next as if trying to put away multiple fires, while involving their families with tragic consequences.
The story, which works as a dark folk tale, slowly unspools the rules of an evil fighting rite, unbeknownst for most in the community, and yet recognized as a reality more likely to happen in the big cities. This procedure needs to be strictly followed in order to prevent the spread the phenomena among people and animals who, if "possessed", become murderous agents for it. The end game seems to inflict as much pain and distress to those trying to vanquish it.
This movie is unrelenting in its visceral depiction of human behavior put to the test in the face of extreme, unexplained violence. The director, Demian Rugna, has done a wonderful job directing his actors, who deliver uniformly brilliant performances. An special mention to the actresses portraying the ex wife and the one playing Jimmy's older flame, Silvina Sabater, exceptional in the film.
Influenced by the work of horror masters like John Carpenter and sprinkling throughout deliciously understated homages to Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Who can Kill a child?, the film probes the ultimate boundaries of what can be shown onscreen without being overtly exploitative.
Did I mention this is one of the most adrenaline pumping, disturbing and gut punching horror films you will see this year? Or any other year, for that matter.
And yet, as if the powerful engagement with the audience on the surface level were not enough, I was surprised to discover a secondary, deeper layer awaiting to be peeled off, specially by the argentinians who get to see the film. Because When Evil Lurks has a very strong political subtext that will go unnoticed outside of its country of origin.
I believe the story can be interpreted as a metaphor for the implosion of a socialist utopia. I would like to recommend, as a companion piece, the lauded 1992 drama "Un Lugar en el Mundo", from Adolfdo Aristarain, as an an example of the hope for a socialist utopia, where a patriarch brings his family and a community together by the power of his own will and virtue. Where Evil Lurks is a broken mirror reflecting that same story, but with the family and community coming apart.
Only the best movies are able to talk about current state of affairs without beating you in the head with a lecture or ham handed symbology. All this elements are just intelligently weaved into the story, and you will left the theater thinking: "was that a comment about land seizure on behalf of the state?, was this other bit about children's indoctrination in schools?, was that other one about the birth of the new argentine libertarian movement? And when the end titles rolled, I was also left feeling shell-shocked, as if I had just barely survived a potentially fatal accident. Or as if I had just witnessed an omen of a flawed society en route to a head-on collision with its own uncertain fate.
After getting brushed off by the police, the men pay a visit to Ruiz, the wealthy neighbor, since the body was found in his land; Ruiz is bitter towards the family of the sick boy, suggesting they are squatters, and even blaming the government for "planting" the curse in his turf. The three men decide to remove the boy from the house and throw him in a ditch several miles away from where they live.
When this plan fails miserably, hell breaks loose for this group of people. Literally. Because for the rest of the movie, we follow these unfortunate individuals haplessly running from one place to the next as if trying to put away multiple fires, while involving their families with tragic consequences.
The story, which works as a dark folk tale, slowly unspools the rules of an evil fighting rite, unbeknownst for most in the community, and yet recognized as a reality more likely to happen in the big cities. This procedure needs to be strictly followed in order to prevent the spread the phenomena among people and animals who, if "possessed", become murderous agents for it. The end game seems to inflict as much pain and distress to those trying to vanquish it.
This movie is unrelenting in its visceral depiction of human behavior put to the test in the face of extreme, unexplained violence. The director, Demian Rugna, has done a wonderful job directing his actors, who deliver uniformly brilliant performances. An special mention to the actresses portraying the ex wife and the one playing Jimmy's older flame, Silvina Sabater, exceptional in the film.
Influenced by the work of horror masters like John Carpenter and sprinkling throughout deliciously understated homages to Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Who can Kill a child?, the film probes the ultimate boundaries of what can be shown onscreen without being overtly exploitative.
Did I mention this is one of the most adrenaline pumping, disturbing and gut punching horror films you will see this year? Or any other year, for that matter.
And yet, as if the powerful engagement with the audience on the surface level were not enough, I was surprised to discover a secondary, deeper layer awaiting to be peeled off, specially by the argentinians who get to see the film. Because When Evil Lurks has a very strong political subtext that will go unnoticed outside of its country of origin.
I believe the story can be interpreted as a metaphor for the implosion of a socialist utopia. I would like to recommend, as a companion piece, the lauded 1992 drama "Un Lugar en el Mundo", from Adolfdo Aristarain, as an an example of the hope for a socialist utopia, where a patriarch brings his family and a community together by the power of his own will and virtue. Where Evil Lurks is a broken mirror reflecting that same story, but with the family and community coming apart.
Only the best movies are able to talk about current state of affairs without beating you in the head with a lecture or ham handed symbology. All this elements are just intelligently weaved into the story, and you will left the theater thinking: "was that a comment about land seizure on behalf of the state?, was this other bit about children's indoctrination in schools?, was that other one about the birth of the new argentine libertarian movement? And when the end titles rolled, I was also left feeling shell-shocked, as if I had just barely survived a potentially fatal accident. Or as if I had just witnessed an omen of a flawed society en route to a head-on collision with its own uncertain fate.
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