悪魔に魂を乗っ取られて身体が腐敗する「悪魔憑き」の存在が、人々の生活に暗い影を落としている世界。悪魔憑きは処理人によって適切に処理されなければならず、古くから伝わる7つのルールを守らなければ、悪魔の力が伝染病のように広がって世界は終わりを迎えるという。ある日、ペドロとジミーの兄弟は村外れで変死体を発見し、さらに近隣の住民が家族に出た悪魔憑きを隠していることに気づく。兄弟は7つのルールに従って対処しようとするが、伝承を信じない人々の無謀な行動によってタブーが犯され、周囲は悪魔憑きで溢れかえってしまう。愛する家族を守るべく、姿の見えない悪がはびこるアルゼンチンをさまよう兄弟だったが……。
興行収入: $2,090,252 (3億円)
※製作費・興行収入はTMDBのデータを参照しています。収支は(興行収入 - 製作費)で算出したFindKey独自の推定値であり、広告宣伝費や諸経費は含まれません (1ドル=150円換算)。
監督: Demián Rugna
脚本: Demián Rugna
音楽: Fuu Pablo
制作: Roxana Ramos / Fernando Díaz / Emily Gotto
撮影監督: Mariano Suárez
制作会社: Machaco Films / La Puerta Roja / Aramos Cine / Shudder / Cine Argentino / INCAA
I can see what When Evil Lurks is trying to achieve. Its an alternate take on reality, a horror infused, supernatural world, where demonic possession is an accepted occurrence. Its done convincingly, with an everyday vibe, where a possession event is akin to a serious crime or perhaps, a natural disaster. The problem is, the treatment is deeply, violently disturbing, to the point where you start to ask if this is, in fact, adding value as a creative work? Its a subjective point but I found this one too brutal and shocking, for me to really say I found it compelling. I think too, a more subtle approach could have been taken, with better results in terms of watch-ability. In summary, makes the outlandishly otherworldly everyday, in a convincing manner but the delivery is on the heavy handed side of horror, to say the least.
Really hits with the catholic horror hard. Fades, though. There's only so many demons before they don't matter. Really enjoyable for an hour...some people to chat with for the last leg of slaying would be ideal.
In the film "When Evil Lurks," I approached it with reservations, unsure of what to expect. The entire movie is presented in Spanish with subtitles, allowing me to follow the storyline. It unfolds as a Spanish take on the exorcism theme, reminiscent of "The Exorcist." However, instead of an exorcism, the focus is on Satan possessing bodies, moving from one to another after each host's death, always transferring to the person responsible for the previous death. The film's execution left much to be desired, lacking a coherent script and veering off in multiple directions. The actors did their best with the material provided, but the disjointed narrative made it challenging to anticipate the next plot development. A concerning moment arises when a child appears on screen completely naked, a gratuitous and unnecessary inclusion that crosses a line. Such a scene is unwarranted and inappropriate, detracting from the viewing experience and raising ethical concerns. Overall, "When Evil Lurks" fails to deliver a compelling and cohesive story, marred by questionable choices and a lack of narrative clarity. This misstep, especially involving a child actor, overshadows any potential the film may have had.
