When Evil Lurks

Disregard the date of this post, as today is October 28.  I just didn't want to disrupt the natural flow of my "7 in 7" series.  I could have waited to write about 2023's When Evil Lurks, only I couldn't.  By that I mean, I knew I had to spread the word on this thing as soon as I got the chance.  You're going to be hearing a lot about this film in the coming weeks and months.  It has the feel of a modern day classic.  At the risk of interjecting lofty concessions that are sure to warp expectations, this is the best movie I've seen in years, potentially.  I know how that sounds.  Try to put aside the praise.  You don't need to know too much about Evil (be it here or from any of the other glowing reviews); just know that it's worth watching.  It's on Shudder.  Stop reading and go watch it.

I'll pretend that you're still reading.  The filmmaker in question?  A relative no-name.  The cast?  Again, you won't recognize these people.  The country of origin?  Argentina, oddly enough.  The premise twiddles with demonic possession, and yeah, I'm second-guessing my effusive endorsement of The Exorcist: Believer.  Hey, that's a fine movie...until you see this one.  Two brothers are saddled with the task of "cleaning" the body of a rotting, yet still living man.  Local superstition dictates that this is an open-and-shut case of possession.  In this small town, there is a protocol you must follow when exorcising a demon, and it should be noted that these guys circumvent the rules.  Saying that there are consequences to their actions would be a mighty understatement.

I'll go ahead and say that Evil isn't perfect.  "So what's with the perfect rating, douchebag?"  That's fair, if not mean-spirited.  Some of the plot details feel arbitrary, and I wasn't 100% clear on a couple of character decisions.  However, this dirge affected me in such a way...how should I word it?  I haven't felt like this about a movie in a very, very long time.  I was actually invested in the characters.  I was in their shoes, and man, that's not a comfortable place to be.  It dawned on me that this is how a true horror film should make you feel.  Nothing is tidy.  The sequence of events is relayed in a grounded, visceral manner that rings true to life in the most abysmal way imaginable.

But enough about feelings.  Evil also excels at the archetypal stuff.  The acting is note-perfect (there's that word again), the special effects are decorously ghastly (all of the key gore is practical), and the suspense is tighter than a facelift.  Remember the name Demian Rugna.  In a few years, you're going to see swathes of When Evil Lurks merchandise at Spirit Halloween, you mark my words.  I could see an American remake coming down the pipeline.  Robert Z'Dar says, "I thought it was average."  Dom Coccaro says, "Don't listen to Robert.  I'm only using him for his chin."