Malignant: Movie Review
The spookiest month is the year is well underway! I have a super exciting announcement in that I will be starting a week-long writing challenge where I will be taking prompts from you, my lovely reader, and writing fiction based on them for your enjoyment! I plan on starting it Oct 25th, so get your prompts ready!
I also have another announcement! THROUGH THE TEMPEST BLACK is an upcoming anthology that features my horror tale "The Rathwick Ritual on Sentinel Hill".
Right now, the publisher is running a crowdfunding campaign for the anthology. Click here!
By supporting, you can also get some extra perks! So if you can, please consider sending them support and sharing that link around to everyone you know! Indie publishers need it most!
The Movie
Malignant is a 2021 horror movie directed by James Wan, starring Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, George Young, Michole Briana White, and Jacqueline McKenzie. Released in September of this year, the movie introduces the viewer to a scene at a psychiatric hospital where a doctor is trying to treat a mentally unstable patient who uses special powers to kill several staff members. After that, the film jumps forward in time to follow a young woman who -- after her abusive husband bashes her head into a wall -- begins to have visions of people being murdered, only to find out that those visions are actually happening.
The Review
I had some specific thoughts to share that were spoilery so if you are interested in those, head on below the spoiler line. Otherwise, let me begin.
I thought this movie was trash. I really didn't enjoy it at all and after finishing it, I was just overall disappointed that I had wasted two hours of my life watching it. It felt like the movie didn't know whether it wanted to be campy or serious, so it ended up a hot mess that didn't make sense. The plot was all over the place, baffling at time and nonsensical in others, the acting also didn't lend any value to the movie at all. I saw the twist coming as well, which removed most of the suspense.
I felt like there were a lot of logical issues as well. Finally the ending of the movie was just frustrating (the message behind it was horrible too). Just such a disappointing movie.
I guess if you have HBO and time to kill, you could watch it, but I really would never recommend it to anyone, especially not if they have to spend money on it.
0/10
x PLM
SPOILER SPOILER HERE COME SOME SPOILERS
One thing that gave away the ending was I immediately noticed the odd way the creepy assailant (later revealed as Gabriel) moved and how the hair covered its face, pairing that with the bang to the head, and I correctly guessed that the woman was being possessed by something on the back of her skull.
Fun fact! If you watch the police shootout scene, you can notice that when the woman is supposed to be possessed by Gabriel, thus walking backwards, they mess up and walk normally out of the station.
Finally, the woman is obsessed with having a child, it is revealed that Gabriel is the one responsible for causing her to miscarry. During the ending, he possesses her fully and intends to kill her sister. The main character is helpless. Then her sister reminds her that Gabriel is the one responsible for the miscarriages and the main character manages to suddenly learn how to control her powers and she suppresses Gabriel.
So, she didn't care if her mom or sister or countless others died. They obviously weren't really important to her. This is also made clear earlier in the movie when she tells her sister about the previous miscarriage saying that she lacks a family, a true family, because she's adopted so her loving adoptee parents and sister don't count.
I found it gross to be honest. I felt bad for the sister and parents. Their lives were worthless to this woman because they weren't blood related. The only thing that motivated her was the idea of children.
So yeah, a stupid movie.