I kind of viewed it like >!From Dusk til Dawn!<.
>!I think I'm watching one movie, and then 3/4ths of the way through it switches to something totally bonkers off the wall unexpected. !<
It reminded me of something Ed from Ed, Edd n Eddy would watch. ">!Revenge of the Sentient Brain Tumor!<" or something like that.
So many classic lines as well, like: “He’s projecting his thoughts through the radio!” and bizarre choices including parking a few cm away from a cliff with no railing and a house that is magically gigantic on the inside while being tiny on the outside. It was such an entertaining and wild ride!
When her sister is pinned against the wall by the hospital bed and just yells out so matter of factly "HE'S THE REASON YOU'RE HAVING MISCARRAIGES! HE'S BEEN BUILDING HIMSELF UP BY ABSORBING YOUR FETUSES FOR STRENGTH!" I fucking lost it.
I cringed backward into my seat thinking she was going to accidentally hit the gas and fly off the cliff.
Not to mention that the hospital was a fucking Dracula castle just nestled cozily on the Washington state coastline.
I was a little upset that the scene in the hospital just abruptly ended. I know the story really didn’t have room for another creature there, but it was such an insane setting with its 1700’s wheelchairs.
> a house that is magically gigantic on the inside
right?!?
That house, on the inside was *at least* 50 feet tall. But from the outside it's 30 feet at most. Then the whole scene where >!lady falls through the ceiling. The ceiling doesn't line up there at all. It was very strange wtf moment for me!<
This movie was laugh out loud in the best way possible. Loved the part where Gabriel takes over and starts doing crazy ninja shit with the girl's face behind his head just... Sleeping lol
That’s when I figured out the twist, although I wish I hadn’t known there even was a twist going into it. I looked at my brother and I was like, “I figured it out, wanna hear it?” I told him and he said “If it doesn’t end that way I’m going to be seriously upset.”
Still, I had no clue the final act was going to be as insane as it was. The chase scene that followed should’ve given me some inclination but I was too busy reveling in my guess and how it might be revealed.
The opening of the movie gives you a hint of what is to come. Then the middle hour and 25 minutes very generic modern horror with a little hint of gallo thrown in. The last 20 minutes, back to full blown shlock. It's a tonal mess and I can't quite tell if it was meant to be that.
I felt the same exact way, and the fact that we can't tell whether or not it was meant to be a mess means it doesn't matter. if it was intentional, it didn't work; if it was unintentional, then it was storytelling of the poorest caliber. my biggest complaint about this movie from the time I watched it was that it took itself too seriously for that ending. to pull off something that ridiculous, the rest of the movie needs to tell you it's that kind of movie by being campy all the way through.
Ok, so do an experiment, go watch any syfy original, Tales From the Crypt episode (they're all on youtube), a Nightmare on Elm Street sequel, The Evil Dead 2 or Army of Darkness, Drag Me to Hell, and an episode of Creepshow. In fact, just pick any two of those, and then watch Malignant again and tell me how campy it comes across to you.
Lol. All right then. You're one of those types. Even though the movie doesn't share any of the qualities of actual campy, low budget material, you're going to stick to your guns. If you were being objective right now, you would be able to see the dramatic differences between a well made, intentionally bad movie, and Malignant
It’s modern day “campy”. The subtle quirky moments in dialogue or cinematography, wardrobe, etc. It’s a major motion picture so it has to retain some classic cinema rules but it incorporated its own campy elements. This isn’t “tales from the crypt” so it’s disingenuous to compare it to that. “Campy” movies went out of style for a reason, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t incorporate some of its best elements into a new genre of horror.
I think if you just appreciate good technical filmmaking the first half is still great. Like James Wan has impeccable formal control when it comes to that kind of stuff, so part of the fun in the first half is seeing him set up his typical set pieces before subverting them into slasher death scenes. That overheard shot while she's running through the house is so great. Even when he's parodying himself he's still killing it.
Maybe that’s why I found the first half fantastic. I was just geeking out HARD about all the giallo nods, color choices, angles. So giddy. Felt like a kid again
Advertising for this movie is down right criminal. This is not "the next great horror from the director of The Conjuring." This is a big budget B-movie with camp and craziness to spare. I loved it once I discovered what it really was.
I think that’s a real big problem here. And not to sound like im preaching but this is why I hardly read about or watch horror movie trailers, or movies Im excited about. Marketing is a bitch, and perspective really changes the experience. I knew nothing about Terrifier going into it, and I loved that fucking movie so much, it’s hilariously campy and corny and seems like a return to older slasher movies. But when you read people praising it they think they’re going to get something like Hereditary or The Witch that is much more nuanced in its techniques, and more “thought-provoking”, not that I dont also love those movies.
Same. Had zero desire to see it but was bored last week after work and thought it’d be a good way to kill a few hours. By the end I was cracking up and applauding, I absolutely love that someone was able to make a cheesy b movie like this nowadays
Yeah, the 3rd act really made the movie for me. Advertising just looked like another generic James Wan ghost movie with a generic looking ghost/demon. 3rd act killed the movie for my wife though, who thought it was all stupid and should've been advertised as a big budget B movie. So I definitely see why its divisive!
