DIRECTOR: James Wan
PRODUCERS: James Wan & Michael Clear
WRITERS: James Wan & Akela Cooper & Ingrid Besu
PERFORMERS: Annabelle Wallis Maddie Hasson George Young Michole Briana-White
and Jacqueline McKenzie
The horror genre has been in the skids for quite sometime and it seemed like only a miracle could save it from extinction. I, for one, hadn't seen anything great coming from it since the last Halloween film from 2018. Then I hear about this film, unexpectedly stumble upon it and while I wasn't eagerly anticipating it, I end up being surprised by the way it turned out. Almost everything about this film symbolizes what the next wave of horror/supernatural films is going to be like for the next decade or so (if Hollywood takes such steps).
In the past, there was films like Halloween, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, the list goes on and on... then along comes something like this. Malignant tells the story of a young woman being tormented and targeted by a hideous twin for a hybrid creature seeking vengeance for it's conception. Like Nightmare on Elm Street, it shifts between the real world and the supernatural world from the parasite's point of view. As the story unfolds, so does the character's past played by Annabelle Wallis. Wallis, is someone I have never heard of until this film and whoever decided to cast her in this film was nothing more than a stroke of genius. She looks the part and has the emergence of a person you wouldn't expect to go through what she does throughout the film. Like the other female leads in other films that came and went, she goes from being young and innocent to strong female lead. All the while fighting this evil force that takes her the whole movie to understand before she can beat it. Meanwhile, there's the two cops who don't know nor understand what they're up against and as usual, the unsuspecting characters who are normally the victims who get killed first midway through. But that changes in this one, as it turns out they actually fight and barely survive this one... haven't seen that happen in a long time!
In the book of Mark; chapter 9 verses 21-27, there was a story of an unclean boy being possessed by a demon that could only be driven out by Jesus because none of his followers did not think they could do it themselves. This film touches on the same concept, except this time it's a possessed woman who finds the strength to drive out her horrific half. What surprised me the most about this film was the way it took the horror genre into a familiar area but with a different premise. As Wallis' character was fighting her the creature, she was also fighting the possession it had over her. All I thought about was that story and scriptures as the two beings clashed left and right and all over. The climax certainly had me on the edge of my seat and I was holding my breath like crazy! This had nearly everything in a horror film I had missed for so long. From white knuckle action to bone crushing (or cracking in most cases), by the time all was said and done I was being reminded of past mind battles I grew up watching... from this one what I got out of it was if it's a part of you, you have the power to control it. All you need is to find a way to imprison it within your subconscious. Such an interesting twist and another thing I've not seen in a while.
In all honesty, I wasn't crazy about this film and was hesitant to see it based on how short the horror genre had fallen and I didn't think it would be all that good either. Unfortunately, I was proven wrong in a big way. Not only did I enjoy it, I was taken aback by it. I thought I was looking at A Nightmare on Elm Street meets Jacob's Ladder ('91), as it revolved around digging up the past and fighting for a peaceful minded present. The connection between the Wallis character and her evil alter-ego is just mind blowing, you almost have no idea what's going on. Not knowing what happens next or even predicting it makes it all the more fascinating. Usually, these things just put anything out there for the sake of personal interest now, audience investment later. Director James Wan avoids this here and it's perhaps because of his background that made that happen. This could very well be the next reignition of horror for the next few years or more. If you're looking for a over the top scary movie to watch, tune in to this one while it's still streaming on HBO Max; you just might be surprised just like I was!