The dog scene blew my socks off. Also, I recommend you check out this filmmakers first film “TERRIFIED.” After that, check out Bryan Bertino’s “The Dark and the Wicked” if you’re looking for a similar-vibe with shocking twists and turns. The ending of the dark and the wicked is INCREDIBLE.
Sounds like 'Terrified' has a lot of fans. Adding it to my queue and about to watch the trailer for 'The Dark and the Wicked'. Thanks for the heads up!
@@alfredsenteno327 look, I’m a dog lover myself. But this movie doesn’t do animal cruelty out of malice. It’s part of the plot and progression. There’s a reason for it. It’s not mindless crap. I’m not going to spoil it. Just watch it. Let’s just say… the dog isn’t right in the head.
@@alfredsenteno327 oh, I misread you. You won’t watch it regardless? Okay… the dog becomes possessed and kills the main characters 5 year old daughter by biting her neck and head and tossing her around like a doll
one thing that really stood out to me in the worldbuilding of the film is how they imply that big cities are already infested with this evil and how smaller rural communities are aware and fearful of it, but still live their lives day to day hoping it stays away. im argentinean and grew up in such a rural community in the early 2000s as rising crime and poverty rates affected the city of Buenos Aires. We watched the news report on all of this and grew up thinking big cities were a gigantic and horrifying lawless place governed by darkness and violence, were murders, kidnappings and r4pe were common and almost accepted by the population. so this movie taps into very real fears and anxieties of its country of origin.
Thanks for the review, James. Hope more critics review this movie and spread the word. Horror fans deserve new original movies, instead of remakes and endless sequels. Thanks again
There are only 3 modern movies that have ever creeped me out. TERRIFIED (don’t think I could watch it again it is so dark), Headhunter (has some bleak cronenburg shit!) and Treehouse (a purely sound design driven film set in the Ozarks)
The little girl laying on her grandma’s lap while asking questions is actually a little boy. But aside from that, the movie is fantastic! Great review!
"When Evil Lurks" won the grand prize at the Sitges Film Festival, one of the great fantasy and horror film festivals. An earlier film by Demian Rugna is "Terrified", very different but also excellent.
Another thing thats worth mentioning is the off screen deaths so later on when your wondering what happened to this person they show you just enough that you realize what happened to the victim was a hundred times worse than you thought.
This just premiered today on Shudder and hopefully it'll get more eyes. It deserves it. Glad I steered you in its direction and that you had a blast with it. On par with Birth/Rebirth for my favorite genre film of the year.
I saw it tonight as I have a Regal Unlimited pass. I knew nothing about it. Absolutely Awesome. Shocking scenes, breaks taboos in films related to children. Think closer to Evil Dead w multiple people getting possessed and animals. Im totally buying it. I agree Exorcist Believer was just meh. This one deserves a much larger audience.
This just came on my radar yesterday, so I hope a local theater near me will get it. I really want to see it! And I'm glad you personally had a good horror experience after that... last one. Thanks for another great review!
Glad you were able to cleanse your palette. I know this is a tough question but what specific subgenre of horror do you think is sorely lacking today? I'm glad to here you found this film so original. I'm shocked there's any of that left in the creative world.
My personal favorite subgenre of horror has a lot of overlap with dark adult fantasy. It's almost never explored in film & television and is limited mostly to books and paintings. Author R. Scott Bakker has explored this subgenre thoroughly.
James - new sub here as of yesterday when I watched your review of the turd that is Exorcist: Believer. Gotta say you are a breath of fresh air as it relates to TH-cam movie reviewers. Love your approach, style, and insights. Please keep it up and I will be spreading the good word here on my end. Thanks
Thanks for the kind words! Thrilled to hear you're enjoying my rants and I'll do my best to continue delivering content worthy of your time and attention.
@@rogdawg123I haven't seen talk to me yet but really thought Saw X & when evil lurks were very well done. Cody Leach and many reviewers said they thought when evil lurks & talk to me were at the top spot for best films at horror movie festival.
Well, I know what I will be checking out tonight. I will not watch the entire review because I want to go in blind. Thnx for the heads up. Btw Cruising was a blast to see on the big screen.
Have you seen Talk to Me it’s more original then most horror movies made by American directors. It’s directed buy Australians and they are TH-camrs it would be awesome to hear your thoughts and criticisms.