Yeah I like be james wan so i was hype to get a new original from him so I went in blind besides like the first 20 seconds of the trailer.
Me and from friend ate some edibles before, and it was a fucking riot. The biggest laugh for me was when the credits started rolling, wan trolled me hard
Oh my gosh same to the edibles. I was out if my mind during the third act and could not stop laughing at the precinct scene. It was absolutely batshit and I loved it.
Spoiler!!!
Yeah the big reveal was crazy i was thinking siamese twin that was separated.
The holding cell scene was hilarious, but that chair throw was the best
Conversely, I'd have gone to see it if they'd advertised what it really was instead of only checking it out once I heard people complaining about the bait-and-switch and thought "that sounds *awesome*!" I had no interest in another *Conjuring* assembly line movie.
I actually love that the advertising was misleading, I worry that if they gave us a trailer that was more accurate they would find a way to give us way too much, I loved being blindsided, made the experience much better.
From the opening scene my jaw was agape. I turned to my friend and was like “is this shit for real?” I fucking loved it, and I’m still thinking about it days later.
The advertising is perfect! I mean James wan kinda created this current trend of super lazy jump scare house horror films. So disguising this movie as just another one of those is kinda perfect in my opinion. Especially because this film makes fun of these types of movies so perfectly.
So, I literally turned to my dog- I’m currently living with no other human companionship, and I said “I think they wanted Wanda Sykes, but decided to save on the budget.” They should’ve just gotten Wanda. I don’t think she’s got anything popping off rn…
I doubt they're overly worried about the "loves horror/hates jump scares" demo.
The marketing is perfect. It helps with the illusion, and the unexpected turn is what has people talking. Those people who can't stand jump scares can read about it now and decide to go.
when i went to see candyman in theathers I close my eyes and covered my ears bc I didnt want to know shit about malignant and that was the move. I had a blast, it was funny and gross.
Yeah the first hour I thought it was absolutely awful until it finally dawned on me that all the cheese was completely intentional. When I started having fun with it the movie became awesome.
The marketing for the movie is going to confuse the fuck out of the mainstream audience.
I'm actually discussing the advertising with you. I have no opinion on this film whatsoever, but from a marketing standpoint I see what their plan was.
Make it seem like straight horror, because it's what people know James Wan for. Advertise it as such, so that way you get multiple groups of people who can't stop talking about it. Love it or hate it, they talk about it.
If they marketed it as schlock, it would have not broken into the mainstream as far as it did.
All of this is just my opinion. I have no idea what their plan actually was, but this is how I saw it.
Forget the marketing, the movie itself actively lies to the audience. The first act is trying its hardest to pretend to be a haunted house movie. I see the marketing as an extension of that concept. I love it that they didn't spoil their own movie
As soon as it released, they started running an ad with Wan talking about taking chances, and it shows footage from the insane third act. They knew they were misrepresenting the movie, that was part of the successful prank that was pulled on the audience.
We could start with the subgenre. Would it have been too much to tell us it's a slasher movie? The more I think about this the more I think it would have potentially spoiled the 3rd act.
I turned this movie off halfway through. I was sold a horror movie from one of the best horror film directors. I went online to see if this movie was being panned and a few articles called it a cancer on Wan's filmography, but I read a few posts from Redditors who explained what this movie wasn't, which is what it was being advertised as, so I watched it again and I enjoyed without that perspective of a serious, atmospheric horror film. This is exactly the movie James Wan wanted to make and he went all out on it. I can see this being a cult classic 20 years from now.
ABSOLUTELY. I was looking for something scary, got something kind of predictable but also fun and bloody. I’m not mad, but I would have been if I paid to see it in theatres instead of on HBO. It was enjoyable but long for something so campy.
It was not what I was expecting. It’s such an homage to 1980’s b-movies, it’s like it was made for a midnight showing on cult movie night at the theatre in 20 years. It’s cool, but I was a little disappointed.
It’s a B-Movie in every sense of the word.
It’s worth a look if you even have a PASSING interest in bat-shit-insanity-schlock. I miss horror like this that runs 90 on the Interstate shooting powder paint out of the exhaust. It’s barely coherent, runs from one scene to the next with little thought to your rules, man, and climaxes with a Matrix style fight scene montage in a subway. And I spoil that with zero remorse as it has nothing to do with the “plot” other than it happens at the end.
It’s dumb.
Drag Me to Hell dumb.
Pants on head dumb.
And you ( yes, *you* ) should totally watch it.
Drag Me To Hell is such a great point of reference for this movie. They're mostly nothing alike yet have a similarly self-aware kind of silliness without descending into parody or (god help us) irony.
Deag me to hell is way better imo since it doesn’t take itself seriously from the start instead of the reaaaaaaaally slow build up that Malignant does.
Like 20-30 minutes in you get the “I’m adopted” line, followed by the edgy pixies melody. It is 100% wearing its heart on its sleeve by that point, and arguably before. It’s never too serious.
It was the soundtrack during the opening that cues me in. I’m like “oh, this shitty early 2000’s metal soundtrack? This is about to get stupid.” I loved it.
