When Evil Lurks (2023)

Grim morning light creeps through the gnarled trees surrounding the farmhouse, turning even the quiet cornfields into witnesses of unseen dread. The film eschews the standard slasher trappings, treating the demonic infection as a slow-burn epidemic that engulfs a whole community in unsettling, overlapping terror. Joaquin Phoenix's performance, stripped to almost no dialogue, transforms each glance into a latent threat, imprinting your sense of unease. Midway, a stretched montage of possessions drags the pacing into a sluggish rhythm that can feel more bored than alarmed. If you want psychological horror that rewards patience over cheap shocks, you'll find this film's atmosphere irresistibly gripping.