Wan’s ‘Malignant’ is horrifyingly bad news
James Wan has made some of the best horror films of the 21st century, such as “Saw,” “Insidious,” “The Conjuring” and “The Conjuring 2.” Even “Aquaman” was better than it should have been.
So I went into “Malignant” with high expectations but ended up woefully disappointed.
“Saw” was a brilliantly conceived, well-executed horror film. Its one drawback was the overacting by some of the leads, Cary Elwes being the main culprit. Since that film, Wan has proven adept at getting the most out of his actors.
Yet along comes “Malignant,” with Annabelle Wallis turning in both a poor and over-the-top performance. Granted, the script by Wan, Ingrid Bisu and Akela Cooper did not provide the cast with much depth.
Wallis could have outperformed the subpar script. Instead, she makes it hard to care much about the plight of her character, Maddie, who is pregnant again. Her husband Derek (Jake Abel) is tired of her miscarriages, so he throws her head into a wall.
Not long after, a creepy shadow figure crawls its way into the house. Derek is horribly murdered, and Maddie is the only suspect. The two detectives on the case work with Maddie’s adopted sister to find out who this figure is and if it is connected to Maddie.
The end of the second act brings the best part of the film. Wan executes a beautiful reveal that leads into a kill-fest at a police station. A few things that I initially thought were out of place – like Maddie checking for blood on the back of her head several times – now made sense. However, this was not enough to save the film.
I expect much more from Wan than one good sequence, a creepy villain and a scare or two. “Halloween Kills” is out in a few weeks; it does not have to do much to be the best horror film of the season. C
A scary list indeed
Most classic horror films are great, but they do not scare me. The most frightening ones put chills down your spine throughout and affect you for days, or even the rest of your life. In the spirit of the Halloween season, here are the 10 scariest horror films I have seen.
10. “Insidious.” You will never look at a red door the same way again.
9. “Autopsy of Jane Doe.” Tiny bells still creep me out.
8. “The Others.” Children plus creepy mansion plus WWII England.
7. “The Conjuring.” The family ensemble works beautifully in this possession story.
6. “Paranormal Activity.” Part 3 had moments, but the first set the standard for found-footage horror.
5. “Event Horizon.” The orbit of Neptune is desolate enough. Now add the spaceship from hell.
4. “The Descent.” Lesson: Do not go off-map when spelunking.
3. “The Strangers.” The only non-supernatural film here proves that what humans are capable of is terrifying.
2. “The Orphanage.” The rare film that scares and brings tears.
1. “Halloween.” Its minimalist production is the benchmark for all great horror films.
Jeff Mellinger
Jeff Mellinger is a screen writer and film buff. He holds a BA in Film Studies and an MFA in film production. He lives in Concord.