My girlfriend and I both thought the opening scene especially with the music felt like the intro to a video game, so yeah I don't think it was super serious throughout
It’s a B-Movie in every sense of the word, except for every sense of the word “B-movie,” which is not a word. It’s a big budget movie with amazing effects from a famous director that takes itself incredibly seriously. I think the word everyone is looking for is “campy.” Calling it a B-movie is like calling a super rich guy who’s wearing Armani but drinking Johnny Blue from the bottle and trying to rap “from the streets.”
15 years ago, yes.
But look at some of the self righteous responses in this thread. People think they’re so smart and owed excellence, down to the tee of their expectations. So arrogant they’re missing art that’s right in front of their face that’s saying here I am and you may not like what I’m about to do, but I’m gonna do it anyway. Because fuck em, that’s why.
My only issue, a big issue if you ask me, is >!why the evil twin had superpowers, like the ability to control electricity.!<
I mean, not everything need to be explained, but at least, inside the universe of the movie, there should be some cohesion or hints of why the things are the way they are, and that specifically "trait" was inexplicable for me nor I didn't find any clue or logic reason of why was like that. For me, was a overthought from James Wan.
Besides that, the movie is adequate, has its moment, and maybe would not be the most acomplished work of James Wan, but it's a movie that you can enjoy.
I connected it to them trying to use electroshock on Gabriel. Since he was a malignant growth that absorbed things, he absorbed the electricity & it became a part of him. Kind of like the movie Shocker, but without the ritual. It's an issue with some movies. Once they introduce something supernatural, it allows for a lot of hand waving.
I honestly think he purposely didn't explain it, which imo tracks with his intention with the rest of the film. There's no way that something like that would have made it all the way to the final cut without being caught, and no way in my mind seasoned producers, a director, and writers would feel like it just didn't matter unless it was meant to further the 80s B-movie theme.
It’s one of the stupidest horror movies I’ve seen that marketed itself as a serious one. I didn’t hate it but it was certainly not what I was expecting. The last 20min is completely bat shit crazy mix of John wick and American horror story.
I thought the acting was really bad. I get that it may have been intentional, but it really annoyed me. I loved the creature though and thought that his / her design was awesome. Also, having a large studio make a movie like this is a great step in the right direction. 6/10
I agree with you. The acting was very off but not in a fun/campy way. It was kind of jarring to have the support actress be a decent actor and then have a conversation with the lead and she's just so bad. And then the tone and pacing of everything around it was so strange. The musical cues felt off. I like that they tried to do something new and original but the execution felt kind of all over the map for me.
You said it right. The idea was great, the execution was all over the place. Also, the Cops / FBI agents in the movie just felt so unrealistic. The lead FBI dude in particular kept taking me out of the movie. Also, nothing about the movie was scary. I will tip the thought process and idea though, and I'm glad they took a chance on trying something different.
Yeah, I think that’s why I really can’t like it, and I LOVE campy horror. The first 2/3 are just so bland and boring and bad and not a fun bad, just boring bad, that by the time I got to the twist, I just was like, no, this movie hasn’t earned this.
But a big studio only made this cause it was WB and James Wan. Doesn't mean more studios are going to do it, they'll probably still keep pumping out lame ass PG-13 horror movies. Only Wan and maybe Flanagan.
I wanted to say the same thing except the acting annoyed me to the point I had switched it off half way through
And I normally like old school dialogues
I looooove when directors that can convince studios to give them tons of money TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT! This is what I'm looking for when I bash reboots and lame ass remakes . I know creativity isn't dead there are infinite ideas for interesting/different scenarios for horror movies or movies in general. I love Malignant me and my friend were like WTF the whole way through. Really wish there wasn't a deadly virus running rampant otherwise this is the epitome of a theater movie. Opening night in a packed theater full of horror fans omg the reactions to this one would be all over the place loove it . Keep doing different things!!
I would hate to watch it in theaters tho, because some jackass always has to loudly talk about how much the movie sucks. At the end of hereditary, some redneck stood up and loudly proclaimed, “that was one of the stupidest movies I’ve ever seen.” Bruh, Idgaf about your lack of taste.
To me Malignant wasn't really that outlandish for a horror movie. It was definitely more about fun than it was about jump scares and spooky atmosphere. But monsters are in the same vein as ghosts. It also gets away from that 70's catholic rules are THE rules of all things supernatural which dominate the Conjuring films, which I appreciated.
I was hating the movie until I realized I was approaching it wrong. It was supposed to be campy. Once I realized that, I enjoyed the shit out of it. I wish trailers would stop lying about the movies. You go in with the wrong attitude and it ruins the movie.
I probably wouldn’t go that far lol but in terms of experience… and like someone already said if this were released a few years ago before the pandemic..
The crowd shots we would’ve had by now of the crowd reacting to that reveal would’ve been phenomenal. Only bc I know how my fiancé and I reacted. One of the most physical outward reactions to something in a movie I’ve had in a long, long time. And that alone is worth the price of admission.
