Well, the title never lies. This isn’t benevolent at all…
Review by Nick Meneses
Last night, I had the chance to watch Malignant, the latest film by James Wan (the director who brought us memorable horror flicks such as Saw, The Conjuring, and Insidious) and it didn’t disappoint…mostly. This one-part slasher and one-part supernatural film follows Madison, (played by Annabelle Wallis) a troubled young woman who is being plagued by visions of people getting murdered by a mysterious figure that appears to have a personal connection with her. While in today’s world of horror, a slasher film about people being terrorized by a mindless killer doesn’t sound like anything dreadfully new or original, James Wan adds an inventive, clever twist to the formula, that is likely to keep viewers invested and lined up for a fun-filled scare fest with no brakes in the rails.
For starters, the main performances are stellar. Annabelle Wallis delivers a chilling and vulnerable performance as Madison. Her character is a troubled soul, a broken bird who struggles to keep her sanity intact, in the face of macabre events that throughout the entire ordeal, you just want to give her a hug. Just as impressive is Madelaine Hasson as Sydney, Madison’s sister who offers warmth, heart, and some moments of unexpected levity in this dark horror thriller. Something that tends to be bothersome in most horror films is how the protagonist’s friend or family member refuses to believe them or tends to ignore the supernatural encounters. However, in this case, Sydney believes Madison right off the bat, already endearing her character to the audience from the start. Horror gets its spark when you care about the characters, and Malignant does just that with its two female leads that you’ll wish for them to get through this nightmare.
While the other characters (namely the two police officers investigating the murders) don’t really stand out to me, the performances from both George Young and Michole Briana White are solid enough to cancel each other out. And then there’s Gabriel—the enigmatic murderer that haunts our protagonists. Concept-wise, he is terrifying with each of his murders becoming increasingly violent and serve a purpose in telling the story. His presence in the film is sure to leave viewers uneasy, though there are some moments with our boogeyman that come off as borderline silly and nearly kill any tension the film goes for, which I’ll get to later.
Another aspect I can commend Malignant for is its visual style. One thing that draws horror films—generally all films for that matter—is aesthetic. The cinematography and aesthetic get top marks here. Malignant’s visual style serves as a recreation and homage to 80’s slashers and classic giallo films with warm, vivid colors that give off an impending sense of doom and which were heavily influenced by 1977’s Suspiria which uses a similar approach in its visual style and color palette. One of James Wan’s trademarks is that he borrows influences from classic films in his work and Malignant is definitely no exception, with its style invoking a mixture of old and new. At the same time, the cinematography is superb, and the camera feels very much like a character in the film, with long continuous shots of interior locations and uncomfortable close-ups that make the characters feel as if they are being stalked. This praise also goes to the film’s lighting to make the viewers wonder what could emerge from the shadows. Always trust Wan to use the camera in a very inventive, dynamic way. Kudos.
Now, for the golden question: is Malignant scary? That would be a “no”. True, there are moments and concepts that unnerved and startled me, the kills in the film are likely to please gore-hounds as expected in a slasher film, but I wouldn’t say it’s enough to make Malignant one that will give me sleepless nights. Jump scares can be either be hit or miss in any horror film, and while Malignant does have its fair share of jump scares, they are all handled expertly, with all of them being built up well enough, adding something to the narrative, and occurring sparsely rather than frequently; otherwise, the viewer might get bored. However, there are some scenes with Gabriel that can come off as unintentionally hilarious, such as one in the middle during a chase scene that looks like something straight out of a B-list superhero film than a genuine horror film.
Whether you find it funny or terrifying, is up to you. There are also some moments where loud hard-rock music plays during scary scenes, which can take viewers out of the experience. But what makes Malignant truly stand out isn’t its scare factor but how confident it is in exploring its new ideas. For the first half, the film plays out like a typical scare fest, with the characters unraveling the mystery of its killer, but it completely subverts our expectations and gets down to business during the third act, with a turn of events so grotesque and mind-blowing that is more than likely to make your jaw drop (even a character says something that sums up how shocking this is) and stay with you by the time the film is over.
Final Verdict (out of 10):
While Malignant is far from James Wan’s scariest or best film, it is arguably his most ambitious. With stellar performances and a vivid visual aesthetic, the director brings up a subgenre that has often been considered stale in today’s world of modern horror and brings some fresh ideas to the canvas. And while it takes a while for those fresh ideas to come into play until the third act, it is so worth the wait. Whether you find the film scary or not, you can’t deny that it is still a fun ride to be had as expected from all of James Wan’s films. Malignant may not be a terrifying film but it is a creative and entertaining film, and it works best because of it.
Malignant is available now in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.
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