When Evil Lurks

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.

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.

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.