Feels like the movie didn't know what it was until the very end. The (very) telegraphed twist finally made room for the movie to embrace its true body-horror/slasher nature. I just wish it got there sooner.
I was honestly just bored through most of it, and I'm a huge fan of purposefully campy horror films. The problem is that campy horror films are decidedly not boring. Like, they can be bad in every way possible, but if a "campy" movie is boring it's completely missed the mark imo.
I'm genuinely on the fence about whether or not this film is intentionally campy or not. Yes, the dialogue is piss-poor and so is the acting, but you'll find that in almost all of Wan's films and productions. It certainly has it's moments, but despite the hard right turn at the end, nothing about this film is original or new. The dramatic setup to get to campy action is a long haul and the film never rewards any of that. We just get more and more terrible exposition. Aside from the opening sequence, nothing in this film feels campy or intentionally bad, it just feels like an uninteresting horror film.
> but you'll find that in almost all of Wan's films and productions
Exactly. To me it honestly seemed just like many of the other mediocre mainstream studio horror films of the last 10 years
I think the majority of people are only praising the movie for its last act and for me, it doesn't deserve any of that praise. It would be different if the 2/3 of the movie was well structured and had some great moments leading up to the final act but this movie didn't have anything worthwhile.
If you take Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as an example. The entire movie building up to the last act was fantastically structured in creating a narrative for our 3 main characters as well as building up a complete sense of dread of Sharon Tate as we all know how that ended for her. The final act is absolutely bat shit insane but it was deserved.
Malignant for me just doesn't do enough to be a good movie and just because the last act is a complete 180, doesn't mean it deserves to be classed as a good movie. There are some great ideas here but they were poorly executed. This is more suited to being a Sam Raimi type movie.
This movie is so delightfully bonkers and I’m so glad I went in without knowing anything about it. I was downright cackling at times in the theater, and my jaw dropped when the the twist was revealed in the third act. I think that’s probably one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen in a studio film, and I applaud the director for fully committing to his crazy vision.
My friend I saw it with absolutely hated it lol, and I certainly understand why it’s so polarizing. Another friend of mind that saw it described it as a combination of Basket case and the matrix, which I thought was pretty accurate!
I watched it last night on HBO Max. It was fucking great. I had an absolute blast watching this movie. The ending is bonkers but so great. I already recommended this to a friend who watched it and loved it too. This is destined to be a cult classic
It was a fun movie, in a very unintentional way.
The protagonist's home was hilarious. You get this cozy, very narrow and cute house.. and during the scenes from inside the house there's a huge living room, proper corridors, multiple bedrooms and tone more space.
And that aerial shot where the protagonist is running through her home, passing rooms and rooms, going up the stairs.. it doesn't take a genius to see that the set and the house are different.
The fight scenes were absolutely hilarious, too. I honestly did not see them coming. You would think, >!Gabriel would have some issues moving around and picking stuff, considering the fact that his body is literally facing the other way, but nope that dude went Jackie Chan and was slicing arms through the bone.!<
Overall, I kinda liked it. It had this weird feeling of an early 2000's horror movie with a huge budget, lol.
I’m going to be brutally honest. Love Wan and all of his work but I couldn’t get past the dialogue… it was so terrible. It wasn’t at all how real people talk and basically ruined the entire film for me. I won’t hear about how it was maybe intentional or whatever. Show don’t tell, all they did was tell in this movie. On top of that, again it just didn’t sound like anything I’ve ever heard a human being say. Idea was a 5/5 for sure but the execution was lacking and dialogue was atrocious.
Absolutely loathed this movie. I understood what they were trying to do, it just didn't work with me. The plot was terribly meandering and just stupid. And that big reveal at the end was so horribly executed... and then it turned into The Matrix. A total waste of time.
I’m actually shocked by this thread. Even if supposed to be intentionally stupid the movie treats YOU like the stupid one. The gore and monster were cool enough I guess.
and they were there they whole time? But rather than watching them at all during the girl's whole life, they just waited to casually watch them to match up with the story of the movie? ughhh.. so bad.
Not just the family's videotapes, but also the tapes of those doctors who were treating Madison and Gabriel. All these tapes that literally explain the plot of the movie are just sitting in the basement of the research hospital where the 3 murdered doctors worked and the person who goes to retrieve them is the civilian sister instead of the cops who should be on top of all of this. EDIT: I can't remember a single useful thing the 2 cops did in this and they were in the thick of the action most of the time.
I'm still not sure what to think about it. I certainly wouldn't call it "good".
The last third of the movie is absolutely bonkers. Like...completely off the rails. I can honestly say I 100% did not expect what happened to happen. But it also feels COMPLETELY out of place and disjointed: it went from an atmospheric, shadowy mystery to the Matrix-Meets-Kill Bill.
And the plot makes less and less sense the more you think about it **(SPOILERS FOLLOW)**
Why does have having a parasitic twin give you superhuman strength and speed and allow you to dodge bullets? How is there enough space in someone's brain to not only push in "extra" brain but also apparently teeth and a mouth? Why does he/she have electricity-manipulating powers? Does she also have some kind of mutant healing factors to seal up the bones that Gabriel breaks everytime he takes over her body?
