Need something other than “Halloweentown” to kick off your October? James Wan’s crime horror, “Malignant,” is a well-produced mix of gore, whodunnit murders, and science gone horribly wrong. What the film lacks in wit and dialogue — especially when it comes to the last few scenes — it makes up for in satisfyingly thrilling plot twists and commendable special effects.
Wan is best known for his work in the horror genre, with films like “Insidious” and “The Conjuring.” After a short break from the genre, where he directed action films like “Furious 7” and “Aquaman,” Wan announced that “Malignant” would not just mark his return to horror but an experience that offers genre-bending twists to modern fans. Introducing telenovela-level dramatics and perhaps some unintended comedy to an otherwise classic horror movie was definitely a risk, but it was not necessarily a bad one. A viewer’s response will depend on what one is expecting.
The film opens with a sci-fi cliché: scientists and doctors in a shady lab being attacked and murdered by an experiment that went AWOL. The supposed-doctors lack all the seriousness of typical ‘secret scientists’ and are killed off in an dramatized, outrageous fashion typical of a ‘90s horror parody. The remaining doctors regain control of their patient Gabriel (Ray Chase) and deliver the unironic line “time to cut out the cancer” directly into the camera — of course, not before Gabriel vows to “kill them all.”
A few shots later, we meet main character Madison (Annabelle Wallis), a pregnant woman in an abusive relationship who fears yet another miscarriage. Things progress quickly, and within seconds, her husband Derek (Jake Abel) attacks her, making her bleed from the back of her head. Things then get even more creepy when we meet the hairy, contorted killer who descends on the young couple — snapping Derek’s neck and sending Madison again hurling through the air. And from here, things are pretty much as you expect: investigation, murder, jump scare, another jump scare, more investigation, more murder.
In sharp contrast to Madison’s traumatic experiences, the cops on the job again are characterized by the hapless and dramatized flare used to portray the mad scientists. Awkward flirting, sucking on lollipops as they draw up the case boards, the lead investigator Detective Kekoa Sha (George Young) making passes at Madison’s sister — it’s all straight out of a bad rom-com. The real comedy, however, does not stem from the stale sex jokes, but rather from watching our deranged and deformed killer Gabriel walk backwards over his victims. Now, it is understood that the bloody, murderous hairball that is Gabriel is supposed to be the big bad, our scary-spooky skeleton lurking in the dark. Call it broken Gen-Z humor, but there was something so bonkers about seeing the central villain crab-crawl through small doorways and do insane backwards parkour off of fire escapes in a police chase. Intentional or not, for a true fan of gore and terror, those moments were simply too funny to be scary. But who said a little laughter in your psycho-killer movie was bad?
The only part of this film that was truly disappointing was its ending, where Madison’s previously somber, terse character suddenly becomes powerful, talkative, and cheesy. While the buildup of tension is captivating, the plot twists satisfying, and the ending a happy one, the main character transforming from damsel-in-distress to Wonder Woman in five minutes is poorly executed. The ending can only be described as a rush job to get to a happy but utterly unsatisfying end. And here comes the unironic line for the third time –“time to cut out the cancer.” You get it? Malignant? Cancer, right?
Looking beyond this blunder, however, the film is remarkably well-made. A round of applause goes to the special effects crew; from Gabriel’s bloody, refigured face come to life to creating CGI liquified walls that surround the paralyzed Madison as the shot wraps around her, they go above and beyond. And despite how utterly hilarious Gabriel’s hobbling was to watch, one has to commend the efforts of Wan’s team — specifically the contortionist Marina Mazepa, who pulls off battle-royales both blind and backwards. As funny as they are at times, the skill required was apparent.
Wan’s execution is solid for all but the last ten minutes, and he made good on his promise to make “Malignant” a lot more fun and unique compared to today’s conventional horror films. If you go into this movie expecting to be scared out of your socks, you’ll be disappointed. But if you are looking for a chill, sometimes funny, sci-fi-inflected thriller, head on in and take your seat.
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