The twists and turns of the genres. Horror is, quite possibly, cinema in its eldest form. Think about all the Black & White movies you recall the most fondly. The odds are, many of them involved monsters of some kind, right? We simply cannot escape our history with the genre. It has been with us and it lays will be, in some way or another.
One of my greatest and most memorable theatrical experiences was back in 1999, when I saw “The Sixth Sense.” At the time, it was still a modest success, but soon after, it was a mega hit. Since then, the standards have changed, though many horror films still gravitate toward the ‘80s fad of more guts and gore, such as the “Saw” franchise. You can take your pick, but sooner later, the two styles shall meet and then you will have a new era of horror… has it happened already? I wonder…
I, myself, have long been drawn to the genre, in all kinds of forms. I grew up on the Freddy films and eventually made my way to the B column every Friday night at the VHS rental stores. As I grew older, I reverted back to the Freddy era, but replaced him with Jason and so on and so on… OK, maybe I have come full circle with the likes of “The Sixth Sense” and “The Conjuring,” but how and why?
The answer might be in the form of the latest to grace the screen, big or small or some place in between: “Malignant.” Directed by James Wan (“Mortal Kombat,” “Spiral: From the Book of Saw,” “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It”), it would stand to reason why I mentioned “the two shall meet.” He is heavily involved in the goriest modern franchise of the 21st century AND the most supernatural. So, think of “Malignant” as something of a hybrid of the two and be aware of the use of symbolism that tends to go hand-in-hand with horror and has for so many years.
We start with a very crimson-shaded and graphic scenario within the walls of a hospital facility. It might be some time in the early 1990s. There is a figure, unseen, but volatile in nature. He seems to go by the name “Gabriel,” so keep that in mind. The details absolutely matter. Years later, a woman wrestles with the urge to have a baby, despite several miscarriages, and a seemingly unstable husband. Things become physical, quite suddenly, and this woman, Madison Lake, played by Annabelle Wallis (“The Silencing”), injures herself in the process. As she sleeps that night, a mysterious intruder scares she and her husband (and the audience). She sits with her back toward the couple and says nothing, but uses dart-like moves and deals out destruction all around her. Someone in the house does not survive the ordeal.
It was around this time that I realized the story takes place in Seattle and, therefore, has a dreary look to it, which seems to really fit the narrative of the story. 
Maddy recovers in a hospital and talks with cops about what happened, but there is something important she is keeping from them: she saw it happen in a dream, only to wake up and discover that it had really occurred. Her sister, Sydney Lake, played by Maddie Hasson (“We Summon the Darkness”) tries to lend support, but Maddy is shutting her out, as well. Madison has more secrets, apparently.
At this point, I found myself thinking that Wallis reminds me of Jennifer Lawrence. 
I mean, like, Lawrence could have played this part. It is a compliment, albeit one that sounds like it is backhanded. It is not, I promise. So, basically, there is something lurking around that seems to have some connection to Maddy. Their actions and thoughts seem to line up, but why and how? Is Madison dealing with some strange form of schizophrenia? Is there some underlying illness that stemmed from her injury at the beginning of the movie? Well, let me clear this up: even if you might be on to something, I can assure you that you are not.
There is a lot more to this character and her background as the story unfolds and that is where things begin to get a lot more interesting. At first, I thought I was watching a basic horror flick with a few, decent jump scares and some expected atmospheric experiences, but the further along the story went, the less I cared about what I saw in the beginning and the more I was connected to what was still ahead and it did not disappoint.
For a moment, I thought I was seeing a live-action version of “Beyond Two Souls.” If you know the game, you will see what I mean once you watch the whole movie unfold. By the way, that game had a somewhat disturbing story to it, too, as does this one, but believe me, it is totally worth it. You will forget about how slow the story seemed to be moving along at the start and might even find yourself wanting to rewatch the whole thing to see what you may have missed the first time around. Yes, it is that kind of film.
Regrettably, I do not watch as many new horror films as I would like to and I have lost my faith in the cinematic world, to some extent, but “Malignant” is a very solid movie, not just for the horror genre, but as an overall film, as well. I was thoroughly entertained by the end of the story and I could not wait to talk about it. Is it as good as the original “The Conjuring” from a decade ago? No, but is it potentially the best horror film I have seen since then? Yes, in my opinion, it is. I recommend watching it if you can deal with the gory sequences, which are almost comical, at times. 
Gabriel is a modern favorite of mine now, just for the record.
Director: James Wan
Screenwriter: Akela Cooper
Music: Joseph Bishara (“The Conjuring 2”)
Starring: Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, George Young (“A Bread Factory”) as Detective Kekoa Shaw, Jacqueline McKenzie (“Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears”) as Doctor Florence Weaver and Michole Briana White (“Songbird”) as Detective Regina Moss
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release: September 10th, 2021