@GeekinWithJamesHancock huge fan of the channel and I’m a big horror fan but a lot of my family and friends aren’t so, unless it’s a big franchise release like Alien: Romulus in a few weeks that me and my dad are both excited to see, me more so I think, then it’s hard to get them out to the theater or watch them at home on streaming, I’m about to check this out on Hulu at home by myself this morning because, I don’t think the way you are describing this that I could get my family to watch it, hell I’m not sure as a big horror fan that, I’ll be able to get through it without shitting my pants. We will see though, I have seen Bryan Bertino’s The Dark and the Wicked that the audience member of the channel below me mentioned, and it’s been awhile but from what I remember it’s absolutely terrifying, if you haven’t seen it yet.
Well there are scenes where animals do horrible things to people due to the influence of demons but I don't remember seeing any shots of violence toward animals. One goat gets shot but you don't really see it.
Glad you had a positive experience after Believer. Sounds like When Evil Lurks is a worthy reason to cash in my Shutter free trial. Thanks to Jake C. for assist.
I watched it in the theatre last night - I don't understand the hype unfortunately. For me it was an interesting concept, with some shocking moments, executed in a way that felt like a long Walking Dead episode, with poor tension building and about zero actual scares.
i too think it was nothing special, the rules were dumb and the characters acted like idiots. i think we get so few good horror movies not aimed at teens, that when we get something a bit better it's seen like something amazing.
Thanks for the review. Sadly, I can't share your buoyant enthusiasm. The production value, acting and premise came across as cheap, gimmicky and using tropes we've seen 100's of times over (except done infinitely better). My personal opinion, of course. Was watching it with friends and couldn't wait for it to finish. Found out later they shared my sentiments. Regardless, glad some people appreciated it out there.
Loved this movie, and loved even more the previous Terrified, I'd even say When Evil Lurks is a sequel of Terrified because the seem to be happening in the same universe (King style)
Thanks for the recommendation, I'm gonna check it out. I recommend you Never Look Away by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. It's not an horror film but it's very good and so underrated.
I liked this movie but the gore was way over the top for me. In some scenes it was competing with the movie itself. I like minimalist but realistic movies. Terrified was better but suffered logical issues. Have you seen It Shall Not Be Named? It's nowhere near this movie's caliber but it has its own moments. A nice watch if you're into paranormal witch horror movies.
With so little on my radar that im interested in im glad there is something to look for. I need people like James to sift through the sht and present me the few gold nuggets.
Yeah that marital argument scene was one of the most fucked up things I've ever seen. Loved this movie. It is very bleak, but I kind of laughed throughout it just at the sheer audacity of the distasteful things we see. Maybe I'm just a sick fuck... I agree with you about the last scare/reveal being underwhelming, especially because we know to some extent that something has happened, but I also kind of like that the final blow was more of an emotional blow than a flat out terrifying one. It's certainly a choice and not for everyone, but I think ending with another crazy scene like the argument would have almost cheapened the emotional impact of the film overall?
Well I remember a lot of cruelty to humans after animals fall under the influence of demons. But I'm a total dog lover and don't remember seeing anything particularly upsetting.
@@kendallcupp5056I recall only 2 scenes against animals one with a dog and a goat. It implies shooting the possessed animals but doesn't show a ton of violence against the animal.
Were real animals killed for this film? Or did they use effects, cuts and sounds to avoke the killings? Because if real animals were harmed for the making of this film i am not gonna watch it.
I wish i could see the movie these youtube reviewers watched, becuse i saw this and was bored as hell, the gore was not as bad as they say it wasn't scary it seemed like it was filmed with an iPhone. don't believe the hype.
This one was a miss for me. Wish I didn’t watch any TH-camr opinions first. Big let down for me 😔 That dog scene you could smell a mile away and the argument scene was cringe. Didn’t like this one. Didn’t do it for me. I Don’t get it. Would not recommend. Waste of time 🤷♀️
One of the most boring horror movies I've ever seen. Just horrible. Not even slightly scary relying on gore horror and it wasn't even all that. This one is way overrated. 🥱
The poster is really well done - reminds me of horror movies from the '70's.
The dog scene blew my socks off. Also, I recommend you check out this filmmakers first film “TERRIFIED.” After that, check out Bryan Bertino’s “The Dark and the Wicked” if you’re looking for a similar-vibe with shocking twists and turns. The ending of the dark and the wicked is INCREDIBLE.
Sounds like 'Terrified' has a lot of fans. Adding it to my queue and about to watch the trailer for 'The Dark and the Wicked'. Thanks for the heads up!
this movie was intense as funk... awesome movie 👍
I don't like even simulated animal cruelty and won't watch. I know he shoots Mr. Billygoat, but what happens with the dog?
