Cuando acecha la maldad

La aparición más original y exitosa del diablo en la tierra en muchos años. Casi de proporciones apocalípticas, aunque solo seguimos a un puñado de personajes en los alrededores de un pequeño pueblo, que huyen de él. La trama llena de giros y cambios de ubicación; una sensación desesperada de peligro constante de un mal impredeciblemente oculto; escenas de gore elaboradas, para las cuales Hollywood no se atrevería; una dirección sólida como la de un drama de supervivencia familiar de calidad. No todo en la película tiene sentido, pero su urgente impulso combinado con la credibilidad de la amenaza sobrenatural es impresionante. (20.01.2024)

Después de tantas reacciones iniciales elogiosas, When Evil Lurks es una gran decepción para mí. El tema de la posesión demoníaca que se extiende como una epidemia es genial, pero como lamentablemente es el caso, la adaptación de un tema prometedor a la pantalla, y especialmente los caminos que los cineastas decidieron tomar con él, se me fueron escapando cada vez más a medida que pasaban los minutos. Los personajes toman decisiones muy extrañas influenciados por motivos que no entendemos, desaparecen de la trama y reaparecen según le conviene al guion, y toda la trama está construida de manera tan extraña que después del clímax absoluto de toda la película estaba convencido de que tenía que haber algo más, al menos un acto que lo sacara del aburrido nivel mediocre y ofreciera algún tipo de resolución general. Y ese acto no llegó. [Sitges 2023] (10.10.2023)

Una visión bastante nueva de la posesión demoníaca, representada aquí como una especie de plaga de la que es difícil escapar, especialmente si uno no sigue las 7 reglas para lidiar con el mal que acecha. Cuando acecha la maldad es un viaje de terror cargado, lleno de desesperación y desesperanza, en el que a todos (incluidos los niños) les pasan cosas terribles; cabe señalar que los personajes centrales hacen todo lo posible en sus acciones y decisiones para que las cosas no les vayan bien. La película está llena de escenas terroríficas, que a veces están salpicadas de momentos impresionantemente repugnantes que no te puedes quitar de la cabeza. Especialmente la escena del principio, cuando transportan a Uriel, podrido y con obesidad mórbida, es realmente repugnante. Demián Rugna logró causar revuelo hace años con su Aterrados, que me llamó la atención. Con Cuando acecha la maldad, ya se ha establecido plenamente ante mis ojos como un peculiar autor de terror al que hay que seguir. Espero que continúe con éxito en su intransigente etapa de terror. (12.10.2023)

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)

There is something rotten in the Argentine state... Demián Rugna aims to offer horror fans more entertainment than reflection, but the depiction of bureaucracy, laziness, and the government’s—or rather society’s—indifference toward peasants working and then dying in pesticide-laden fields is certainly present. There’s no grand house, no exorcist treating possession, and faith as medicine—here, people know what’s going on and are on their own. When mom and the “cleaner” start explaining the rules, the tension eases a bit, but the film demands attention with its uniqueness, setting, and intense moments, especially when the cello roars as if Sicario were nearby. The creators don’t spare the children, but apparently, dealing with regulations during filming was much harder than convincing parents to loan their kids. And we're back to that bureaucracy... (01.11.2023)

This blew me away. Unpleasant, harsh, decadent and literally delicious in genre. The idea was original and brilliant, the tension nerve-wracking and some scenes so fucking surprising and unexpectedly gritty that I almost didn't understand that finally someone made a film that breaks all genre clichés, bypasses the whole cliché and puts only the best in the film and in many cases something we haven't seen before. Two brothers in the middle of bloody nowhere find out that a member of the village is possessed by a demon, and since everyone here is a believer and knows what to do in this situation, they decide to take him as far away as possible to avoid being possessed. But everything goes wrong and the demon spreads from one person to another like a disease and the disaster begins. The ubiquitous musical score is unpleasant, the tension is in the air from the very beginning, the rules of possession are delivered in a solid, gripping and firm manner, and the film not only has no problem with the fantastic horror elements, the occasional gore (a brain evisceration, a dog attack, the opening disgusting possession…), but it doesn't mind killing children, pregnant women, animals, and doesn't shy away from just about anything. The second half of the film did lose a bit of pace and was a bit weaker compared to the first, but all in all it's still without a doubt one of the best films made in a long time. And not only in the genre, where I appreciate the originality and finally a breath of fresh air, but also in the general cinematic level, where everything from the music, the cinematography, the visuals (!!!) and above all the superficial decadence is on point, including the ending. A gem. (27.10.2023)

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)