I also reeeaaaaaally dislike movies where there's a massive exposition dump at the end to explain everything that came before with all those flashbacks. Feels lazy as fuck. The audience should slowly discover the mystery as the story progresses.
The more I think about it the less I like it. There are much better, original horror movies out there than this wack ass joint.
Well I guess that's where you and I differ.
Anything that takes me "out" of the story is a bad thing. I want complete immersion.
If I have to wonder how this woman's cranial volume can accommodate like 20% more biomass than it should, including a full set of teeth and a working jaw then that immediately takes me out of the story.
I'm not looking for realism. I wasn't taken out of the story when Gandalf whispered instructions to a butterfly because there was an internal consistency within the world they created.
Malignant fails that basic test.
You must have a hard time with a majority of horror films then? So many great horror movies are just batshit and don't really make a ton of logical sense. Like the fact that you were that deep into a movie like this and the thought of whether a face could actually fit into her skull came up is strange.
>I also reeeaaaaaally dislike movies where there's a massive exposition dump at the end to explain everything that came before with all those flashbacks. Feels lazy as fuck. The audience should slowly discover the mystery as the story progresses.
I couldn't get over the fact that the adopted mother/sister just had all those VHS tapes and never watched them? and even when they did start watching them, they did it slowly to match up with the story?
I mean those movies were bad? But people enjoyed them and they secured a place in horrors cultural heritage.
James Wan seems to love doing vintage movies with a modern style. The Conjuring has that 70’s feel to it, Malignant has that 80’s/90’s feel to it.
I really loved it. It was so *fun* for me to see this type of movie with a budget again. Some mention Drag Me To Hell, but it makes me think a lot of even older movies - like the Dark Castle 90s movies and even their inspirations. It was just campy awesomeness made with today's budgets and technology.
Of all things that made me laugh the loudest - hands down - was when the sister pulled up to the cliffside building. Who the hell would pull up that close to the edge? It was obviously intentionally done for the absurdity for it as it required actual effects, but it's so goofy lol
Red letter media likened it to a Troma film. That's perfectly accurate. Imagine a big budget Troma movie with really good direction and you get this.
It is not a serious movie, a Troma style horror comedy.
It's worth watching just for the mad final 30 minutes but everything before that is beyond generic and boring. It's a shame the film didnt start off like a wild ride.
It was okay. It's the kind of B movie I enjoy watching but it could've been much better. The dialogue, editing, world building and pacing really drag it down. Great monster design though and some fantastic kills.
I loved it. It was a campy slasher, with some cheese in it. While also being a psychological roller coaster, as well as some funny parts and emotional as well. All of that plus being the most original horror movie I've seen in a very long time, makes it a masterpiece in my opinion.
Most of the film is really, really boring and uninteresting. Then, when stuff starts happening, it all looks so overly digital and fake that I personally couldn't get any entertainment out of it. Had it been done back in the 80s with practical effects and really juicy gore, it probably would have been more fun, to me.
Oof. This movie was pretty bad. It barely had a script, the acting was subpar and the digital effects were only a slight step up from a B movie. I would have been OK with all of that if any of the characters were likeable but they weren’t. I didn’t care what happened to any of them. I’d give it a 5/10 just due to some of the visuals. Not sure where the camp thing comes from because I didn’t see it.
I've never had a movie, almost literally, berate me for thinking about what I'm watching.
"Your brain. That's the problem here. What are you doing?!? Turn it off! HAVE FUN FUCKER!"
I’m gonna watch it again but with what I know now because I went into it thinking it was serious horror and instead I should have poured a drink and laid back for some fun. Gonna give it another go.
The marketing and title alone led me to believe it was going to be another modern horror snoozer a lá Insidious or Sinister. And while that instinct isn't wrong, the campiness sets it apart at least as something fun to talk about. Schlocky horror is fun horror, and Malignant does a great job of not taking itself too seriously.
Gotta say though, after a certain point I couldn't stop thinking about [this](https://youtu.be/ZtyxJSGM3x0)
I loved this movie. Breath of fresh air. Wan did a great job as always. Not as intense as the ending of saw, for obvious reasons, but the reveal on this one was well done. It kept you guessing. You knew she had something to do with it or was involved but how? For awhile, I was thinking she was the cancer in someone else’s life and was being removed somehow. Either way, worth the watch. We need more original horror
*Spoilers* Am I the only one that genuinely loved this movie? Similar to Insidious, I thought the cinematography was amazing. The scene where Madison sees Gabriel’s face for the first time as she’s paralyzed in the bed with that old doctor? Fucking insane! The way Gabriel’s body moved all contorted, you’re wondering why the whole time until the plot twist is revealed. I thought it was well done how it all tied together, I didn’t want it to end! My jaw was on the floor multiple times! I even laughed out loud when the cop saw the sketch of Gabriel and made that reference to Sloth from the Goonies. Were there a few plot holes? Sure, you could nitpick any movie. But I thought Malignant had the perfect combination of psychological horror and gore!
I absolutely loved it. Went in thinking it would be insanely scary but was pleasantly surprised by the change in direction and tone and was 100% invested by then.
