Malignant (Review)
Malignant is Both Disappointing and Dumb
Watching Malignant, I was reminded of visiting video rental stores when I was young. Yes, I used to visit Blockbuster, Video News, and others on a weekly basis. Despite knowing that there was no way my mother would let me rent scary movies (a good call considering what a sensitive young thing I once was), I would immediately make a Beeline to the horror section. Once there, I would read the backs of VHS boxes, admiring the macabre creativity in each short synopsis. In those days, horror movies just simply didn’t give a damn about things like realism or narrative credibility. If Hollywood wanted to make a movie about a possessed elevator or high society orgies or microwave massacres, they were going to make one no matter how stupid it seemed. The point is, Malignant filled me with nostalgia for a time when I was too naive to know how many horror movies are mind-numbingly stupid (I still love the genre though).
James Wan is arguably one of the most influential and successful masters of horror working in the industry today. However, Malignant proves that even the greats can stumble from time to time. Unfortunately, Malignant is less of a stumble and more of a full-on face plant that was doomed from the moment Wan created the film’s premise with Akela Cooper and Ingrid Bisu. There are plenty of horror movies I’ve seen with great concepts that have been mangled by production over the years, but Malignant manages to do the exact opposite. It’s a stupid, STUPID idea with better production values than it ever deserved thanks to Wan’s involvement. It’s at this point that I have to warn that there will be some mild spoilers ahead. Don’t worry, I won’t reveal anything that will seriously ruin the movie for anyone. It manages that fine on its own.
Annabelle Wallis portrays Madison Lake-Mitchell, a woman who has suffered trauma after trauma over the course of her life. Some events were so horrible that she completely blocked the first eight years of her life from memory. The circle of violence continues in her life and a domestic disturbance incident unlocks a deadly secret from her past. The secret is Madison has a “guardian devil” named Gabriel, who is determined to take back “their” life with deadly consequences for everyone around her. Malignant attempts to play its cards close to the vest as it teases who or what Gabriel is, but the moment we get our first glimpse of him, it’s pretty obvious what’s going on. Now, I won’t spell out the ending, but I’ll say if you do watch Malignant and start posing theories of your own, pay attention to the dumbest twist that pops into your head. It’s probably right.
Anyone familiar with James Wan’s previous work (Saw, Insidious, The Conjuring, etc), will immediately sense his presence behind the camera in Malignant. The movie is filled with the kind of haunting imagery he’s become known for over the years, but it lacks the same punch it once did. Wan enjoys creating surreal visuals that invoke the feeling of being lost in a nightmare. Malignant utilizes a veil of darkness in many of its scenes to create a sense of anxiety of what might be lurking in the shadows just beyond the characters. Just to make sure the audience gets the point, he also utilizes a lot of fog to emphasize silhouettes and light sources. It’s similar to the “campfire” effect used to make scary stories especially spine chilling as campers are made all the more aware of just how dark it is beyond the ring of protective light offered by the fire. Wan has used it well over the years, but that’s because he was able to create the necessary tension in order for the audience to start imagining the worst in the shadows. Despite the carnage committed over the course of Malignant, the threat simply doesn’t live up to the atmosphere Wan creates.
There are two simple rules that Malignant forgot when it comes to horror: 1) A hero is only as good as their villain, and 2) the audience has to empathize with the characters in order to care if they live or not. Wellis certainly does a decent job at looking wide-eyed and terrified at events as they unfold, but Maddison lacks the agency for the audience to root for her. She’s simply a character created for suffering in the hopes that she will endear herself to the audience out of pure pity. Maddison never shows that she especially wants to live over the course of Malignant. That’s left to the character’s adopted sister (Maddie Hasson), who desperately wants to save her. Wellis has an uphill battle even before Gabriel is revealed in all of his hilarious glory. Seriously, I busted out laughing when the monster finally showed his face. This combination leaves the audience checking their watch rather than gasping in fright.
Malignant’s real achievement is serving as a reminder of how good James Wan’s other horror movies are. This is only reinforced when you notice how many elements from them recur in this flick. That lack of vision makes me wonder if Wan has become bored with horror after directing Fast 7 and Aquaman. If he has, that’s understandable considering how much he’s contributed to the genre (most notably The Conjuring Universe). Of course, Malignant could simply be the result of creative fatigue by a director/producer/writer who has spread himself too thin (as of the release date, he had eleven other projects in various stages of production). As bad as Malignant is, Wan’s craftsmanship behind the camera is still apparent. It’s just not enough to save this particular move from itself.
