Writer/Director Demián Rugna broke onto the horror scene with 2017’s aptly titled Terrified (Aterrados), a paranormal tour de force of shocking imagery and genuine scares. Rugna shifts from ghosts to demonic possession for his latest, When Evil Lurks, breaking all the rules along the way.
Shudder and IFC Films will be presenting When Evil Lurks in theaters on October 6, followed by the film’s Shudder premiere on October 27.
In the film, “a pair of brothers find a mutilated corpse near their property and convene with the locals to suss it out. They soon learn that the odd happenings in their village are the cause of a spirit that’s found its way into a local man waiting for the proper protocols to rid his body of the festering demon. An escape attempt ensues as the film keeps its protagonists on edge, racing against imminent danger to shake the spirit’s relentless clutches.”
Bloody Disgusting spoke with Rugna about his shocking imagery and shattering of horror rules before the film’s release. To start, the musician-turned-filmmaker was asked how much his love of music influences his boundary-pushing horror.
“A lot,” Rugna answered. “Because I make heavy metal music. We love the extreme; I hate commercial movies and commercial music. I guess there’s no limit [to the horror] for me because there’s no limit for me with the music. I am trying to make a mix: to be myself but show a story that could involve the audience as well.
“But yeah, I make heavy metal music and horror movies. It makes sense. But it’s the way of life. When I hung out with my friends, even when we were younger, we broke things in the streets, but not bad guys, obviously, but stupid and extreme. I love that.”
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Courtesy of Shudder and IFC Films. A Shudder and IFC Films Release
Rugna’s deep-seated love of heavy metal and horror suits his style well. When asked if that love of horror helps him craft potent scares, the filmmaker reflects on his influences.
He explains, “All the time, I’m trying to write something original and fresh because I am a viewer of horror movies. Honestly, I love horror when it comes with something new, something fresh. I’m trying to create my own universe all the time. I don’t know if I can find a direct influence. When I was working on the processing and the pitching and whatever, I took three direct references. That is The Road, with Viggo Mortensen; The Wailing, it’s a Korean movie; and Evil Dead. I guess three movies influenced me a lot for this movie, but at the same time, I’m trying not to copy anybody.”
When Evil Lurks eschews standard possession and exorcism horror formulas, beginning with a botched exorcism. Of course, that was by design. Rugna tossed faith out the window in favor of something new.
Rugna details “Well, in this case, it was simple because I killed the church. When you said The Exorcist movie, the church is the solution. Now we realize that there’s no more church; there’s no more religion, a thing that could probably help us. With the myth already installed and killing religion, I needed to create a new religion. Or, nobody believes in the same religion but probably the conspiracy theories.”
In other words, faith isn’t something that can be counted upon to save Rugna’s characters from brutal condemnation. Emphasis on brutal. Rugna isn’t afraid to go places with his characters and the horror, and his ability to build tension and craft scares remains impressive.
One key to that, for Rugna, is directing screenplays that he wrote. But the true key, per the filmmaker, is making horror films specifically for horror fans, not general audiences.
“It’s not easy to scare without a script that makes scares,” he notes. “The problem is when you have a script that really does not scare you; you use the jump scare all the time. I guess to make a script in which you don’t know what is going to happen in two minutes with this character, in two minutes with this element, give me the chance to kick you at any time. And you are not prepared for that. If I work, if I make a script that you can’t anticipate what happened or where I am going. You won’t feel protected because you recognize where I’m going. That’s why I’m making movies for horror fans, not for the wider audience.”
When Evil Lurks releases in theaters on October 6, followed by the film’s Shudder premiere on October 27.