@@alfredsenteno327 look, I’m a dog lover myself. But this movie doesn’t do animal cruelty out of malice. It’s part of the plot and progression. There’s a reason for it. It’s not mindless crap. I’m not going to spoil it. Just watch it. Let’s just say… the dog isn’t right in the head.
@@alfredsenteno327 oh, I misread you. You won’t watch it regardless? Okay… the dog becomes possessed and kills the main characters 5 year old daughter by biting her neck and head and tossing her around like a doll
one thing that really stood out to me in the worldbuilding of the film is how they imply that big cities are already infested with this evil and how smaller rural communities are aware and fearful of it, but still live their lives day to day hoping it stays away. im argentinean and grew up in such a rural community in the early 2000s as rising crime and poverty rates affected the city of Buenos Aires. We watched the news report on all of this and grew up thinking big cities were a gigantic and horrifying lawless place governed by darkness and violence, were murders, kidnappings and r4pe were common and almost accepted by the population. so this movie taps into very real fears and anxieties of its country of origin.
Thanks for the review, James. Hope more critics review this movie and spread the word. Horror fans deserve new original movies, instead of remakes and endless sequels. Thanks again
Always a pleasure calling attention to a director who is trying to do cool, original work in a genre that I love.
you need to watch his previous one - terrified (aterrados)
it's such a banger
Will do! I'll be watching all of Rugna's movies from now on.
Man, that movie is so creepy! Definitely worth checking out.
There are only 3 modern movies that have ever creeped me out. TERRIFIED (don’t think I could watch it again it is so dark), Headhunter (has some bleak cronenburg shit!) and Treehouse (a purely sound design driven film set in the Ozarks)
The little girl laying on her grandma’s lap while asking questions is actually a little boy. But aside from that, the movie is fantastic! Great review!
"When Evil Lurks" won the grand prize at the Sitges Film Festival, one of the great fantasy and horror film festivals. An earlier film by Demian Rugna is "Terrified", very different but also excellent.
Another thing thats worth mentioning is the off screen deaths so later on when your wondering what happened to this person they show you just enough that you realize what happened to the victim was a hundred times worse than you thought.
This just premiered today on Shudder and hopefully it'll get more eyes. It deserves it. Glad I steered you in its direction and that you had a blast with it. On par with Birth/Rebirth for my favorite genre film of the year.
This proves that you don't need cheap jump scares to make a good horror movie.
I like how when the worst moments occur, they're very sudden, jarring. Perfect horror.
I saw it tonight as I have a Regal Unlimited pass. I knew nothing about it. Absolutely Awesome. Shocking scenes, breaks taboos in films related to children. Think closer to Evil Dead w multiple people getting possessed and animals. Im totally buying it. I agree Exorcist Believer was just meh. This one deserves a much larger audience.
This just came on my radar yesterday, so I hope a local theater near me will get it. I really want to see it! And I'm glad you personally had a good horror experience after that... last one. Thanks for another great review!
Fingers crossed, this flick finds the right audience on Shudder. I always wonder just how many subscribers that platform actually has.
Just watched Terrified by the same director. Definitely interested in seeing this.
You've sold me... I'm gonna check it out.
Very cool! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Your video is an everlasting wellspring of motivation! - "Every setback holds a valuable lesson..."
Always a pleasure singing the praises of a well made movie.
Glad you were able to cleanse your palette. I know this is a tough question but what specific subgenre of horror do you think is sorely lacking today? I'm glad to here you found this film so original. I'm shocked there's any of that left in the creative world.
My personal favorite subgenre of horror has a lot of overlap with dark adult fantasy. It's almost never explored in film & television and is limited mostly to books and paintings. Author R. Scott Bakker has explored this subgenre thoroughly.
Your opinion is refreshing on horror movies
Much obliged! I'm a lifelong fan of the genre and always enjoy making a fresh discovery.
James - new sub here as of yesterday when I watched your review of the turd that is Exorcist: Believer. Gotta say you are a breath of fresh air as it relates to TH-cam movie reviewers. Love your approach, style, and insights. Please keep it up and I will be spreading the good word here on my end. Thanks
Thanks for the kind words! Thrilled to hear you're enjoying my rants and I'll do my best to continue delivering content worthy of your time and attention.
Sounds perfect for the season. Thanks for the heads up!👍🏻
Absolutely. Every Halloween needs at least one savage horror to remind folks how it is done.
best horror movie of 2023 and its definitely not gonna dethroned
I 100% agree. Definitely the best horror movie I've seen in 2023 by a healthy margin.
