Malignant Review (Film, 2021)
Content warning: gore, blood, violence against women, toxic relationship, pregnancy loss, grieving, mental wellness, sexual assault (discussed)
I do believe there is a place in the world for extreme horror media. For one thing, it isn’t real. It can be scary in the moment, but it is simulated. That doesn’t make it any less terrifying or even upsetting while watching it, but it is part of the safeguard. It’s only a few steps away from a campfire story to a full length feature film like Malignant.
For another, different people watch horror for different experiences. I like to be scared while watching a good story. Other people like to be shocked or experience something new. I can handle more extreme horror if it’s justified by the story; other people don’t need that safety net at all.
Malignant is an extreme horror film from writer/director James Wan (Saw, Insidious, The Conjuring). The content warning above is the substance of the film for the first 10 minutes. Then those ideas are played with again and again for the entire length of the film. The film opens with a gory action/horror series in some kind of research hospital. Then we meet Madison, a pregnant woman in an abusive relationship. A few minutes after that, the actual plot of the story starts.
For context, my notes for the first few minutes of the film read as follows:
Content on the level of Inside, body horror at the level of Antiviral, and an abusive relationship that makes Swallow seem like a fairy tale romance.
I’m not saying that opening stretch is easy to get through. It’s not. I had the same visceral “I need to leave” reaction I had to the opening sequence of Midsommar. I am saying that the story that follows is the tightest paranormal/thriller James Wan has created since Dead Silence. Then it turns into a more violent slasher film than Saw.
The actual plot deals with Madison’s visions. The world seems to fall apart around her as she’s transported somewhere else. It’s usually a place she’s never seen before. Then she has to witness someone who calls himself Gabriel brutally murder people she’s never met. She eventually convinces her sister Sydney that she’s telling the truth. Together, they start pulling apart the mystery.
When I talk about the story justifying the horror, I’m talking about stories like Malignant. I do think Wan goes a step too far with the recurring motif involving pregnancy, but that’s my own line in the sand. Everything ties into the storytelling, down to the specific pattern of broken bones and weapons used. There is a reason for everything. It’s not thrown in just to shock; it’s there to tell the actual story.
The visual storytelling is great. The use of color is reminiscent of Argento’s earlier work, with each shift of hue corresponding to a different element of the horror in the film. You learn to brace yourself when certain shades of red or green or blue flood the screen. The action flows in beautiful and unexpected ways as the body count grows.
The third act reveal is absurd; I think it’s earned. It’s going to be a love it or hate it twist. This kind of turn goes over better in literature because it’s left to the imagination. That extra step to present all the visuals relies heavily on the suspension of disbelief.
I think James Wan is one of the strongest horror filmmakers working today. Malignant is his most complex work. It’s so high risk that I don’t think it’s possible for every aspect of the film to work. That’s what’s so exciting about it. Wan found a new way to tell a classic horror story and does it with all of his signature camerawork, editing, and style.
Malignant is streaming on HBO Max and in theaters.
