Demian Rugna will be remembered for the brilliant horror thriller When Evil Lurks, skillfully showcasing the existence of evil as a living, breathing entity. In this film, he portrays the demonic force as something coexisting among humans, calmly interacting and violating their surroundings. Rugna’s brilliant vision depicted through the gory and unnerving visuals deserves more praise than it has already received. If you’re a fan of the horror thriller genre, this film is a must-watch. Rugna touches on a crucial aspect, and ultimately, in the face of death, it’s the evil that triumphs; good merely justifies its victories. Spoilers Ahead!
When Evil Lurks (2023) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
When Evil Lurks starts with two brothers, Pedro and Jimi, hearing gunshots in their quiet Argentinian town. They get curious and start investigating where the sounds are coming from. They find a body mutilated in the worst possible manner, which scares them a lot. Then they find out about Maria Elena from a bunch of papers they see on the body.
Maria tells them a story about her son, Uriel, being possessed. She tells them that the body they have found in the woods is of someone who would do the rituals to take the demon out of Uriel. They go and see Uriel in a revolting and indescribable condition. Later, the brothers, along with Ruiz, owner of the land, try to help by taking Uriel out of town, but something terrible happens, and they lose his body. They try to keep it a secret, but the evil spreads, causing more frightening events.
What happens to Ruiz?
The next morning, Ruiz’s pregnant wife finds something odd in one of their goats. She screams, and Ruiz comes with his gun, knowing that one of the goats is clearly possessed. Ruiz’s wife brings an axe and warns Ruiz not to kill a demon with a gun, but Ruiz shoots the goat anyway. Right after that, his wife kills him with the axe, and later she kills herself. All the killings take place within a few minutes as the demon possesses each one of them, resulting in their violent deaths.
After the events that take place with Uriel’s body, Maria’s younger son comes to Pedro and Jimi looking for shelter. He tells them that Ruiz’s whole family is dead. Pedro now understands that by removing Uriel from his position, they have awakened the demon, and now it is going to haunt everyone in town. Therefore, Pedro decides to take his family and go as far as possible.
What happens to Sabrina and Leo?
When Pedro goes into town to warn his ex-wife Sabrina and her present husband Leo, no one seems to believe him. He basically removes all his clothes and burns them. But, before burning the clothes, the dog of the house sniffs them. The presence of the demon gets noticed only after the dog grabs Sabrina’s daughter by her neck and runs away. Leo follows the dog while Pedro keeps shouting at him, telling him not to use a gun to kill the dog.
But eventually, Leo kills it with a couple of bullets. Meanwhile, Pedro grabs hold of his two sons. Just before leaving the house with Sabrina’s car, he sees that Sabrina’s daughter has no injury whatsoever. He knows then that this is not her daughter; this is the demon itself. She even whispers to Sabrina’s ear that Leo will come in his car and kill her. Moments later, Leo comes at Sabrina at full speed and thrashes her against the wall.
What rules is Pedro’s mother talking about?
Pedro comes to pick up Jimi and his mother. Together, they start their journey and leave the town. During the trip, Pedro’s mother tells her younger grandson, Santino, the seven rules one must follow when they see something possessed. These rules are for keeping up the guard to oneself so that the demon doesn’t get the chance to possess anyone. The rules are quite simple, but in moments such as these, they are in, it is hard to follow. The rules go like this: do not use electric lights, do not stay close to animals, do not take anything that is close to them, do not hurt them, never call evil by its name, do not shoot them with firearms, and the last one is said by Mirta, one of Jimi’s acquaintances, which is, one must not fear the presence of the demon because the demon feeds on fear.
Is Mirta able to help Pedro and his family?
Later that night, Sabrina suddenly appears inside Mirta’s house and takes Santino with her. Pedro is unable to find her. Mirta tells Jimi that the demon resides within Jair, Pedro’s older son. He is autistic, and Mirta says that demons grab hold of them quicker than others. However, it takes time for the demon to figure out how their brain works. Anyway, to get rid of the whole problem, Mirta suggests that they must destroy the source, Uriel, once and for all.
Jimi goes to look for Santino while Mirta and Pedro end up in a school where they find Uriel using his demonic powers to manipulate the children. With the help of the children, Uriel tries hard to keep himself alive, but Pedro and Mirta use all of their strength to put an end to this. However, Uriel’s tricks worked as he was able to separate Pedro from Mirta for a moment. In that time, the children kill Mirta and destroy the machine that can kill the demon.
