Director: James Wan

Release Date: Sep. 10, 2021

MPAA Rating: R

Starring: Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, George Young, Jacqueline McKenzie, Mckenna Grace, Michole Briana White

Our Rating: A

Fast-paced and impossible to keep up with at times, “Malignant” follows main character Madison Lake after surviving a violent attack in her own home that kills both her abusive husband and her unborn child. Once home from the hospital, Lake begins to experience vivid dreams of people being murdered which are later revealed to be happening in real life. With the help of her younger sister Sydney, Lake works to help the police find the killer. This leads to Lake having to dive deep into her forgotten past and make shocking discoveries along the way.

This movie’s plot is unpredictable and confusing in the best way. Once director James Wan has you where he wants you, new mind-blowing information is introduced leaving the audience utterly shocked. What seems like a cookie-cutter horror movie turns out to be a campy nod to the bloody horror films of the 70’s and 80’s. At some points in the film the scenes don’t hit their mark and come off as cringe worthy, the acting is all over the place at times and makes the movie come off sometimes as a parody of sorts. Regardless of the dicey on-screen takes, the movie provides bone-chilling, memorable scares. It presents lots of gore and it is not fit for the weak-hearted, as its thrilling jump-scares leave viewers at the edge of their seat in fear of what might happen next.

The soundtrack by Joseph Bishara is executed perfectly to create the right amount of buildup and suspense for a creepy and hair-raising punch. Along with the riveting soundtrack, the shots in this movie are breathtaking. Wan captured emotion wonderfully and really set the eerie horror mood up nicely.

“I think Malignant was an amazing movie. The twist at the end genuinely left me surprised, I hadn’t seen it coming. When you look back into the movie after finishing it, you can see all the hints they gave you that led up to the reveal, the foreshadowing was extraordinary,” sophomore Gabriella Reguera said.

Overall, “Malignant” surprised many fans of Wan’s renowned movies such as “Insidious” and “The Conjuring” but proved to be pleasing in its own way. This movie features a very creative plot accompanied by completely dazzling cinematography to create a very original take on the horror genre. The surprising plot twist is one to remember and perfectly pulls the movie together to make it all the more impressive.