Malignant begins with some chilling horror as we peel back the story of Madison and then it becomes a gore fest! James Wan directs the film along with co-writing and producing it. He is well known for his horror movies, starting with Saw (2004) to The Conjuring 2 (2016). Wan has moved to other genres like Furious 7 (2015) and Aquaman (2018). Malignant has a story co-written by Wan’s wife, Ingrid Bisu, who acted in The Nun (2018) and this year’s The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. She also stars in this film. The co-story writer and screenwriter is Akela Cooper who co-wrote the screenplay for the horror film, Hell Fest (2018) and has upcoming The Nun 2. The film begins with some stylish logos distorted by a television screen. It opens at night, with a towering, seaside hospital out of Gothic stories. We get that is the “Simion Research Hospital, 1993.” A video starts of Dr. Florence Weaver (Jacqueline McKenzie) making a recording about a dangerous patient named Gabriel. McKenzie was in a 2006 episode of Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King.
They will be unable to “contain” Gabriel. The lights flicker. There is eerie music by Joseph Bishara, if you need a spooky score call in Bishara, he provided the music for The Conjuring movies. A security guard informs Dr. Weaver that Gabriel got out. The lights flicker and there is a shrieking noise. She meets with Dr. Victor Fields (Christian Clemenson) who tried to use electroshock on Gabriel, but it seems he was absorbing the electricity, look out Electro! Clemenson was in Buffy the Vampire Slayers' 1999 episode. I should have recognized him as Socrates Poole in The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (1993-1994). Dr. Fields says that Gabriel had reached the records room. A facility that cares for patients with powers kinda reminds me of The Shop in Stephen King’s Firestarter (1984). A medical worker is hurtled out of Gabriel’s room and slammed against the wall. A security guard takes a tranquilizer rifle from a case. Dr. Weaver is warned by a nurse (Patricia Velasquez) about entering the room. A brief cameo, but Velasquez was last in The Curse of La Llorona (2019).
She sends the security guard to take down Gabriel. He takes up the tranquilizer rifle, but his arm is taken into the door, he screams, and a bone juts from his arm! The lights begin to spark and shatter. Dr. Weaver picks up the rifle and fires, but gets an ear piercing feedback. Once that ends, Dr. Weaver sees the dead bodies of medical workers. She orders the security guards to strap down Gabriel. We see the skeletal face of Gabriel through the plastic and a radio broadcasts his distorted voice threatening to kill them. We get a closeup of Dr. Weaver saying that they have to “cut out the cancer”! If you pay attention to the credit scenes many secrets from the film are shown among some gruesome medical procedures and charts. This shifts to the present day where we have a nice, three story house and a station wagon pulls up. A woman, Madison Mitchell (Annabelle Wallis) with a coat gets out, but has to struggle since she is very much pregnant. Wallis was Mia Form in Annabelle: Creation (2017).
She finds her husband, Derek (Jake Abel), just sitting on the bed watching tv. Abel starred as Adam Milligan in the series, Supernatural (2009-2020). Madison has just come back from work and her baby is causing her some problems. She turns off the tv and Derek confronts her about getting pregnant. The guy doesn’t seem busy with work, yet they can afford a three story house? He gets angry and pokes Madison’s belly, she pushes him back, and he slams her head against the wall. Derek tries to apologize and then runs off to get some ice. Madison recovers and then locks the door. She slides down the door leaving a blood trail! Madison reaches for the back of her head and sees blood on her hand. Derek tries to open the door and says it was an accident. Night, there is a mist around the house, Madison is asleep in her bed. Strange, that she hasn’t called the police or a doctor for the injury and also to check on the baby. Derek is sleeping on the couch. He is woken up by noises and hears the tv coming on going through all of the channels.
It looks like Madison is on the couch. Chills. The lights go out and when he turns on the lights again, she is gone. The couch cushion lifts from the impression of Madison? The next moment is shocking! Madison wakes up gasping. There is blood on her pillow. She goes down stairs and finds her husband, at least his body with his head to the side. A dark shape rises from behind him! The strange, twisted-around creature knocks her from the door. She tries to run away and close the door of the nursery, but the creature slams into the door sending her to the floor striking her head with a crunch. Later, the police arrive, Detective Kekoa Shaw (George Young) and his partner, Detective Regina Moss (Michole Briana White). Young starred in the horror series as Grace. Kekoa investigates Madison's case drawn into the supernatural events. White was in the sci fi movie, Songbird (2020). Regina is the cynical officer to counter the supernatural. They are told it was a home invasion, but no forced entry, don’t need it for demons.
An officer, Winnie (Bisu) goes to Kekoa, it’s obvious she has a crush on him. She shows them the body. At the hospital, Madison, bruised, wakes up and sees her sister, Sydney Lake (Maddie Hasson). The actress was in the horror movie, We Summon the Darkness (2019). She tells her sister about the attack. Sydney has to inform her that she lost her baby girl and Madison screams in anguish! In the morning, Madison is met by Kekoa, he tries to talk to her, but she’s in shock. Walking in is Sydney in a princess dress which she wore for her job at Family Planet! Sydney explains that Derek kept the sisters separate. Kekoa tells her after he spoke with Madison’s doctors that she had previously three miscarriages. A sobering part of the movie. Sydney hugs her sister and takes Kekoa’s card. The mystery of Gabriel is tied to Madison and the research hospital. Gabriel is on a killing spree for revenge, reminds me of V in V for Vendetta (2005). It shifts to the Seattle Underground Tour with a mysterious character played by Jean Louisa Kelly. Once it became clear what was happening, it just became a standard kill fest so was less spooky for me, but still violent and the events were still a little creepy. Malignant has some dark secrets and a chilling beginning, but standard horror for the rest of the movie!
Four Tranquilizer Darts out of Five!
#Malignant, #JamesWan, #AnnabellWallis, #MaddieHasson, #GeorgeYoung, #MicholeBrianaWhite, #IngridBisu.
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