When Evil Lurks (2023)★ 7.1/10

Peter is stupid

The plot is a mess; it keeps you waiting with bated breath. Following the visual spectacle of "Aterrados", Demián Rugna's new work signals a change in style. Instead of relying heavily on jump scares to create fear, it focuses on a curse that spreads like a plague. The characters, and by extension, the viewers, are immersed in a state of extreme anxiety and confusion as the story unfolds.

Why does everything happens so fast? Wonderful idea, it could have been a bigger movie.

The best horror film of 2023. Light bulbs, gunpowder, the failing of churches, brotherhood, and the reincarnation of a demon. The movie is full of religious symbols while also hinting at a chaotic, lawless world without any form of moral constraints. It's more cultish than 99% of horror films, similar to that of "The Medium", only slightly falling short of "The Exorcist". It's far from the typical horror flick. I would call it a masterpiece. After looking up some information, I discovered that the director was also behind "Terrified". No wonder it's so good!

It's boldly direct and emotionally charged. The storyline follows the footsteps of “Terrified”, that is to say, it does not follow the usual religious or mythological framework, rather, it tries to come up with a new style of horror movie storytelling. The audio and visuals are aggressive and anxiety-inducing. The seemingly jumbled muttering of the child and the father's helpless anger are actually explorations of certain social issues. Sometimes, reality can be more terrifying than fantasy. Nonetheless, this movie feels more like the beginning of a tale even more epic, so it definitely calls for sequels.

7 out of 10. It's surprisingly interesting. Typically, in horror movies, breaking the norm means the protagonists have the common sense to know not to act recklessly. However, this movie takes an unconventional approach – the male lead does everything wrong from start to finish, and it strangely has a kind of charm in it. When compared to the story, the world-building is actually the intriguing one — a world where our faith has completely collapsed, and demons run rampant. It would be pretty good if there's a spin-off in the future.

It is rare to create a male protagonist who screams and breaks the seven laws of film logic at any time.

The plot's logic is all over the place, but it keeps you on the edge of your seat. Following the visual spectacle of Terrified，the director adopts a new style here. Instead of relying heavily on jump scares, fear is created around the spreading curse under the effect of a plague. Both the invisible and visible aspects of darkness are omnipresent. The film is filled with large-scale, unbridled, and physically discomforting visuals, featuring shattered bodies, grotesque flesh, explicit car crash scenes, brutal hacking sequences, splattering blood and mucus, children being operated on, children wielding axes and splattering adult brains—all a relentless challenge to the audience's physical limits. It's a stark departure from mainstream Hollywood films. The film is unapologetically intense. In addition to the visual onslaught, the director masterfully creates an atmosphere of unease. The women's screams, men's stubbornness, the autistic child's murmurs, the mad dog's barks—immersive and overwhelming, you're absorbed into the film's narrative. The director's ability to control and improvise within this frenzy is excellent, creating a unique and immersive experience in the realm of Latin American cinema, characterized by its imaginative brilliance.

It has been a while since I've seen a horror film that makes the audience feel both repulsive and absolutely horrified." The majority of the characters in the film are engulfed in a sort of middle-age anxiety, especially the male protagonist, who is agitated and impulsive. On the contrary, his mother and younger brother, as well as the spiritual medium are among the few more rational characters in the film. Overall, it is a confident, well-executed horror film with a creative plot. I’d recommend it to fans of the horror genre.

There is barely any logic behind the plot, yet the show manages to capture the viewer's attention. Following the visual spectacle of "Aterrados", the director changed his storytelling style in his new work. Gone are the excessive use of jump scares, the movie now relies on a gradual spread of a curse resembling that of a pandemic to deliver to the audience a sense of intangible dread. The audience are also constantly being tested of their limits with unrestrained graphic imageries. Aside from the relentless visual stimulations, the director also successfully crafted a restless, anxiety-inducing mood in the film - the screams from the woman, the stubbornness of the man, the muttering of the autistic child, and the barking of the dog. Viewers are unknowingly thrown into a state of confusion and panic as they are drawn into the impending disaster the plot entails. The overall pacing is excellent, so is the immersion. Definitely a show that offers an unique and bold experience. I admire the outlandish ideas that's been put into the show.

I really hate the pacing of this film. The director turned a story that could have being really exciting into a tedium. The performance across the board is also subpar, with the characters being either unnecessarily eccentric or overly temperamental. It's unbelievable that this terrible film is being hailed as the best American horror film of the year. I won't trust anything from these movie bloggers anymore.