When Evil Lurks Ending, Explained: Does Pedro Stop the Demon?

‘When Evil Lurks’ (also known as ‘Cuando Acecha la Maldad’) is an Argentine horror film written and directed by Demián Rugna. The Spanish-language movie stars Ezequiel Rodriguez and Demián Salomon as brothers Pedro and Jimmy, who live in a small village in the middle of nowhere. However, after a shocking incident, they discover a case of demonic possession near their land.

Pedro and Jimmy struggle to protect their family as the demonic possession spreads across the village like a plague. The film ends on a bleak note and leaves plenty of questions unanswered. If you are looking for an explanation of Pedro and Jimmy’s fate, here is everything you need to know about the ending of ‘When Evil Lurks.’ SPOILERS AHEAD!

When Evil Lurks Plot Synopsis

‘When Evil Lurks’ opens with brothers Pedro and Jimmy hearing gunshots from the yard behind their house. At dawn, the brothers investigate the gunshots and discover a corpse ripped into two parts. Upon further research, Pedro and Jimmy deduce that the dead person was going to Maria Elena’s house. At Maria’s house, the brothers learn that the dead man was a “Cleaner” called to deal with her elder son, Uriel, whom a demon has possessed. Uriel is a “Rotten,” a possessed individual housing an unborn demon awaiting physical birth. After realizing the danger of the situation, Pedro and Jimmy inform the authorities, who refuse to intervene.

Later, the brothers inform the landowner, Ruiz, about Uriel’s demonic possession, and he tries to deal with the situation by shooting Uriel. However, he is stopped in doing so by Maria and the brothers. Later, Ruiz tries to move Uriel away from his land, but the latter escapes after Ruiz’s car nearly gets into an accident. Ruiz ignores the matter and returns home, where his pregnant wife reveals their goat has been possessed. When Ruiz shoots the goat with a gun, his wife hacks him down with an axe before similarly dying by suicide. Meanwhile, Uriel’s younger brother, Eduardo, seeks shelter with Pedro and Jimmy after his mother mysteriously disappears and warns them not to use electricity.

Pedro and Jimmy decide to leave the village and head to the town so they can gather their family members. Pedro visits his ex-wife, Sabrina, and her new husband, Leo. While Pedro tries to take his sons, Jair and Santino, to safety, Sabrina argues with him. When the family’s dog, Roger, comes in contact with Pedro’s clothes, it goes berserk and attacks Sabrina and Leo’s daughter, Vicky. Pedro steals Sabrina’s car while Leo and Sabrina search for Vicky, who was killed by the dog. Leo kills the dog with a gun and becomes possessed, driving the car to hit Sabrina, killing her. Pedro escapes the carnage with his sons and meets Jimmy, who has picked up their mother.

Pedro and Jimmy lead their family to a nearby town where they hope to start a new life. During the drive, the Grandmother is skeptical of Pedro and Jimmy’s claims about the demonic plague. She explains seven rules to prevent the demon from possessing them. These rules include avoiding electricity, using firearms, chanting the devil’s name, and ignoring the demon’s psychological taunts. Jimmy convinces Pedro to visit Mirta, an old friend of his who also worked as a Cleaner in the past. Meanwhile, Pedro is connected by Sabrin despite having seen her die. As a result, Pedro is convinced of the supernatural threat they face and must do everything in his power to protect his family.

When Evil Lurks Ending: Does Pedro Stop the Demon?

The film presents a unique interpretation of demonic possessions, which makes it even more difficult for Pedro and Jimmy to stop the abomination from destroying their lives. During the movie’s climax, it becomes apparent that traditional methods cannot stop the demon. It acts like a plague that can possess people’s minds and drives them to do its bidding. As a result, Pedro’s only hope for stopping the demon is to find Uriel’s rotting body and kill him with Mirta’s cleansing equipment. Pedro and Mirta track down Uriel to a local school, where Pedro discovers Uriel trapped inside a stage. The demon possesses the school’s children, which becomes apparent to Pedro when he is locked away, and the children kill Mirta and dismantle her cleaning equipment.

Eventually, Pedro kills Uriel with a part of the equipment, but to no avail, as the demon takes a physical form and ascends to this plane of existence. However, the demon spares Pedro before it leaves the school, with the children following it. Ultimately, Pedro fails to stop the demon. During his climactic confrontation, the demon gets inside Pedro’s head by taunting him about his past failures, such as abandoning his children and wife. The demon’s words get to Pedro, who tries to end the demon and gets distracted, resulting in Mirta’s death. Pedro’s chance of stopping the demon dies with Mirta, as only she knows how to use the equipment. A dejected Pedro returns to his home, where he laments the loss of his loved one and looks after his surviving son, Jair, only to make a shocking discovery.

Does Pedro Save His Family? Is Jair Possessed?

In the film, Pedro’s primary motivation is to protect his family. After learning of the demonic possession, he travels to his ex-wife’s house, where he acts weirdly and withholds information, which agitates Sabrina. Moreover, Pedro also violates his restraining order and communicates poorly, making Sabrin untrustworthy of him. Eventually, Pedro is punished for his poor choices as the demon kills Sabrina, Leo, and Vicky. Later, Pedro tries to protect his sons, but Sabrina’s reanimated corpse arrives at Mirta’s house under the demon’s possession, leading to Santino’s death. As a result, Pedro embarks on the quest to find and kill Uriel to stop his elder son, Jair, and mother from befalling the same fate as the rest of his family.

Ultimately, Pedro fails in doing so as the final moments reveal the demon possesses Jair. Jair is autistic, and Pedro refuses to believe the demon can possess him. Pedro knows it is difficult for a demon to understand an autistic person’s mind. The demon controls a person’s mind by preying on their insecurities to control them physically. However, after listening to his Grandmother, Jair repeats the devil’s name, likely leading to the demon possessing him. In the final moments, Pedro finds Jair choking on his mother’s hair, confirming that Jair killed her under the demon’s possession. Thus, the film ends as Pedro feels the excruciating pain of losing his loved ones and cries inconsolably. Pedro is a flawed character who refuses to learn from his mistakes and pays a heavy price over the movie’s course as he loses his family members.

What Happened to Uriel’s Brother?

In the movie, Uriel’s brother, Eduardo, arrives at Pedro and Jimmy’s doorstep when his mother suddenly disappears after Ruiz and the brothers move Uriel. When the brothers return home after failing to stop the demon, Eduardo is still in their barn despite Pedro warning him to leave at dawn. Jimmy finds Eduardo in the barn, and the latter confesses to killing the cleaner who was supposed to dispose of Uriel. Eduardo also admits to killing his mother, Maria Elena, under the demon’s influence.

Ultimately, Eduardo’s shocking revelations make Pedro and Jimmy’s plights all the more tragic as it implies they never stood a chance against the demon. The cleaner’s death sets the narrative in motion and draws the brothers into the conflict with the demon as their survival is at stake. However, when Jimmy learns of Eduardo’s involvement in the cleaner’s murder, it is evident that the demon has planned its moves carefully and chosen its targets. While the ending does not confirm Eduardo’s fate, he is likely alive and still possessed. Thus, the final scene amplifies Pedro and Jimmy’s helplessness as they cannot rely on anyone for help, ending the movie on a bleak note.