Demián Rugna didn’t just make a horror movie; he built a nightmare that feels impossibly real. A huge part of that grounded, dirt-under-the-fingernails dread comes from the cast of When Evil Lurks (or Cuando acecha la maldad). If you’ve seen it, you know. It isn’t just about the "rotten" or the demonic infection. It’s about the faces of people who are genuinely terrified, making terrible decisions because they’re human and desperate.
Most possession movies rely on priests and crosses. This one relies on a broken family. When you look at the cast of When Evil Lurks, you aren't seeing polished Hollywood stars waiting for their next Marvel audition. You’re seeing veteran Argentinian actors who look like they’ve spent a lifetime working the land and carrying heavy burdens. This authenticity is exactly why the movie stuck in everyone's brain after it hit Shudder. It felt dangerous.
Ezekiel Rodríguez as Pedro: The Architect of Chaos
Ezekiel Rodríguez plays Pedro. He’s the engine of the movie. Honestly, Pedro is kind of a disaster. He’s impulsive, he’s thick-headed, and his guilt over his past—specifically his relationship with his ex-wife and kids—drives almost every bad choice he makes. Rodríguez captures this frantic energy perfectly. You can see the sweat. You can see the lack of sleep in his eyes.
Rodríguez has been a staple in Argentinian television for years, appearing in projects like Violetta and Soy Luna. But here? He’s unrecognizable from his Disney Channel days. He brings a rugged, feral quality to Pedro. In the scene where he’s trying to move the "rotten" man in the beginning, his physical strain isn't just acting; it feels like he’s actually wrestling with a literal demon. He makes you feel the weight of the air in that woodshed.
Demián Salomón as Jimi: The Reluctant Brother
Then there's Jimi, played by Demián Salomón. If Pedro is the fire, Jimi is the guy trying (and failing) to put it out with a leaking bucket. Salomón provides a necessary counterpoint. He’s more observant, more cautious, but he’s bound by blood. He can’t leave his brother behind.
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Salomón is a Rugna regular. He was in Terrified (Aterrados), Rugna’s previous hit. Because of that existing relationship with the director, there’s a shorthand in his performance. He knows the tone. He knows that in a Rugna film, the horror isn't just a jump scare—it’s an atmosphere. His performance is quieter than Rodríguez’s, but his face during the infamous "dog scene" (you know the one) conveys more horror than any CGI monster ever could. He looks paralyzed. We’ve all felt that.
The Supporting Players Who Ground the Nightmare
The cast of When Evil Lurks shines because the secondary characters don't feel like "extras" waiting to die. They feel like people with lives that are being interrupted by an apocalypse.
- Luis Ziembrowski as Armando: The neighbor. Ziembrowski is an acting powerhouse in Argentina. He plays Armando with a prickly, defensive edge. He’s the one who first tries to take matters into his own hands, and his swift, brutal exit from the story sets the stakes. He isn't a villain; he’s a scared man trying to protect his farm.
- Silvina Sabater as Mirta: Mirta is the "cleaner." Every horror movie needs an exposition character—someone to explain the rules. Usually, this is a boring role. But Sabater makes Mirta fascinating. She’s cynical and tired. She’s seen this all before. She treats the demonic infection like a hazardous waste spill rather than a spiritual battle. It’s a grounded, gritty take on the "wise elder" trope.
- Virginia Garófalo as Sabrina: The ex-wife. Her role is arguably the most traumatic. Garófalo has to play a mother’s worst nightmare, and she does it with a chilling intensity. The transformation her character undergoes—both emotionally and physically—is the soul of the film's middle act.
Why This Ensemble Works Better Than High-Budget Horror
Why does this specific group work? It’s the lack of vanity. In many American horror films, the actors are a little too beautiful, their clothes a little too clean even after running through the woods. The cast of When Evil Lurks looks greasy. They look like they smell like goat manure and diesel.
Rugna has spoken in interviews about wanting the film to feel like a "rotten" world. You can’t achieve that with actors who are afraid to look ugly. When Pedro is crying or screaming, it’s snot-nosed and ugly. It’s visceral. This commitment to the "grossness" of reality makes the supernatural elements feel ten times more threatening. If the people are real, the demon must be real too.
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The "Rotten" and the Physical Acting
We have to talk about Uriel, the "Rotten" (El Encajado). While the actor is buried under layers of incredible practical effects, the physical presence is vital. The movie avoids using a lot of CGI, preferring the weight of actual prosthetic meat and slime. This forces the actors around the "Rotten" to react to something truly repulsive that is actually in the room with them.
The children in the movie also deserve a mention. Working with kids in horror is tricky. You don't want it to feel exploitative, but you need them to be scary. The young actors playing Pedro’s sons manage to be both heartbreaking and terrifying. The scene at the breakfast table is a masterclass in tension, mostly because of how the kids hold their bodies. They aren't "acting" spooky; they are acting like children who are no longer themselves.
Navigating the Rules of the World
The cast of When Evil Lurks had a difficult task: they had to sell a world with very specific, weird rules.
- Don't use electric light.
- Don't use firearms.
- Don't hurt the possessed the "wrong" way.
If the actors didn't believe in these rules, the audience wouldn't either. But when Mirta explains the Seven Rules, Sabater delivers it with such "I've seen too much" gravity that you immediately accept it as law. You find yourself yelling at the screen when Pedro grabs a gun because the cast has successfully sold the danger of that action.
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Cultural Nuance in the Performances
There is a specific Argentinian "pampa" or rural energy here. The way the brothers interact—the shorthand, the insults, the underlying love—feels deeply rooted in the culture of the region. This isn't a generic "cabin in the woods." It's a specific place with specific social dynamics. The tension between the city-dwelling ex-wife and the rural brothers adds a layer of class and lifestyle conflict that makes the character drama as interesting as the horror.
What You Should Do Next
If you’ve already watched the film and are looking to dive deeper into why the cast of When Evil Lurks worked so well, your next move should be exploring the rest of the "New Wave" of Argentinian horror.
- Watch 'Terrified' (Aterrados): Also directed by Demián Rugna and featuring Demián Salomón. It’s a great way to see how this creative team evolved their style.
- Look into the works of Mariana Enríquez: While she’s a writer, not an actress, her short stories (like Things We Lost in the Fire) occupy the same gritty, "literary horror" space as this film.
- Follow the Practical FX team: Look up the work of the makeup artists involved. Seeing the behind-the-scenes process of how they created the "Rotten" makes the actors' performances even more impressive, as you see what they were actually interacting with on set.
The brilliance of this movie isn't just in the blood; it's in the people. The cast of When Evil Lurks took a wild, rule-breaking script and made it feel like a documentary from hell. That is no small feat.