@@geekinwithJamesHancock talk to me is second place and saw x 3rd in my opinion
@@rogdawg123I haven't seen talk to me yet but really thought Saw X & when evil lurks were very well done. Cody Leach and many reviewers said they thought when evil lurks & talk to me were at the top spot for best films at horror movie festival.
@anitaknight3915 ,ou definitely have to see talk to me... I promise that you won't be disappointed
gracias por la recomendación, nunca se me hubiera ocurrido ver esta película
Ok, James, let’s have it: I’ve seen Baskin and Terrified. Will I be able to handle this one!? 😂
UPDATE: this movie was the best horror film of the year.
Well, I know what I will be checking out tonight. I will not watch the entire review because I want to go in blind. Thnx for the heads up. Btw Cruising was a blast to see on the big screen.
Nice! Hope there was a decent turnout for the show. That flick is totally insane.
Have you seen Talk to Me it’s more original then most horror movies made by American directors. It’s directed buy Australians and they are TH-camrs it would be awesome to hear your thoughts and criticisms.
Thanks for the reminder! I missed it earlier this summer but I will absolutely watch it before putting together my top 10 list of the year.
Absolutely one of the best horror films I've ever seen! I enjoyed this critical reaction very much.
@GeekinWithJamesHancock huge fan of the channel and I’m a big horror fan but a lot of my family and friends aren’t so, unless it’s a big franchise release like Alien: Romulus in a few weeks that me and my dad are both excited to see, me more so I think, then it’s hard to get them out to the theater or watch them at home on streaming, I’m about to check this out on Hulu at home by myself this morning because, I don’t think the way you are describing this that I could get my family to watch it, hell I’m not sure as a big horror fan that, I’ll be able to get through it without shitting my pants.
We will see though, I have seen Bryan Bertino’s The Dark and the Wicked that the audience member of the channel below me mentioned, and it’s been awhile but from what I remember it’s absolutely terrifying, if you haven’t seen it yet.
Yours was the best review yet. This movie was a breath of fresh air in the horror genre.
This cut out people are called Gauchos, like American cowboys more or less in Argentina,Paraguay….etc
Can’t wait
This commentary is spectacular. Well done sir.
This was great! Have you seen the movie The Borderlands?
Actually your pronunciation on those spanish proper names was pretty damn good
Very cool! I need to watch more Spanish language movies and get some more practice.
Where can i watch this? Im in the UK and cant find it on shudder.
It took the trope of possession, and probably for the first time since the original Exorcist, broke new ground.
Just saw it tonight on your recommendation. Absolutely riveted by it. Loved every second. And had the entire theater to myself!
Great review as always just a quick question about the movie, is there animal horror/torture in the movie? Just for the heads up.
Thanks
Well there are scenes where animals do horrible things to people due to the influence of demons but I don't remember seeing any shots of violence toward animals. One goat gets shot but you don't really see it.
Goat gets shot in the head and dog gets shot from a distance camera shot
Saw it at beyond fest. Great movie
Knocked me flat. Fingers crossed, this flick will continue to be discovered by the audience it deserves.
Glad you had a positive experience after Believer. Sounds like When Evil Lurks is a worthy reason to cash in my Shutter free trial. Thanks to Jake C. for assist.
Hell yeah, shout out to Jake. He definitely needs to launch a channel. His cinemania is legit.
Can't find it on shudder, would it be in it Argentinian name?
@@Freddy_Luger I think it's end of the month like Oct 27 there abouts.
@@Freddy_LugerIt’s on Shudder October 27th, limited theatrical release as of right now.
@@Freddy_Luger Cuando acecha la maldad is the Spanish name. It's currently on Hulu. Finally caught it, so freaking good!
You also need to check Rugna's other masterpiece - Aterrados (Terrified). Man, the first 5 minutes will blew your socks off.
I watched it in the theatre last night - I don't understand the hype unfortunately.
For me it was an interesting concept, with some shocking moments, executed in a way that felt like a long Walking Dead episode, with poor tension building and about zero actual scares.
i too think it was nothing special, the rules were dumb and the characters acted like idiots. i think we get so few good horror movies not aimed at teens, that when we get something a bit better it's seen like something amazing.
Thank you for recommendation.
You are succeeding with your mission to expose small movies to new audience 🦉
Here - 🏅
With a movie as terrifying as this one, it is a pleasure and a privilege helping to build awareness.
OH yes thanks for reminding about the rules from nursery rhymes.