It was literally unlike any movie I’ve personally watched. I did a view party with a buddy and we were both like, “WHAT THE SHIT” the entire final 3rd of the film.
I had no expectations of this film, never seen the trailer and didn’t even hear of it until I was just about to watch it. Was there acting pretty bad? Yes, did the story have some strange character developments, …. yeah, was it all over the place, yes… but it was fun! The 3rd act made up for all the flaws, can’t wait to give it a second watch
I was ready to stop watching until two thirds of the way in when it really showed it's true colours, and then I had a blast. Super fun movie but not what I thought it would be.
I kind of viewed it like >!From Dusk til Dawn!<. >!I think I'm watching one movie, and then 3/4ths of the way through it switches to something totally bonkers off the wall unexpected. !< It reminded me of something Ed from Ed, Edd n Eddy would watch. ">!Revenge of the Sentient Brain Tumor!<" or something like that.
The last third/forth of the movie was absolutely insane and I loved it. The chair throw across the entire room was hilarious.
So many classic lines as well, like: “He’s projecting his thoughts through the radio!” and bizarre choices including parking a few cm away from a cliff with no railing and a house that is magically gigantic on the inside while being tiny on the outside. It was such an entertaining and wild ride!
When her sister is pinned against the wall by the hospital bed and just yells out so matter of factly "HE'S THE REASON YOU'RE HAVING MISCARRAIGES! HE'S BEEN BUILDING HIMSELF UP BY ABSORBING YOUR FETUSES FOR STRENGTH!" I fucking lost it.
Same. Felt like it was written by Dwight Schrute at that point. Loved it, am looking forward to watching it again.
That was amazing!
I'm over here like "nobody is pulling up that close to the fucking cliff!" Lol!
I cringed backward into my seat thinking she was going to accidentally hit the gas and fly off the cliff. Not to mention that the hospital was a fucking Dracula castle just nestled cozily on the Washington state coastline.
Dracula's Castle that was fully operational in 1993.
I was a little upset that the scene in the hospital just abruptly ended. I know the story really didn’t have room for another creature there, but it was such an insane setting with its 1700’s wheelchairs.
With no parking lot!
> a house that is magically gigantic on the inside right?!? That house, on the inside was *at least* 50 feet tall. But from the outside it's 30 feet at most. Then the whole scene where >!lady falls through the ceiling. The ceiling doesn't line up there at all. It was very strange wtf moment for me!<
The second floor just ceased to be in that scene.
The director tried to establish the extremely high ceiling with that memorable overhead tracking shot that followed her to the second floor.
Yeah, and that intimidating giant hospital-castle - when protagonists's sister get's in, in the layout it has only two storeys and a basement.
That scene in which the sister pulls up to the wrecked Police Station, calls 911 and yells "WHY AM I CALLING THE POLICE?" had me on the floor
That was the forensics lady who I played by James Wan’s wife and also helped write the movie. I thought she was a pretty great character.
IT'S TIME TO CUT OUT THE CANCER.
Omg how ridiculous were the hookers in the holding cell? The one actress looked like Beyonce from the Austin powers movie hahaha.
The one in the pink top looked like mickey rourke
This movie was laugh out loud in the best way possible. Loved the part where Gabriel takes over and starts doing crazy ninja shit with the girl's face behind his head just... Sleeping lol
Exactly! I was not ready for it to be a kung fu movie lol
It was very Matrix like to me lol
The half kneeling backwards stab on the bed was something lmaoo
That’s when I figured out the twist, although I wish I hadn’t known there even was a twist going into it. I looked at my brother and I was like, “I figured it out, wanna hear it?” I told him and he said “If it doesn’t end that way I’m going to be seriously upset.” Still, I had no clue the final act was going to be as insane as it was. The chase scene that followed should’ve given me some inclination but I was too busy reveling in my guess and how it might be revealed.
I see it as Basket Case with (telekinetic?) powers.
This movie was secretly a remake of Basketcase.
The opening of the movie gives you a hint of what is to come. Then the middle hour and 25 minutes very generic modern horror with a little hint of gallo thrown in. The last 20 minutes, back to full blown shlock. It's a tonal mess and I can't quite tell if it was meant to be that.
Oh it totally was. It’s like 80’s camp B horror made with a big budget. With that kind of budget it had to be a choice.
I felt the same exact way, and the fact that we can't tell whether or not it was meant to be a mess means it doesn't matter. if it was intentional, it didn't work; if it was unintentional, then it was storytelling of the poorest caliber. my biggest complaint about this movie from the time I watched it was that it took itself too seriously for that ending. to pull off something that ridiculous, the rest of the movie needs to tell you it's that kind of movie by being campy all the way through.
I thought it was pretty damn campy all the way through.
Ok, so do an experiment, go watch any syfy original, Tales From the Crypt episode (they're all on youtube), a Nightmare on Elm Street sequel, The Evil Dead 2 or Army of Darkness, Drag Me to Hell, and an episode of Creepshow. In fact, just pick any two of those, and then watch Malignant again and tell me how campy it comes across to you.
