“Malignant” (theaters and HBO Max) promises “a new vision of horror,” and while I scoffed the first time I heard that, the film lives up to the claim. It starts with goofy cold open – which gets another layer once we know what it means – and transitions into the usual James Wan staples of shadowy corners, creepy angles and monsters popping up behind people in the dark.
Stylish scares
But later, it gets weird, in a good way. The story by director Wan and Ingrid Bisu (who also acts) – shaped into a screenplay by Akela Cooper (“Luke Cage”) – is like an “X-Files” or “Fringe” episode as it digs into strange, creepy-as-hell science. That’s a refreshing change from the supernatural haunting I expected.
The style of “Malignant” is a cut above. Joseph Bishara’s score is creepy but different from his work on various “Insidious” and “Conjuring” films. It’s more electronic while still being old-school. I later learned the score sometimes riffs on the Pixies’ “Where is My Mind?,” which is appropriate in both flavor and theme.
“Malignant” (2021)
Director: James Wan
Writers: Akela Cooper (screenplay); James Wan, Ingrid Bisu (story)
Stars: Annabelle Wallis, Zoe Hasson, George Young
An additional creepy factor is missed with the way the villain speaks. It reminds me a little too much of the phone voice in “Scream.”
But the settings are magnificent. Most notably, “Malignant” explores the Seattle Underground, an area of downtown that used to be at street level. The level was raised to prevent flooding, but the original street level is still down there, open for tours.
It’s an awesome setting for a horror flick, and used more evocatively here than in “The Night Strangler,” where I first learned of it.
Evocative settings
We also get an abandoned building of experimental science, where everything has been left to rot, including the records room – which is of course in the basement, to the chagrin of amateur sleuth Sydney (Zoe Hasson).
Sydney is the sister of heroine Madison (Annabelle Wallis), who lives in a big ole scary house that she won’t leave because, dang it, it’s her home. Wan adds to his list of scare tactics with a neat overhead shot like the one in Spielberg’s “Minority Report.” Sure, it’s showy, but what the heck.
I initially thought “Malignant” should’ve used more practical effects. The monster – who at first reminded me of a creepier Leonard Betts – moves in a weird way that’s clearly achieved with CGI. Maybe it would’ve been better with a contortionist.
But the revelation of the monster’s nature is so wild that I forgive the use of special effects. And even if they are CGI sequences, the fights in the final act are great, including a tasty showpiece in a women’s prison cell.
Some character flair
As is also the case with Wan’s “Insidious” and “Saw” films, the scares leave more of an impression than the people, but Cooper, Wan and Bisu at least address the challenge. Wallis is perpetually wigged-out as the troubled Madison, who starts off with an abusive husband and then finds her problems get worse.
In a parallel to the quirky ghost-detector team in the “Insidiouses,” some flair is provided by Bisu herself as crime-scene tech Winnie, who cutely crushes on lead detective Kekoa Shaw (George Young). Kekoa, though, might have eyes for Sydney.
The investigations by Shaw and partner Regina (Michole Briana White) are too close to the “so hardboiled it’s inedible” detective work in the “Saws.” On the other hand, Madison’s arc is as personal and intimate as it gets.
“Malignant” is a fun start to the fall horror season. It’s standard enough to not be jarring, but the story’s twists and weirdness are fresh. I got more and more drawn into it, and it wraps with action scenes that straddle the line between “awesome” and “ridiculous” but land on the right side.