I suppose I should just start by saying you should just see the film. Go see it. Right now. I love it, and I can’t guarantee that you will, but I can guarantee is that you will most likely have some strong feelings one way or the other coming out of it. This movie is a lot of things, but it is by no means unmemorable. It’s the kind of film that could only be made after delivering a mega successful franchise like the Conjuring films and turn Aquaman into a billion dollar blockbuster. It’s a blank check film through and through.
There isn’t much I can give away without being forced to hint at the many strange things that the marketing has done a fairly good job at hiding. The basic setup involves Annabelle Wallis as Madison, a woman living in Seattle with her husband, who is pregnant and had previously gone through two miscarriages. She’s also dealing with an abusive husband who gets killed by a mysterious person who then attacks Madison. She wakes up in the hospital, finds out she went through another miscarriage, and is interviewed by two detectives trying to figure out what exactly happened.
While Madison tries her best to move on from the events of the night of the murder, she finds herself having these sudden and grisly hallucinations of people being killed. She soon finds out they are not hallucinations, but in fact actual murders of people being done by the person who killed her husband. From here, the film goes on a wild ride as we follow Madison, her sister Sydney (Maddie Hasson), the two detectives, Kekoa (George Young) and Regina (Michole Briana White) try figure out who or what the killer is, and how to stop it before it continues its brutal killing spree.
The film is one hell of a ride, it starts off at an 11, and it only continues to go rise from there, especially once the reveals start happening throughout the second half of the film. It’s sitting at this weird intersection of Dario Argento and Frank Helenlotter, like a long lost trashterpiece that would’ve been stuck as a rare VHS release ultimately destined for a Shout Factory restoration. It veers into an area that some might consider camp, but to me feels like it’s actively replicating the slightly awkward flow of dialogue you’d hear in the English dubbing of old Italian horror films.
There’s a clear giallo influence early on, with vibrant, high contrast colors, and slick camera moves. Wan pulls out all the stops from his classic suspense building, to subtle tracking shots, to an impressive overhead shot that follows Madison throughout her house. However, this isn’t a film that can be boxed into one particular genre or even a subgenre like giallo, it flows from different influences and genres sometimes from scene to scene, and it somehow works. Even if the transitions come across as clunky, the sheer audacity of its decisions are impossible not to admire, especially in the final act.
The performances might not be a lot to write home about, but they are notable in everyone’s commitment to all the weird things that happen here. While there might be some slight tongue-in-cheek qualities in the writing and filmmaking, the actors commit to playing things as straight as possible, which adds to the retro effect. Annabelle Wallis especially is forced to deal with things that I would imagine being a challenge for any actor, but she is totally game, and really pulls it off. And folks like Hasson, Young, and White do a solid job at grounding the story. I also have to give a special shoutout to Marina Mazepa who is the on-set performer for Gabriel, you’ll know when you see it.
Malignant is clearly a passion project for James Wan, who shares story credit with Ingrid Bisu, his wife, who also plays a small role in the film, and the film’s screenwriter, Akela Cooper. It most certainly won’t work for everyone, either due to the film’s gnarly violence or its general dopey b-movie nature. If you’re able to vibe with its specific wavelength, you will have an absolute blast like I did. It’s a film that invites its audience to have fun with it without feeling the need to constantly wink at the camera. When it comes to mainstream studio horror, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything that goes this gonzo in a very long time, and it’s unfortunate that this had to come out at a time when theaters are not likely packed because this is definitely a film to see with a crowd. But no matter how, you should see it, I loved and I have no hesitation recommending it to any genre enthusiast. I don’t know if I’d say it’s James Wan’s best film, but it is most certainly his most.
Malignant is now out in theaters and on HBO Max for 31 days.