When Evil Lurks

"There's no point in praying."

2023 1h 40m ES

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 1,580

HorrorThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When brothers Pedro and Jimi discover that a demonic infection has been festering in a nearby farmhouse, they attempt to evict the victim from their land. Failing to adhere to the proper rites of exorcism, their reckless actions inadvertently trigger an epidemic of possessions across their rural community.

“There's no point in praying.”

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Cast

Ezequiel Rodríguez
Pedro
Demián Salomón
Jimi
Silvina Sabater
Mirtha
Luis Ziembrowski
Ruíz
Marcelo Michinaux
Santino
Emilio Vodanovich
Jair
Virginia Garófalo
Sabrina
Paula Rubinsztein
Sara

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Demián Rugna
Writers: Demián Rugna
Languages: Spanish
Countries: Argentina

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 3 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "When Evil Lurks Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Demián Rugna, shot by Mariano Suárez. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Lionel Cornistein shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Ezequiel Rodríguez and Demián Salomón and Silvina Sabater carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "There's no point in praying.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt16300962 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Demián Rugna directs. Mariano Suárez behind the camera. Lionel Cornistein cuts. Produced in Argentina. Dialogue in Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 3 years ago.
2Part of the "When Evil Lurks Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Directed by Demián Rugna, shot by Mariano Suárez. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Lionel Cornistein shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Ezequiel Rodríguez and Demián Salomón and Silvina Sabater carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "There's no point in praying.".
7IMDB entry: tt16300962 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 16 themes, including "farm", "small town", "shotgun", "village".

The technical file

Cinematography: Mariano Suárez
Editing: Lionel Cornistein
Production design: Laura Aguerrebehere
Costume design: Pheonia Veloz
Makeup / hair: Elizabet Gora
Sound: Pablo Isola
Runtime: 100 min · 1h 40m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $2,090,252
Original language: ES
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: When Evil Lurks (2023)

Awards

Sitges Film Festival Best Feature-Length Film award

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

When Evil Lurks Collection

A Spanish supernatural horror film series created by Demián Rugna.

When Evil Lurks
2023 · this one

Also by

Demián Rugna

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Selected frames

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

MovieGuys2023-11-02
★ 6/10
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.
Chandler Danier2023-12-27
★ 7/10
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.
tmdb516161672024-09-02
★ 3/10
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.