Upon hearing that I “just had to” watch Malignant, I sat through a trailer that left me feeling underwhelmed. Once I heard that the marketing was misleading and that it was actually in fact a slasher, I set aside some time to watch. What I got was shocking and messy, with a lot of SAW energy. Before I get into the fun of this film, I have to point out a theme that James Wan seems to love basing his films off of, and that’s the loss of body autonomy. The examples are endless in this film, but unlike Saw traps or Insidious possessions, what he does in Malignant is fresh and daring.
I couldn’t tell if it was self aware throughout, some lines with the sister or the comedic relief forensics girl were pretty bad to be written straight, and some not so crazy lines like “I’m adopted” were allowed to be delivered with a sense of all importance that left me smiling in preparation that this could be a “so bad it’s good” find. In the third act, it seems to reach a level of over the top that you don’t think will go any further. That’s when this movie says “hold my beer.” It’s a wild ride that left me with a sick grin on my face, then questioning if I even liked it anymore. There was a point where it started feeling a bit rushed or lazy to me, almost like they wanted to hurry up and just finish the film without any rewrites. Whatever the reason, they left nothing on the cutting room floor. Whether its style is something you love or hate, Malignant will leave you thinking about its reveal for a very long time.
til next time,
🔪Madame of Horror
Madame of Horror 
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