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About Films By Year My 100 Favorites Features

Seeking out the

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When Evil Lurks
Cuando acecha la maldad


Directed by Demián Rugna
Written by Demián Rugna
With: Ezequiel Rodríguez, Demián Salomón, Silvina Sabater, Luis Ziembrowski, Marcelo Michinaux, Emilio Vodanovich, Virginia Garófalo, Paula Rubinsztein, Lucrecia Nirón Talazac, Isabel Quinteros, Desirée Salgueiro, Federico Liss, and Ricardo Velázquez
Cinematography: Mariano Suárez
Editing: Lionel Cornistein
Music: Pablo Fuu
Runtime: 99 min
Release Date: 27 October 2023
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Color: Color

So many intriguing ideas are left frustratingly underdeveloped in Demián Rugna's modern-day Argentinian folk-horror story about a small rural town contaminated by a "rotten." Brothers Pedro and Jaime Yazurlo discover a demon is about to be born from a disgusting, possessed body that they can not simply kill without making things worse. There are some smart, experienced women in town, but these guys are much better at yelling the rules at each other than they are at following them. Some amazing practical effects are all played straight—this is not a tongue-in-cheek gorefest—but missed opportunities abound for something truly scary.

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Demián Rugna's Argentinian horror film about a small rural town dealing with demonic possession has great effects but leaves too many of its intriguing ideas frustratingly underdeveloped.

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