MALIGNANT: A Demented Experience You Do Not Want To Miss

Ever wonder what happens to the haunted children, the ones who become the prey of the devil, whose dreams are maliciously tormented and their memories forever tainted. Are they ever able to move forward, or do the horrors of the past follow them into adulthood? Or was the past never real to begin with? James Wan’s latest horror induction Malignant looks at the grown-up children of horror, delivering a demented and twisted narrative that never fails to surprise.

And while we see the grown-up version of the haunted, Malignant stretches further, challenging the structural design of horror all while delivering a new form of evil. It is hard to surprise and fashion new scares, but what Wan promises and delivers is unique, frightening and a wild edge-of-your-seat experience you do not want to miss.

The New Face of Horror

Malignant opens with the core of horror, the inexcusable callus treatment by humans to those they believe they can manipulate and control. As chaos breaks out in a research facility in 1993, Wan does not hold back on the gore that ensues as a mysterious patient releases destruction on the doctors and staff of the facility. It is a brief opening, yet it’s effective in its showcase of humanity’s continued belief of its own superiority, but also immensely effective in its setup for the remainder of the film.

Following an opening montage that dribbles small clues and bread crumbs of information regarding the mysterious patient and facility, Malignant settles on its primary character, Madison (Annabelle Wallis). Arriving home after a difficult shift, Maddy looks for the comforts of home and spouse, the unborn child in her womb clearly a sense of comfort and stress all its own. There is a longing in her eyes and a hesitation in her step, elements of Madison’s character arc that are established early on, with explanations layered as the film progresses.

Her yearning for comfort is met with abuse and emotional distress, one the seemingly kicks off a string of events surrounding Madison and the local police department. As Maddy and her sister struggle to make sense of the increasing horror engulfing them, they discover that some secrets can never stay buried.

Crafting a New Look of Horror

I can not rave enough about how much I loved Malignant, instantly craving another view the moment the film ended. This is the horror movie of the year and one that is poised to achieve as much success as its predecessors. Wan‘s return to the genre that made him a household name is not only welcomed but delivered in a unique adrenaline rush that demands the audience’s attention through its entirety. And while the narrative itself is unique, Malignant is even more jaw-dropping in its technical.

The camera work within Malignant is truly a stand-out, and it will be interesting to see if this form of camera styling is utilized within the genre going forward. The camera is swift and fluid in movement, moving around the characters, giving a 360 degree set for the horror to occur within. No longer is the action coming from the right or left, but from all around. The ability to immerse the audience within the action is heightened, and the film is all the more effective for it.

The movement of the camera also forces you to stay with the characters as they run through the home or as the room is quickly taken in. It further limits you as a viewer, however. Where many times horror is captured through a more stationary placement of the lens, allowing the characters to move through a set and horror to jump into the frame, viewers are not allowed the freedom of searching for clues and allowing years of cinematic training to guide your eyes. This movement limitation strips away our ability to predict, plan and expect, heightening the tension and infusing the catharsis of the scare. The camera moves swiftly, almost superhuman-like, as it sweeps around the characters, the lens transforming the experience and expectation.

Further elevating Malignant is the film’s set designs that the camera works to capture. Rooms are expansive, allowing not only room for the camera, but also for its characters to move around. There is a sense of something larger than life captured within the space – a feeling that they are in over their heads. One of the most stand-out moments was a downward look into the house as Maddy runs through each room looking for safety and escape. The camera captures her movement almost as though we are looking down onto a Clue board – but its limitation provides no clues, no idea of what room the killer is in or their weapon of choice.

Merge the unique camera stylings and the transition of set pieces, there is an almost shredding of reality and perception, creating both a duality and a contrast of reality and fiction. Wan is not afraid to leave viewers in the dark, giving only flickers of information at a time, allowing room to enjoy the ride and experience the narrative.

A New Leading Lady of Horror

Where Wan brings the unique and horrifically engaging horror narrative from page to screen, Annabelle Wallis brings it to life. She grounds her performance in the immense grief of her character. She is the life of the film, a reverberating force that pulsates through every fiber drawing characters, tension, and mystery into each moment she is on screen. And quite honestly, she gives past women of horror a run for their money as a potential new Scream Queen in the horror genre.

There is a complexity to her performance, both a vulnerability and a desire that emulates through speech and posture, a hidden and forgotten past just lingering beneath the surface, waiting to burst from within her at any moment. Wallis understands the assignment she is tasked with and dives in headfirst. There is no hesitation, only the perfect encapsulation of the tormented soul of Maddy.

A Few Bumps Along the Way

Malignant though is not without its bumps in the road. Too often the film’s transitions are bulky and off-putting, a score matching the following scene, but transitioning from one it does not fit in. Many times I found myself questioning the music and transitional choices rather than enjoying the film and anticipating what is to come. At times also, the film feels disjointed, as if the idea or narrative has not been seamlessly interwoven into the stronger elements of Malignant.

And at times, there are scenes that feel old-school cheesy, its disconnect further heightened by the dark and demented nature of the majority of the story. So much of the film is strong that when it weavers even a bit, you notice it. Thankfully, these moments are brief and far between, especially as the film begins to pick up speed.

Conclusion: Malignant

Malignant‘s run time is long but tight, embracing each act and set up with intent. Had Wan wanted, the film could have lent itself to a brilliant miniseries, myself having to admit that when the film was over, I wanted more. Even as the film played through, I wanted to linger with its discoveries and twists, savoring each drop of narrative ploy. This desire for more is further heightened through the subtle similarities to his previous works, especially Dead Silence. There is a reminiscent feeling that reverberates through the film, especially through the sets discovered that lend themselves to a time since past. And while there are subtle feelings of Saw that emerge through some of the film’s costume designs, Malignant is poised to emerge as a perfect Double Feature counterpart with Dead Silence.

A bloodbath cleverly executed through its gore, narrative and technical execution, Malignant is the horror film of the year, one that promises a terrifying and demented edge-of-your-seat experience from start to finish.

Have you seen Malignant? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!

Malignant was released in theaters and on HBO Max on September 10, 2021. 

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