Malignant

Madison is paralyzed by shocking visions of grisly murders, and her torment worsens as she discovers that these waking dreams are in fact terrifying realities.

Review

Malignant is one of the most original and inventive horror movies I have seen in quite some time! I am a huge fan of the horror genre but it’s very hit or miss as to whether the movies will give me genuine scares. However, Director James Wan is a filmmaker I can rely on, being the creator of Saw, Insidious and The Conjuring universe, he is a master at creating atmospheric, tense and frightening movies that stick with you long after the credits roll.

Malignant merges multiple different horror movie sub-genres including paranormal, slasher, monster and also has some sprinkles of a crime movie. This keeps the narrative interesting and keeps the audience guessing until the final act when all is revealed and hopefully like me, you will not see the twist coming. Whether you are a fan of jump scares, a mystery that elicits fear or blood and gore, this movie has something for everyone.

I think that Annabelle Wallis is a completely underrated actor and having watched most of the blockbusters she has starred in, as well as a couple of her TV series roles such as Peaky Blinders, it would be great to see her land some bigger roles. In Malignant, she plays Madison, a woman living with an abusive husband and who has suffered from multiple miscarriages. As the story unfolds, we learn that Madison was adopted and has a troubled past that she cannot remember. Annabelle Wallis conveys the pain and confusion and her performance makes you believe she is suffering.

Some plot elements are given no explanation, these are mostly the villain Gabriel’s abilities, for example, he can control electronics but it’s never explained how and he can move extremely fast which did result in a very creepy shot of a sofa cushion expanding. However, the lack of any explanation did not diminish the quality of the movie and in fact, left me wanting to see more. They are interesting ideas that I hope are explored more in potential sequels.

The locations used in Malignant are the staple horror movie locations such as the gothic-looking hospital, the haunted house and the dark underground city. These locations will always create a sense of dread and will leave you hiding behind a cushion! The 3rd act of the movie is set in a police station and the ending of the movie is completely batshit crazy in the best way! It’s grotesque, violent and leaves you on the edge of your seat, reaching yet again for that pillow!

If you are a fan of James Wan but are looking to watch a horror film that is completely out of the ordinary, then this film is definitely for you. It’s really difficult to compare this movie to anything else and you are either going to hate it or love it, and I fall into the latter. Malignant is a lot of fun and one I intend to add to the Blu-ray collection.