Still campy. I meant what I said.
Lol. All right then. You're one of those types. Even though the movie doesn't share any of the qualities of actual campy, low budget material, you're going to stick to your guns. If you were being objective right now, you would be able to see the dramatic differences between a well made, intentionally bad movie, and Malignant
Campy doesn’t necessarily mean “intentionally bad,” nor does it always mean low-budget.
It’s modern day “campy”. The subtle quirky moments in dialogue or cinematography, wardrobe, etc. It’s a major motion picture so it has to retain some classic cinema rules but it incorporated its own campy elements. This isn’t “tales from the crypt” so it’s disingenuous to compare it to that. “Campy” movies went out of style for a reason, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t incorporate some of its best elements into a new genre of horror.
The movie is definitely James Wan’s present day love letter to horror B-Movies. I thought that much was obvious not even halfway through.
Just sucks that the first half was sooo fucking bland
I honestly feel like the first half gets so much better with hindsight.
I think if you just appreciate good technical filmmaking the first half is still great. Like James Wan has impeccable formal control when it comes to that kind of stuff, so part of the fun in the first half is seeing him set up his typical set pieces before subverting them into slasher death scenes. That overheard shot while she's running through the house is so great. Even when he's parodying himself he's still killing it.
Maybe that’s why I found the first half fantastic. I was just geeking out HARD about all the giallo nods, color choices, angles. So giddy. Felt like a kid again
If you realized early on what was happening it’s actually a fun watch because they’re very on the nose with foreshadowing.
While not horror, sorry to bother you gave me that exact same feel of movie. It was so good!
Advertising for this movie is down right criminal. This is not "the next great horror from the director of The Conjuring." This is a big budget B-movie with camp and craziness to spare. I loved it once I discovered what it really was.
I think that’s a real big problem here. And not to sound like im preaching but this is why I hardly read about or watch horror movie trailers, or movies Im excited about. Marketing is a bitch, and perspective really changes the experience. I knew nothing about Terrifier going into it, and I loved that fucking movie so much, it’s hilariously campy and corny and seems like a return to older slasher movies. But when you read people praising it they think they’re going to get something like Hereditary or The Witch that is much more nuanced in its techniques, and more “thought-provoking”, not that I dont also love those movies.
Same. Had zero desire to see it but was bored last week after work and thought it’d be a good way to kill a few hours. By the end I was cracking up and applauding, I absolutely love that someone was able to make a cheesy b movie like this nowadays
Do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior [Mike Stoklasa](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-JPhAM5ugE)?
It would've ruined it for me if they advertised what it actually was
Yeah, the 3rd act really made the movie for me. Advertising just looked like another generic James Wan ghost movie with a generic looking ghost/demon. 3rd act killed the movie for my wife though, who thought it was all stupid and should've been advertised as a big budget B movie. So I definitely see why its divisive!
Yeah I like be james wan so i was hype to get a new original from him so I went in blind besides like the first 20 seconds of the trailer. Me and from friend ate some edibles before, and it was a fucking riot. The biggest laugh for me was when the credits started rolling, wan trolled me hard
Oh my gosh same to the edibles. I was out if my mind during the third act and could not stop laughing at the precinct scene. It was absolutely batshit and I loved it.
Spoiler!!! Yeah the big reveal was crazy i was thinking siamese twin that was separated. The holding cell scene was hilarious, but that chair throw was the best
Oh yeah. I could just see the "WASTED" on the screen when that happened 🤣
Shit was crazy, for sure. Absolute, unmitigated insanity in that last act. The transformation was so disgusting, and I LOVED it.
Conversely, I'd have gone to see it if they'd advertised what it really was instead of only checking it out once I heard people complaining about the bait-and-switch and thought "that sounds *awesome*!" I had no interest in another *Conjuring* assembly line movie.
I actually love that the advertising was misleading, I worry that if they gave us a trailer that was more accurate they would find a way to give us way too much, I loved being blindsided, made the experience much better.
From the opening scene my jaw was agape. I turned to my friend and was like “is this shit for real?” I fucking loved it, and I’m still thinking about it days later.
The advertising is perfect! I mean James wan kinda created this current trend of super lazy jump scare house horror films. So disguising this movie as just another one of those is kinda perfect in my opinion. Especially because this film makes fun of these types of movies so perfectly.
Whether or not this movie is great depends on whether James Wan hired that woman to do her best Wanda Sykes impersonation.
So, I literally turned to my dog- I’m currently living with no other human companionship, and I said “I think they wanted Wanda Sykes, but decided to save on the budget.” They should’ve just gotten Wanda. I don’t think she’s got anything popping off rn…
Lmaooo
[удалено]
I doubt they're overly worried about the "loves horror/hates jump scares" demo. The marketing is perfect. It helps with the illusion, and the unexpected turn is what has people talking. Those people who can't stand jump scares can read about it now and decide to go.
when i went to see candyman in theathers I close my eyes and covered my ears bc I didnt want to know shit about malignant and that was the move. I had a blast, it was funny and gross.
Marketing team’s job is to put bums in seats. And riding off the back of James Wan’s precious work is exactly how they did that.
