In the shadowed backroads of Argentina, where folklore festers and family bonds fracture, one film unleashes a demonic plague that redefines possession horror.

When Evil Lurks arrives like a contagion, a 2023 Argentine nightmare from director Demián Rugna that transforms the familiar tropes of demonic possession into a brutal, unflinching assault on rural despair. This Shudder exclusive, blending visceral gore with folkloric dread, marks Rugna’s follow-up to his breakout hit Terrified and cements his status as a master of Latin American horror’s new wave. Through its relentless narrative of brothers Pedro and Jaime confronting a ‘rotten’ man whose possession sparks an apocalyptic spread, the film probes the intersections of superstition, poverty, and primal fear.

  • Unpacking the film’s savage reinvention of possession horror, rooted in Argentine rural mythology and unrelenting brutality.
  • Exploring themes of family dissolution, contagion as metaphor for societal ills, and groundbreaking practical effects.
  • Spotlighting director Demián Rugna’s ascent and lead actor Ezequiel Rodríguez’s raw performance amid a legacy of influence on global horror.

The Blighted Backwoods: Setting the Stage for Demonic Outbreak

In the desolate Argentine countryside, where crumbling farmhouses huddle against endless pampas, When Evil Lurks opens with a shotgun blast that shatters more than silence—it unleashes hell. Pedro (Ezequiel Rodríguez) and Jaime (Demián Salomón), estranged brothers scraping by as pig farmers, stumble upon ‘El Viudo,’ a man rotting from the inside out, possessed by what locals call the ‘Evil.’ This entity, far from the ecclesiastical exorcisms of Hollywood, spreads like a zoonotic plague, turning victims into vessels of grotesque violence. Rugna’s script, co-written with his Terrified collaborator, dispenses with exposition dumps, plunging viewers into a world where superstition is survival and rationality is a fatal luxury.

The film’s mise-en-scène masterfully evokes isolation’s terror: dim lanterns flicker over blood-smeared floors, handheld cameras capture frantic chases through cornfields at dusk, and the soundscape—grunts of possessed swine, distant howls mimicking human screams—amplifies dread. Unlike the urban hauntings of its predecessor, this rural tableau draws from gaucho folklore, where brujería (witchcraft) and duendes (malevolent spirits) lurk in the soil. Rugna has cited influences from Argentine oral traditions, transforming the possession subgenre from supernatural spectacle to epidemiological horror, akin to a demonic COVID-19 ravaging forgotten communities.

Key to this setup is the brothers’ fractious dynamic. Pedro, the pragmatic elder haunted by a failed custody battle for his daughters, clashes with Jaime’s defeatist mysticism. Their journey southward, dodging infected roadblocks and quarantine zones enforced by indifferent police, mirrors classic road horror like Duel or Wolf Creek, but infuses it with Latin machismo’s collapse. As the Evil proliferates—manifesting in exploding livestock, levitating corpses, and a school bus massacre—Rugna builds tension through restraint, saving spectacle for narrative payoffs that leave audiences gasping.

Contagion’s Cruel Calculus: Themes of Decay and Despair

At its core, When Evil Lurks weaponises contagion as allegory for Argentina’s socioeconomic rot. The possessed don’t merely twitch; they embody class warfare’s fallout, their bodies bloating with pus and rage amid poverty-stricken barrios. Rugna, in interviews, links this to the country’s history of economic crises and rural neglect, where the ‘Evil’ symbolises imported vices—drugs, corruption—festering unchecked. This elevates the film beyond jump scares, critiquing how folklore sustains in margins ignored by urban elites.

Family serves as the emotional crucible. Pedro’s desperate quest to save his children from infection exposes paternal failure, while Jaime’s sacrifice underscores fraternal bonds’ fragility. Rugna subverts gender norms too: strong women like Sabrina (Virginia Garófalo), the ex-wife wielding a rifle with grim resolve, defy damsel clichés, their agency forged in adversity. Sexuality simmers beneath, with incestuous undertones in possession lore adding taboo layers, echoing European folk horrors like The Witch but grounded in criollo mysticism.

Religion receives a savage deconstruction. No priests arrive with holy water; instead, a self-proclaimed exorcist peddles rules—like avoiding the possessed at dawn—that prove futile. This secularises evil, portraying it as indifferent force, much like climate disasters ravaging the Global South. Rugna’s atheism shines through, contrasting Catholic iconography with profane rituals, inviting comparisons to Midsommar’s pagan inversions.

Sound design merits its own acclaim. Low-frequency rumbles presage outbreaks, while distorted folk guitars underscore chases, blending asado campfire tales with industrial noise. Cinematographer Danilo Villegas employs natural light for authenticity, shadows swallowing faces during key reveals, heightening psychological strain.

Gore’s Grand Guignol: Practical Effects and Body Horror Mastery

When Evil Lurks earns its NC-17-equivalent brutality through pioneering practical effects, courtesy of a Buenos Aires effects team led by Rugna regulars. The ‘rotten’ man’s decomposition—skin sloughing in veiny sheets, eyes bulging like overripe fruit—rivals Cronenberg’s early work, achieved via silicone prosthetics and pneumatic rigs for visceral pops. A standout sequence sees a victim’s abdomen erupt in slow-motion, entrails uncoiling like parasitic vines, blending disgust with balletic precision.

