In a remote village, two brothers find a demon-infected man just about to give birth to evil itself. They decide to get rid of the man but merely succeed in helping him to deliver the inferno. A film by Demián Rugna, starring Ezequiel Rodríguez, Demián Salomón, Luis Ziembrowski, Silvina Sabater, and Marcelo Michinaux.

Pedro (Ezequiel Rodríguez) and Jimi (Demián Salomón) hear multiple gunshots echoing through the dark woods near their home. Too dangerous to venture outside at night, Pedro suggests they wait until morning to investigate.

The next morning, they discover the body of a man cut in half in the woods. Jaime suspects their neighbor Ruiz, while Pedro searches the victim’s luggage and finds a strange-looking device that Jaime recognizes from somewhere

Amidst the victim’s belongings, they find a notebook containing information about Maria Elena Gomez (Isabel Quinteros), an elderly Russian woman who lives nearby with her two sons. They decide to visit her home to notify her that the man she is waiting for has not arrived. At her home, they learn that the man is one of the Cleaners, people trained to handle demonic possessions, and that he was supposed to come and kill her son.

Inside Maria’s home, they find her eldest son Uriel, who has become a Rotten, a being possessed by an unborn demon. Shocked and frightened, they go to the police, but their concerns are dismissed. They then turn to Ruiz (Luis Ziembrowski) for advice, unable to take the risk of waiting for another Cleaner who might not arrive in time.

That night, Ruiz visits Maria’s home and attempts to kill Uriel with a shotgun. Despite Maria’s pleading that firearms cannot kill demons and will only make things worse. But Ruiz changes his mind when Uriel urges Ruiz to kill him, revealing that he will be free and will possess the body of Ruiz’s unborn child. Frightened, Ruiz returns the following morning with Pedro and Jimi in an effort to transport Uriel’s body into his pickup truck and dispose of it in a remote location.

One of Ruiz’s goats becomes possessed, heralding the arrival of a demonic presence. Ruiz’s pregnant wife Jimena warns him against using a gun, but he ignores her and shoots and kills the possessed goat. In a sudden and frenzied rage, Jimena smashes Ruiz with an axe, killing him instantly before using the same axe to end her own life.

Disturbed by the unfortunate news about Ruiz and his wife, Pedro and Jimi realize that this will not end well. Pedro decides to pick up his children, who now live with his ex-wife and her new husband in the city, and flee this accursed place forever. They are unaware that the demon has fixated on them and tenaciously latched itself onto their loved ones.

The Argentine supernatural psychological horror film CUANDO ACECHA LA MALDAD (WHEN EVIL LURKS), written and directed by Demián Rugna, exudes stylish menace with minimal reliance on jump scares. It is undoubtedly one of the best and meanest horror films in recent years.

The film’s superb worldbuilding, which allows the demon to assume different forms, creates an ominous atmosphere of mistrust and imminent danger, leaving the viewers on the edge of their seats. The main cast and supporting characters deliver impressive performances, and the story is filled with unexpected twists and mesmerizingly visceral imagery.

CUANDO ACECHA LA MALDAD premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 13 September 2023. WHEN EVIL LURKS was theatrically released in the United States on 6 October, by IFC Films.