New Film From The Director Of Terrified Heading To Shudder

Thrilling news for those who love a good scare: horror and thriller-based streaming service Shudder (of AMC Network) picked up international distribution rights to "When Evil Lurks," Demián Rugna's fifth film. The Argentine filmmaker last helmed the 2017 supernatural horror "Terrified," which scared the socks off of moviegoers at Fantastic Fest in Austin the following year. The film was effective enough to land on the radar of Guillermo del Toro, who will be producing an English-language remake of Rugna's "Terrified" for Fox Searchlight.

"When Evil Lurks" is co-produced by Fernando Díaz's Machaco Films and Roxana Ramos's Aramos Cine in Argentina, the first production under the joint partnership of the Machaco-Aramos banner La Puerta Roja, while Agustina Chiarino and Fernando Epstein produce through the Uruguay-based Mutante. The film has already won the Runner Up Prize at the Sitges Pitchbox, an international genre-focused pitching event focused for feature films and series currently in development.

Emily Gotto, VP of acquisitions & co-productions at Shudder, had this to say:

"We are delighted to continue our relationship with the team that brought 'Terrified' to Shudder audiences. 'When Evil Lurks' has an incredible script and one we are excited to be partners on from this early stage as a Shudder Original Production."

The synopsis for "When Evil Lurks," per Variety:

Revolving on timeless horror concepts and adding contemporary twists, "When Evil Lurks" unspools in a remote village where two brothers find a demon-infected man just about to give birth to evil itself. In a time when exorcism look to be of little use to ward off evil, after warning the neighbors in town, they decide to get rid of the man but merely succeed in helping him to deliver the inferno.

Speaking to Variety, Rugna said, "This movie will be my relief, a release of disturbing images that have been accumulating in my head over the years like a pressure cooker." Considering the violent, macabre imagery and sonic assaults of "Terrified," we should all be, well, terrified (in the fun way) to see what comes next. Rugna will get his chance soon, as shooting is scheduled to start in March of 2022, with the aim of crossing the finish line by November.

Fernando Díaz at Machaco told Variety:

We're trying to tell a macabre story with an extremely oppressive and realistic atmosphere, but with a frantic rhythm, without abandoning a strong narrative. A genuine universe that re-signifies the tales of evil and curses; a rural environment on a monotonous plain, interrupted by a series of images and extremely lurid sequences.

"When Evil Lurks" doesn't yet have a release date, but we'll keep you updated as production continues.