When Evil Lurks

L’apparition la plus originale et la plus réussie du diable sur terre depuis de nombreuses années. Un film aux proportions presque apocalyptiques, même si nous ne suivons qu’une poignée de personnages qui le fuient dans une petite ville. Une intrigue pleine de rebondissements et de changements de lieux ; un sentiment de désespoir et de danger constant dû à un mal caché et imprévisible ; des scènes gores bien ficelées comme Hollywood n’oserait pas en tourner ; une mise en scène solide comme celle d’un drame familial de survie de qualité. Tout ne fait pas sens dans le film, mais son dynamisme pressant, combiné à la crédibilité de la menace surnaturelle, est une pure merveille. (20/01/2024)

I went for a full meal and got a full meal. INSANE!! Demian Rugna has already managed to shine once with the awesome creepy Terrified, and this film clearly makes him a strong player in the horror field with unprecedented talent (Flanagan could learn). This is some really thick horror fodder, properly off the rails that was right down my alley. But it's a very evil film, unpleasant, dark, it crosses genre boundaries, the director knows how to shock and there's some very nasty things happening to everyone, including children and animals, so weaker characters watch out! This is rural demonic horror from Argentina set in a village where two brothers find an infected man (possessed by a demon). The demon possession spreads like a plague and the man rots alive! I have to say that the premise is not only original but also quite realistic, if there ever was a demonic possession I believe it could have manifested itself in these symptoms. I really liked that the movie gives seven rules to avoid the evil. From the very beginning, the director throws an uncompromising atmosphere, from which you can feel the hopelessness, despair, helplessness against an unknown evil. It has a very fierce pace, which I appreciate, excellent music that perfectly complements the tension and the atmosphere. The characters are well acted, the direction is of course top notch, and now we come to the most important thing: the horror scenes themselves. They are so good that every single one would be a highlight in another film. On the one hand there are scenes that I have never seen in my life, but then they shock in such a way that they are hard to breathe (the dog scene is really something crazy!). The obese Uriel, rotten to the bone will probably haunt my dreams, and eating the brains out of his child like popcorn is also a pretty good freakout and it definitely doesn't stop there. For me, an absolute horror beauty that scores on all fronts. It has an original theme, great gore, great make-up effects, good pacing, great visuals, it’s shocking, it's uncomfortable, it has a sultry atmosphere, it breaks down cinematic boundaries. I don't know what more to ask for, this is what a Horror movie with a all the trimmings should look like. In short, the demons have taken over the horror fair this year. Oh and by he way, complaining about characters behaving illogically when the town is being eaten by plague, rot and demons is really logical. It's like some introvert accidentally strayed from drama to horror. My only regret is that the film wasn’t half an hour longer. 9/10. (27/10/2023)

Après toutes les réactions positives initiales, Cuando acecha la maldad m'a sérieusement déçu. Le concept de la possession démoniaque se propageant comme une épidémie est super, mais comme c'est souvent le cas, malheureusement, la réalisation de ce concept prometteur sur grand écran et surtout les directions choisies par les créateurs m'ont laissé de plus en plus perplexe, de minute en minute. Les personnages prennent des décisions très étranges, motivées par des impulsions qu'on ne comprend pas, sans parler des éléments de l'intrigue qui disparaissent et réapparaissent selon la convenance du scénario. En fait, le tout est si bizarrement construit que, après le climax absolu du film, j'étais convaincu qu'il devrait y avoir au moins un acte supplémentaire pour le sortir de la médiocrité fade et apporter une certaine résolution globale. Il n'en fut rien. [Sitges 2023] (10/10/2023)

I was apprehensive that this would be just another run-of-the-mill horror flick, rehashing tired tropes. Boy, was I wrong. This film had a fresh take; the creators didn't recycle anything I'd seen five times before but instead crafted an original story featuring Uriel, who could very well become a new sex symbol in our modern, highly tolerant world, along with a pair of well-meaning losers. I appreciated the polished atmosphere, which kept me on edge throughout, as well as the stellar cast (I genuinely liked all of them). Additionally, I liked how the creators were restrained with violence (reserving it for occasional, brief outbursts), but when it did occur, it was brutal. I have to admit, I had a blast. / Lesson learned: Don't attempt to digest indigestible materials. 4*+ (20/01/2024)