When Evil Lurks (2023) Movie Ending Explained:
What Happens to Pedro’s Family?
Pedro loses all hope as he looks at the broken machine in despair. Uriel looks at him and mocks him in some manner. Pedro takes one of the broken levers of the machine and thrashes it on Uriel’s head numerous times. Uriel is dead, but the demon is still alive. Pedro goes back to his brother, who gives him terrible news. While Jimi is searching for Santino, he finds out that Sabrina is eating her own child’s brains. Disgusted and angry, he runs over Sabrina, injuring himself badly. Later, Pedro finds out that his mother died too. They return to the countryside from where they left in the beginning. Pedro gives Jair the apple ice cream he craves the most. Pedro lights the fire in the fireplace when he hears Jair coughing repeatedly. He walks to him to help him heal and finds out something is stuck inside his throat.
Why does Pedro kill his own Son?
While Pedro tries to help his son, Jimi goes to the stable to find out if Maria’s younger son is still there. Jimi now knows that the body they found in the beginning, is Mirta’s husband, and now Maria’s younger son tells him that he followed a voice back in that time. The voice asks him to kill the person who is coming to help Uriel. So, he kills him and even eats some of his flesh. He even confesses about killing (eating, to be more precise) his own mother. Meanwhile, Pedro finds a pile of gray hair coming out of Jair’s mouth, and later comes the pendant that his mother used to wear. He understands that the demon still resides within Jair’s physical body.
In disbelief, he glares at the blood that comes out of his son’s mouth. Later, we see him outside, stopping Jimi from going in and crying his heart out. Smoke emits from the chimney as it is evident that Pedro has put Jair in the fireplace, leaving the body to burn so that the demon can be killed once and for all. Despite Pedro’s repeated efforts, he fails to protect his family from the unstoppable power of the demon. His fear of losing his family to the demon somehow empowers the malevolent entity, making it stronger than him. Ultimately, even in death, the demon triumphs, while goodness remains obscured behind tears and sorrow.
The Evolution of Evil in When Evil Lurks
The Demon’s Transformation
In When Evil Lurks, the demon’s evolution from a contained entity into a pervasive force of malevolence is masterfully depicted. What begins as a malevolent presence confined to Uriel, almost like a dark, festering tumor, slowly spreads and consumes its host. But as the story progresses, the demon reveals an unsettling adaptability. It doesn’t just stay within Uriel; it spreads like wildfire, tainting both people and the environment with its corrupting influence. This growth isn’t just a narrative twist; it’s a chilling commentary on the nature of evil—how it’s dynamic, ever-expanding, and thrives in the chaos and despair it creates.
The Symbolism of Fire
Fire is a recurring and potent symbol in When Evil Lurks, representing both purification and destruction. Early on, we see Pedro burning his clothes to cleanse them of possible demonic contamination, a ritualistic act that underscores a belief in fire’s purifying power. However, the film later twists this symbolism in a gut-wrenching way. In the climax, when Pedro is forced to use fire to destroy his possessed son, what was once a symbol of hope and purification turns into an instrument of tragic necessity. The fire, which once represented a way out, becomes a devastating force, highlighting the film’s dark and bleak perspective on the world.
The Power of Fear
Fear is a central theme in When Evil Lurks, functioning as both a catalyst and a weapon for the demon. The film suggests that fear isn’t just a reaction to evil—it amplifies it. As the characters’ terror escalates, so does the demon’s power. Their growing panic and desperation provide fertile ground for the evil to thrive. This portrayal taps into psychological theories about fear and vulnerability, implying that when people are gripped by fear, their defenses weaken, making them more susceptible to manipulation and control.
By delving into these themes, When Evil Lurks offers a complex exploration of evil and its insidious impact on the human psyche.
Read More: When Evil Lurks (2023) Movie Review: Manages to balance extreme gory violence with an unsettlingly bleak tone
Trailer:
When Evil Lurks (2023) Movie Links: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Wikipedia, Letterboxd
Cast: Ezequiel Rodriguez, Demián Salomon, Luis Ziembrowski, Silvia Sabater, Marcelo Michinaux
Genre: Horror, Runtime: 1h 39m
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