Review | Malignant movie review: James Wan’s latest supernatural horror is saved by a ridiculously audacious climax of gore and violence
- Madison (Annabelle Wallis) is gripped by horrifying visions of violent deaths after a brutal home invasion triggers her latest miscarriage
- She thinks she’s possessed, police think she’s the killer. The scares are sadly lacking until the stupefying truth is revealed, sparking a blood-soaked climax
3/5 stars
Drawing upon themes as wide-ranging as lucid dreaming, childhood trauma and malevolent spirits that lurk in the wirework, the film often seems to flounder in its execution, fumbling desperately for that all-important hook to reel audiences in.
Thankfully, Malignant does deliver a third act that is both stupefyingly ridiculous and wholly reassuring to horror fans, confirming that Wan retains his position as one of the most consistently entertaining showmen in horror movies today.
The film opens in a suitably spooky-looking psychiatric hospital, perched precariously on the edge of a storm-battered cliff. Inside, an exasperated doctor declares that her treatment of an unseen patient has failed, and it is “time to cut out the cancer”.
We then jump to the present day, where our put-upon pregnant heroine, Madison (Annabelle Wallis), is subjected to some unpleasant domestic abuse that leaves her with a perpetually weeping head wound.