It’s the film everyone is talking about, and we’re talking about it, too! Listen as we discuss the bleak and terrifying “When Evil Lurks”.
On this episode of The Final Girl on 6th Ave, host Carolyn Smith-Hilmmer takes a deep dive into the nihilistic and unforgettable demon possession film that has horror fans buzzing and is being hailed as one of the best horror films of 2023, a truly jaw-dropping experience you won’t want to miss. – Stephanie (Editor-in-Chief)
SHOW NOTES FROM HOST CAROLYN SMITH-HILLMER:
Demián Rugna’s 2023 film WHEN EVIL LURKS is an investigation into the world of demonic possession that I guarantee you have never experienced before. This incredible story of a community completely at the mercy of an unreliable and untrustworthy man leads ultimately to the demise of a family unit. If you liked TERRIFIED (2017), then you will fall in love with this film.
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When Evil Lurks is an Argentine supernatural psychological horror film written and directed by Demián Rugna, who last chilled and horrified American audiences with Terrified (which, if you haven’t seen, I urge you to check out immediately; it’s also streaming on Shudder, along with When Evil Lurks. An international co-production of Argentina and the United States, the film stars Ezequiel Rodriguez, Demián Salomon, Luis Ziembrowski, Silvia Sabater, and Marcelo Michinaux.
In the film, the residents of a small rural town discover that a demon is about to be born among them. They desperately try to escape — but it may be too late.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently holds an astonishing 99% critical review, with an average rating of 7.8/10, though audiences are a bit more divided (unsurprising, given the film’s dark tone and difficult material). The website’s consensus reads: “A hard-hitting horror film whose surface-level frights are just as engaging as its thematic concerns. When Evil Lurks marks a viscerally unsettling addition to the possession horror canon.”
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SOURCES
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16300962/
Polygon Article/Interview – “When Evil Lurks’ director says his staggering horror movie is really about pesticide” by Tasha Robinson: https://www.polygon.com/23935228/when-evil-lurks-director-interview-demian-rugna-meaning
ABOUT THE SHOW:
The Final Girl on 6th Ave is a weekly show where host, Carolyn Smith-Hillmer, dissects an arthouse/elevated horror film. Each episode includes a detailed play-by-play of the film itself and a subsequent deep dive into the thematic elements and symbolism. Because elevated horror is sometimes viewed within the horror community as pretentious, Carolyn makes sure to use her down-to-earth tone and unique perspective to make these films less intimidating for the casual horror viewer and less ostentatious for the genre lover.
Listen to more episodes on the show’s website here.
The Final Girl on 6th Ave is a bi-weekly podcast where host Carolyn Smith-Hillmer reviews arthouse horror films in a non-pretentious way.
Lars von Tier and Horror
Lars von Trier has been called a visionary, a sadist, and a self‑mythologizing provocateur—sometimes all in the same breath. In this episode, we unpack how an anxious kid from Copenhagen became one of the most controversial figures in world cinema, and why his work looms so large over modern horror and “extreme” art‑film. Focusing on Antichrist, Melancholia, Nymphomaniac, and The House That Jack Built, we explore von Trier’s “Depression Trilogy,” his use of grief, sex, and violence, and the ongoing debates about misogyny, ethics, and audience complicity. Along the way, we bring in film scholarship, critical essays, and production histories to ask a simple but uncomfortable question: when von Trier pushes horror this far, is he revealing something profound about suffering—or just building a house out of pain?
SOURCES/INFORMATION
Biographical and career overviews
“Lars von Trier.” Wikipedia.wikipedia
“Lars von Trier – Simple English Wikipedia.” Simple Wikipedia.wikipedia
“Lars von Trier.” Encyclopaedia Britannica (biography, awards, filmography).britannica
“Lars von Trier filmography.” Wikipedia.wikipedia
“Lars von Trier – IMDb.” IMDb.imdb
“List of awards and nominations received by Lars von Trier.” Wikipedia.wikipedia
Context and Danish film culture
“Lars von Trier and Cultural Liberalism.” Danish Film Institute.dfi
Excerpt from Regional and Global Dimensions of Danish Film Culture and Film Policy (on Dogme 95 and Danish film branding).catalogimages.wiley
Critical profiles and interviews
“Lars von Trier: Behind the Curtain.” The New Yorker (profile on von Trier’s persona and controversies).mubi+1
“Lars von Trier: A Problematic Sort of Ladies’ Man?” NPR radio piece and transcript (Pat Dowell, with Caroline Bainbridge).npr+1
“The Many Faces of Lars von Trier.” BFI feature.bfi
“Lars von Trier: An Overview.” Film Festival Today (career overview).filmfestivaltoday
Horror‑specific and film‑specific sources
“The Immersive Examination of Depression and Grief in ‘Antichrist’ [Unveiling the Mind].” Bloody Disgusting.bloody-disgusting+1
“Antichrist (2009)” – film entry and production details. IMDb and Wikipedia.imdb+1
“The House That Jack Built (2018).” IMDb (plot, reception).imdb
“Manically Macabre: Lars von Trier as Horror Icon.” Horror Obsessive.horrorobsessive
“‘Terrifier 2’ and 9 Other Horror Movies Which Famously Made Audiences Sick.” Collider (section on Antichrist).collider
Scholarly / analytical work
“Lars von Trier – The ‘Sex’pression Ideology.” Academic essay (via Academia.edu PDF).academia
Caroline Bainbridge, The Cinema of Lars von Trier (discussed in NPR and academic contexts).npr+1
Career primers
“Notebook Primer: Lars von Trier.” MUBI Notebook.
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