These effects aren’t gratuitous; they symbolise moral corruption’s physical toll. In one harrowing set piece, children succumb mid-lesson, their transformations captured in unbroken takes that force confrontation with innocence’s loss. Rugna avoided CGI, citing budget constraints and authenticity, resulting in a tactile horror that digital peers like The Nun II lack. Critics praise this commitment, noting how blood squelches and limbs twist with mechanical ingenuity, echoing Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead innovations but amplified for 2020s appetites.

Production faced hurdles: shot during pandemic lockdowns in Córdoba Province, the crew navigated real quarantines paralleling the plot. Rugna’s guerrilla style—minimal locations, non-actors for extras—infuses rawness, while post-production sharpened the palette to sickly yellows, evoking jaundice.

Legacy of the Lurking Evil: Influence and Subgenre Shifts

Premiering at Sitges 2023, When Evil Lurks swept awards, including Best Picture, signalling Latin horror’s export boom post-Midsommar. Its streaming success on Shudder spawned festival buzz, influencing upcoming folk-demonics like Uruguay’s The Silent Watcher. Rugna’s oeuvre now bridges arthouse and exploitation, paving for Argentine exports amid Hollywood remakes’ fatigue.

Compared to The Exorcist lineage, it rejects paternal salvation for communal doom, aligning with A24’s Hereditary in familial apocalypse. Yet its Third World grit distinguishes it, critiquing First World gazes on ‘exotic’ terror. Future sequels loom, with Rugna teasing expanded lore.

Performances anchor the chaos. Rodríguez’s Pedro channels quiet fury, his arc from denial to monstrous pragmatism culminating in a gut-wrenching choice. Salomón’s Jaime provides tragic counterpoint, while child actors deliver unnerving poise amid horror.

Director in the Spotlight

Demián Rugna, born in 1979 in Buenos Aires, emerged from theatre roots into horror with a vision shaped by 1980s slashers and Argentine cinema’s dark underbelly. Raised in a middle-class family amid the Dirty War’s aftermath, Rugna studied at the University of Cinema (ENERC), debuting with shorts exploring urban paranoia. His feature breakthrough, the 2008 found-footage On the Roof, hinted at his penchant for confinement dread.

Terrified (Aterrados, 2017) catapulted him globally, its poltergeist anthology grossing millions on a shoestring, blending J-Horror jumps with Catholic guilt. Netflix acquired rights, spawning a 2021 sequel. Rugna followed with You Shall Not Kill (No Matarás, 2024), a stark cartel thriller, but horror remains his forte. Influences span Lucio Fulci’s gore operas to Ari Aster’s psychodramas, fused with gaucho tales from his family’s rural visits.

Awards include Sitges’ top prize for When Evil Lurks and Fantasia’s Cheval Noir. Rugna champions practical effects, mentoring young FX artists, and advocates for Argentine genre funding via INCAA grants. Upcoming: a werewolf project blending folklore with climate allegory.

Comprehensive filmography:

  • On the Roof (2008): Experimental thriller about rooftop stalkers.
  • Terrified (2017): Poltergeist epic, international breakout.
  • Terrified 2 (2021): Sequel expanding entity lore.
  • When Evil Lurks (2023): Demonic plague masterpiece.
  • You Shall Not Kill (2024): Narco-drama with horror edges.
  • Shorts: The Silent House (2005), Death Becomes Her (2012 homage).

Rugna resides in Buenos Aires, balancing directing with screenwriting, his low-key persona belying a ferocious genre passion.

Actor in the Spotlight

Ezequiel Rodríguez, born 1980 in Buenos Aires, honed his craft in indie theatre before screen breakthroughs. From a working-class background, he trained at the National Dramatic Art Conservatory, debuting in TV soaps like Sos Mia. Early films like The German Doctor (2013) showcased his intensity as a conflicted Nazi hunter’s aide.

Rodríguez’s star rose with genre roles: chilling as a cultist in Phase 7 (2010), vulnerable lead in Society of the Snow (2023) survival epic. When Evil Lurks demanded physical transformation—grueling stunts, weight loss—for Pedro’s arc, earning rave reviews for raw emotionality. No major awards yet, but Sitges nods affirm his ascent.

Versatile across drama and horror, he cites De Niro and Sorvino as idols, favouring method immersion. Lives in Patagonia, advocates for actor unions amid Argentina’s instability.

Comprehensive filmography:

  • Phase 7 (2010): Quarantine thriller standout.
  • The German Doctor (2013): Historical drama.
  • At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul (2014): Coffin Joe remake.
  • When Evil Lurks (2023): Career-defining horror lead.
  • Society of the Snow (2023): Andes crash survivor.
  • TV: El Marginal (2016-), prison saga; El Reino (2018) political satire.

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