Sponsored by Narrow Gauge Cinemas
“Malignant” was an exciting turn for what defines modern horror and was an intense experience to watch by myself at Narrow Gauge. The exciting bit about this film was most definitely the direction by James Wan. Another quality of this film that captured my attention was the cover. It is reminiscent of old film posters like Psycho, Scream, and Halloween- a collection of really iconic horror films. “Malignant” really held true to that aged aesthetic and was an exciting approach to living with an other and having a sadistic killer lurking behind every corner. The film stars Annabelle Wallis who plays Madison, a character dealing with horrifying dreams of death ever since the loss of her husband and unborn child. These dreams or visions are soon discovered to be real, and shown to her by her “imaginary” friend Gabriel.
The usage of overhead shots while Madison is in her own home really made her feel like a toy in a dollhouse. The way lighting played into characters’ emotions, and portrayals in the film were all exceptional. In these long shots, she becomes an object; one that we see is easily manipulated by those around her. A human lacking free will. As exciting as the camera angles and direction were, the story lacked in comparison. I wish the characters had been more thoroughly developed, Madison for me especially fell flat. Gabriel (the antagonist) held more weight than any other character, his motives and desires for revenge and acknowledgment rose above Madison’s grief that fell to the sidelines. The scenes that capitalized on the police work of two comedic detectives (played by George Young and Michole Briana White) instead of capitalizing on our fears worked against the films deeper narrative about the humanness of grief, the ways we deal with trauma, and how those darker evil parts of ourselves come to light no matter how much we try to hide them in the shadows.
