O Mal que Nos Habita

This Argentinian gem narrates the story of Pedro who along with his brother Jaime comes across a rotten body of a man who is possessed by a demon. He is about to give birth to it and the brothers not only have to stop the birthing but also ensure not to kill the Kan as it might spread the possession. With the authorities refusing to help and a mistake leading to the spread, it is upto the brothers to safeguard their family and also stop the demon. Will they succeed forms rest of the story.

I already used the word "gem", so adding onto that, this is by far the best horror film to release this year and I thoroughly loved it. There is no time spent on believer and non-believer, as the story is established in such a way that the characters believe the scenario of an unborn demon about to get unleashed and that alone helps sell this story. The director doesn't waste any time in getting on with the story as the brothers discover the rotting man soon and hell breaks loose thereafter.

With constant supply of scares and gore even when the film is devoid of any jumpscares, as the narrative doesn't want to resort to such gimmicks. It's a run for survival rather than fight for survival till the final act and that works the best. By the tike the final act begins, the film throws in more surprises amidst the inevitable outcome. Kudos to the make up team as well, to help elevate those not easily digestible scenes. I liked the fact that the narrative held my attention from start to finish. For this, I would strongly recommend this as a must watch to everyone.

I know it's blasphemy, but I LOVED this possession horror movie way more than 1973's The Exorcist.

Yes, I know. I'm in the 4% who doesn't prop The Exorcist up as the greatest horror movie ever made. I just recently watched that now-50-year-old movie only for the 2nd time and unbelievably, my rating dropped for it. (I explained IN DETAIL why in my review, so seek and find that for my thoughts.)

This one gets RIGHT to the action with NO time spared. Immediately, you're thrust into the action and world-building. And let me get this straight: while I'm not fully understanding the ending at this point (I REALLY need to watch one of those "Ending Explained" YouTube commentators to fully grasp this finale,) I absolutely loved this tense, suspenseful and most of all, ORIGINAL tale of possession. Talk about NOT being spoon-fed this plot to the audience. You're gonna have to piece this one on your own.

When Evil Lurks tells the tale of two brothers who will stop at nothing to protect their family and hopefully village/friends from an evil, travelling spirit hellbent on corrupting their isolated village, friends, family and livestock. Much like The Thing invading, how will they stop this threat before all their loved ones...or the WORLD...is demonized?

I haven't seen such a bold, in your face, right-away horror that demands your attention and put the pieces together yourself in such a long time. You are in the almost-the-same shoes as these characters with trying solve the riddle and save everyone involved. And the fact that no one is safe while you try and solve this riddle, including children, you better act fast.

I loved this movie even without fully understanding the ending for now. Either those "Ending Explained" YouTube vids will open my eyes, or I'll do it on my own from future revisits. With any route, Director/Writer Demián Rugna did an EXCELLENT job of opening a new door of horror.

***

Final Thoughts: YES, this movie is from Argentina and has subtitles. Suck it up. Some of the best horror films are outside the system. Especially serious horror.

Ok.

I love old school horror movies that don't rely on BS jump scares and CGI.

This movie isn't perfect.

In the second half you may notice some plot contradictions like I did. And yet every actor gave it their all.

This is a new take on possession horror.

The pacing is perfect.

It's really hard to not put spoilers in the review because some of them might convince you to watch this!

As a southern American surrounded by churches of all types, and having known many Catholics, this take is refreshing. In a messed up way lol.

I won't say this is a 10/10 movie. BUT. If you're tired of the same old gore Schlick then this is for you. I appreciate the actors giving their all even though the screenplay isn't perfect. Hope you don't like dogs.

I enjoyed the premise of "When Evil Lurks", I think that it is an original possession story, that part ways with the usual stereotypes of this kind of horror. The evil takes over the lives of Jimi and Pedro slowly and painfully. The audience assists to this inevitable ascent of the darkness that multiple times outsmart the characters, despite all the precautions and strategies that they apply. The director took a realistic approach and some elements of the story are raw and credible. There is no unjustified over the top violence and no pointless jumpscares. The script takes the time to deepen the backstory of Pedro and his family, making him vulnerable and relatable to the eyes of the audience. The narration is fervid and there are many tense sequences that deliver some unexpected moments. This is in my opinion what made the first half great. Unfortunately the film starts to lose its appeal midway. All the tension that built up completely disappeared in the second part of the film. The protagonist takes impulsive decisions that have no logic and that will cost him dearly. In my opinion this goes against the nature of the character, that from the beginning constantly warns others how to kill the possessed, without contracting the curse. The ending is very dramatic and it leaves things open for a possible sequel (that most likely will not happen). Overall I liked the general concept of this film, but the director (who is also the screenwriter) made some decisions that prevented this film from achieving its true potential. "When Evil Lurks" could be one of the best 2023 horror movies, but unfortunately it only gets a 6. It is still a solid film, but I was expecting way better.

With horror films, you're usually used to an old haunted mansion, a group of people make a visit....at night, because why not... and they do a bunch of stuff they're not supposed to. This, widely acclaimed, 2023 Argentine supernatural film is your standard *dumb decisions* but in a different setting and with some reasoning behind these dumb decisions. At least that's what it seems to be after the first watch.

Plot - Residents of a remote village/town learn that something evil among them and if it's not handled right, the whole town will get destroyed.

I don't think this film is scary (subjective) but this will make you feel very uneasy. Don't watch this while eating, you'll thank yourself. In this genre, you can tell how certain scenes are going to play out? You feel the same in this one but also go "No, they won't be doing it. That's too jarring. No way." and boom! They do it anyway and make you go "I can't believe they went there!" and this 'shock' adds to the experiences of watching this film. There's more gore than I'd expect in a horror movie. No jump scares - so that's a plus in my books.

Despite the idiotic decision making, the film is surely different from your regular horror movies. It did leave me with several questions but I'd have recommended it anyway. The research led me to an interview by the director and his thought process behind the film it made me look at the film in a totally different light; helped answer some questions; some still left unanswered.

If you're a horror movie fan, I'd still recommend it for you. Keeping aside some dumb decisions, this offers something different that most other mainstream horror films don't.