Thanks for the review. Sadly, I can't share your buoyant enthusiasm. The production value, acting and premise came across as cheap, gimmicky and using tropes we've seen 100's of times over (except done infinitely better). My personal opinion, of course. Was watching it with friends and couldn't wait for it to finish. Found out later they shared my sentiments. Regardless, glad some people appreciated it out there.
This was the most frightening film I’ve seen this year even over the nun 2 and exorcist :Believer .
Same. Scariest movie I've seen in quite some time.
This movie is a mixture of The Evil Dead, The Wailing & The Dark And The Wicked.
Is this better than Terrified cause boy that was a rough watch for me.
Loved this movie, and loved even more the previous Terrified, I'd even say When Evil Lurks is a sequel of Terrified because the seem to be happening in the same universe (King style)
Evil is alive again. 😂
lol, most definitely
Thanks for the recommendation, I'm gonna check it out.
I recommend you Never Look Away by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. It's not an horror film but it's very good and so underrated.
Sounds good! Adding it to my watchlist on Amazon.
@@geekinwithJamesHancock I hope you like it and if you do please consider reviewing it. It definitely deserves more recognition. xD
I’m going watch this today.
I couldn’t believe how much I loved this movie.. it definitely didn’t hold back at all.
I liked this movie but the gore was way over the top for me. In some scenes it was competing with the movie itself. I like minimalist but realistic movies. Terrified was better but suffered logical issues. Have you seen It Shall Not Be Named? It's nowhere near this movie's caliber but it has its own moments. A nice watch if you're into paranormal witch horror movies.
With so little on my radar that im interested in im glad there is something to look for. I need people like James to sift through the sht and present me the few gold nuggets.
Happy to throw myself on that hand grenade. I hope some of my recommendations have delivered.
@@geekinwithJamesHancock Absolutely. Thank you for your service
Just watched it. It's good enough, I didn't need to understand the dialogue. It got em all.
This is a movie John Carpenter could have directed at the summit of his carreer.
cheers. loved it
This movie was amazing. Saw it last night and told my boss to go watch lol
Man I think I need to eat an edible as well before watching a movie
Yeah that marital argument scene was one of the most fucked up things I've ever seen. Loved this movie. It is very bleak, but I kind of laughed throughout it just at the sheer audacity of the distasteful things we see. Maybe I'm just a sick fuck...
I agree with you about the last scare/reveal being underwhelming, especially because we know to some extent that something has happened, but I also kind of like that the final blow was more of an emotional blow than a flat out terrifying one. It's certainly a choice and not for everyone, but I think ending with another crazy scene like the argument would have almost cheapened the emotional impact of the film overall?
This sounds like a very scary movie. I hope I can see it. I like the premise and the world the film presents.
Hella disturbing. Just watched today and damn. Possessed mama walking down the road with her son effed up
i don't think Excorcist Believer was terrible. It's not great, but it's not trash.
Regal Paseo?
This movie is better than talk to me… i said what i said
BTW, that wasn't a "little girl" in the car. It was a boy.
It was a pretty good movie but idk if i need to watch it on an edible id be tweaking out lol
That was a boy on her lap
I couldn't believe all the children acting
Is there a lot of animal cruelty in this? The “does the dog die” site just says a dog dies but nothing else yet!
Well I remember a lot of cruelty to humans after animals fall under the influence of demons. But I'm a total dog lover and don't remember seeing anything particularly upsetting.
@@geekinwithJamesHancockawesome, thanks so much!!
@@kendallcupp5056I recall only 2 scenes against animals one with a dog and a goat. It implies shooting the possessed animals but doesn't show a ton of violence against the animal.
@@anitaknight3915great to know - thank you!
I thought it was stale af. The ending reveal scene was anticlimactic as well. Overall a solid bore fest. 5/10. Meh
Were real animals killed for this film? Or did they use effects, cuts and sounds to avoke the killings? Because if real animals were harmed for the making of this film i am not gonna watch it.
I wish i could see the movie these youtube reviewers watched, becuse i saw this and was bored as hell, the gore was not as bad as they say it wasn't scary it seemed like it was filmed with an iPhone. don't believe the hype.
LOL edible.
Hated this movie so much. Plrase stop promoting it.
This one was a miss for me. Wish I didn’t watch any TH-camr opinions first. Big let down for me 😔 That dog scene you could smell a mile away and the argument scene was cringe. Didn’t like this one. Didn’t do it for me. I Don’t get it. Would not recommend. Waste of time 🤷♀️
One of the most boring horror movies I've ever seen. Just horrible. Not even slightly scary relying on gore horror and it wasn't even all that. This one is way overrated. 🥱