James Wan's "Malignant" is a Gruesome and Entertainingly Surprising Romp

 

James Wan's new film Malignant is enjoying its first week of release, and I watched it on its Thursday night release last week. I've taken some time to mull it over before writing this review, because for the first time in a long time, I experienced something that I hadn't in a while: subverted expectations. I cannot tell you how thrilling it was to go into this movie with an idea for what it might be, only to then be completely and utterly upended in the most wonderful and disturbing way. Malignant is a crazy ride, a love letter to those obscure 80's horror films that tend to get forgotten, crafted by one of the better filmmakers of our day. If you have yet to see this movie, I implore you to do so, because it's a blast. *I don't know how I'll be able to get through this review without delving into spoilers, so know that towards the latter half, I will be diving into spoiler territory. If you haven't seen the film, maybe wait to see it before finishing the review. If you don't care about that sort of thing, then by all means, carry on!

Madison (Annabelle Wallis) is a woman with a troubled, but hidden past. Her life is suddenly upended when she begins to experience shocking visions of gruesome and bloody murders, visions that seem to paralyze her, forcing her to watch as these brutal acts play out. When she discovers that these horrible nightmares are actually happening in the real world, the search for truth behind why it's happening to her becomes a twisted journey to her darkened past. Many reviewers have been saying the same thing, and I'll echo the point that this movie - which is being hailed and marketed as another Conjuring-esque bout - is far from. Malignant is a completely different monster than any of James Wan's past horror classics. I left my viewing on an extreme high, with my love of cinema renewed once more. It was an experience, and I can't wait to rewatch it.

Annabelle Wallis is a true stand-out here. Anyone familiar with her work knows that she's dipped her toes into the horror waters before, in both Annabelle and Annabelle: Creation, both of which are featured within the Conjuring Universe. But as I said before, Malignant is not like any of those, so don't go into it thinking it will be. You'll be disappointed, which I'll admit I was for the first half of this movie. Why? Because that's where my expectations were. Malignant plays out somewhat predictably, with Madison experiencing truly harrowing events in a cool, visual way. The world around her seems to melt and shift into the places where these murders take place, and as a viewer it's easy to spot where the scares will probably take place...which by movie's end really isn't the main point. The killer, a dark figure with long black hair and black leather trench coat named Gabriel, is weird and disturbing from the get-go (more on him in a second). Wallis has a lot to carry in this movie, and she does a killer job, especially when the twisted reveal takes place regarding what is really happening to her. Her performance is really great.

Again, this is your second spoiler warning, so beware.

Gabriel, as it turns out, isn't some demonic entity or scary ghost. Gabriel is real, and not only is he real, he's connected to Madison - quite literally. We learn that Madison - who's past before the age of 8 is nothing but a fog to her - had a parasitic twin attached to the back of her body. They shared the same brain, and as a child, most of this parasitic twin was removed, with the rest of it caged within Madison's skull. This is Gabriel. Left dormant until a knock to the head awakens him, Gabriel takes control of Madison's body to exact his murders, the victims of which are all connected to his imprisonment. Madison's visions are nothing more than actual experiences - Gabriel is allowing her to watch what is happening. Bonkers, right?! I mean, once this is revealed in the movie, you immediately begin to re-contextualize the film up to that point, and what was once confusing or unclear now becomes oh-so-clear! I absolutely love it when a movie takes chances like that, stringing you along, leaving you wading in pools of uncertainty, only to drop a bomb of a reveal on you that makes everything before it make sense. From that point on, Malignant leans heavily into the craziness, and offers some of the coolest moments I've seen in a horror movie in some time.

James Wan is an insanely talented filmmaker. His ability to lead you through a creepy narrative, using the camera in unique and wonderful ways to tell the story, is unrivaled by most. Being ballsy enough to establish such a campy concept, and then having that campy concept work extremely well is a wonderful feat that we as viewers get to enjoy. I loved everything about this movie, but more so I loved the experience of watching this film for the first time. It's an insane ride, and one that should not be missed. It's playing in theaters and on HBO Max, but I highly recommend seeing this on the big screen if you're able and feel safe to do so. Malignant is a campy, gruesome, violent, exciting, and highly entertaining horror flick that leans into the madness, completely self-aware of what it is and what it's trying to do. I loved it, and can't wait to see it again.