10 Most Terrifying Jump Scares In Recent Horror Movies
4. The Dog - When Evil Lurks (2023)
With no shortage of grotesque gore and imagery, Argentinean supernatural horror When Evil Lurks is one of the most sickeningly depraved and provocative horrors in recent years.
The film sees brothers Pedro (Ezequiel Rodríguez) and Jaime (Demián Salomón) discover there’s a Rotter within their rural community. A person who becomes infected by demonic possession, Rotters spread evil like a plague whenever they’re not properly dealt with.
With the sickness beginning to spread in violent fashion, the pair head into the city so that Pedro can take his children away from the impending terror. However, when he removes his infected clothes and carelessly leaves them on the floor, the family’s pet dog curiously sniffs them.
Having seen in violent detail what this sickness does, viewers know the danger the family is now in, writer-director Demián Rugna heightens this tension by having the youngest daughter interact with the loving dog. Despite being aware of this ticking time bomb, nothing can prepare viewers for the inevitable violence when it comes.
Without any prewarning, the dog attacks the child, gripping her head in its jaws and dragging her offscreen. Although the camera cuts away from the attack, this moment nevertheless makes for one of this horror's most harrowing moments.