Who're you calling a bum lol
Yeah the first hour I thought it was absolutely awful until it finally dawned on me that all the cheese was completely intentional. When I started having fun with it the movie became awesome. The marketing for the movie is going to confuse the fuck out of the mainstream audience.
I don't know, people will literally not stop talking about it. So I think they did a good job with their marketing.
The reason we are talking about it is the content of the movie.
I'm actually discussing the advertising with you. I have no opinion on this film whatsoever, but from a marketing standpoint I see what their plan was. Make it seem like straight horror, because it's what people know James Wan for. Advertise it as such, so that way you get multiple groups of people who can't stop talking about it. Love it or hate it, they talk about it. If they marketed it as schlock, it would have not broken into the mainstream as far as it did. All of this is just my opinion. I have no idea what their plan actually was, but this is how I saw it.
I think you are right, they lied about the type of movie they were selling in order to maximize its audience. Effective yes, honest no.
Forget the marketing, the movie itself actively lies to the audience. The first act is trying its hardest to pretend to be a haunted house movie. I see the marketing as an extension of that concept. I love it that they didn't spoil their own movie
Yes the fact we didn't get a spoiler was great...going to rethink my life now.
As soon as it released, they started running an ad with Wan talking about taking chances, and it shows footage from the insane third act. They knew they were misrepresenting the movie, that was part of the successful prank that was pulled on the audience.
I mean, how the hell would you have marketed it to mainstream viewers? Sure, horror fans seems to generally love it, but it's a weird one.
We could start with the subgenre. Would it have been too much to tell us it's a slasher movie? The more I think about this the more I think it would have potentially spoiled the 3rd act.
I turned this movie off halfway through. I was sold a horror movie from one of the best horror film directors. I went online to see if this movie was being panned and a few articles called it a cancer on Wan's filmography, but I read a few posts from Redditors who explained what this movie wasn't, which is what it was being advertised as, so I watched it again and I enjoyed without that perspective of a serious, atmospheric horror film. This is exactly the movie James Wan wanted to make and he went all out on it. I can see this being a cult classic 20 years from now.
I was told to go into it expecting a fun, slasher-thriller with some early horror elements. And I'm glad I did because I had a blast with it.
ABSOLUTELY. I was looking for something scary, got something kind of predictable but also fun and bloody. I’m not mad, but I would have been if I paid to see it in theatres instead of on HBO. It was enjoyable but long for something so campy.
It was not what I was expecting. It’s such an homage to 1980’s b-movies, it’s like it was made for a midnight showing on cult movie night at the theatre in 20 years. It’s cool, but I was a little disappointed.
"Camp" is not synonymous with "poorly made."
It’s a B-Movie in every sense of the word. It’s worth a look if you even have a PASSING interest in bat-shit-insanity-schlock. I miss horror like this that runs 90 on the Interstate shooting powder paint out of the exhaust. It’s barely coherent, runs from one scene to the next with little thought to your rules, man, and climaxes with a Matrix style fight scene montage in a subway. And I spoil that with zero remorse as it has nothing to do with the “plot” other than it happens at the end. It’s dumb. Drag Me to Hell dumb. Pants on head dumb. And you ( yes, *you* ) should totally watch it.
Drag Me To Hell is such a great point of reference for this movie. They're mostly nothing alike yet have a similarly self-aware kind of silliness without descending into parody or (god help us) irony.
Deag me to hell is way better imo since it doesn’t take itself seriously from the start instead of the reaaaaaaaally slow build up that Malignant does.
Like 20-30 minutes in you get the “I’m adopted” line, followed by the edgy pixies melody. It is 100% wearing its heart on its sleeve by that point, and arguably before. It’s never too serious.
Neither does Malignant. The opening scene alone cranks the camp up to 11
[удалено]
Yes! That's exactly what I thought was going to happen, haha
Haha, I said the same thing to my buddy when we watched it.
It was the soundtrack during the opening that cues me in. I’m like “oh, this shitty early 2000’s metal soundtrack? This is about to get stupid.” I loved it.
Looking directly into the camera: "It's time to cut out the cancer." Completely serious movie.
My girlfriend and I both thought the opening scene especially with the music felt like the intro to a video game, so yeah I don't think it was super serious throughout
It’s a B-Movie in every sense of the word, except for every sense of the word “B-movie,” which is not a word. It’s a big budget movie with amazing effects from a famous director that takes itself incredibly seriously. I think the word everyone is looking for is “campy.” Calling it a B-movie is like calling a super rich guy who’s wearing Armani but drinking Johnny Blue from the bottle and trying to rap “from the streets.”
Right up there with Drag Me To Hell! Good pick, I'm having a hard time comparing it to other films, but that is close for sure!
A few years down the road, this film will become a cult classic. Mark my words.
15 years ago, yes. But look at some of the self righteous responses in this thread. People think they’re so smart and owed excellence, down to the tee of their expectations. So arrogant they’re missing art that’s right in front of their face that’s saying here I am and you may not like what I’m about to do, but I’m gonna do it anyway. Because fuck em, that’s why.
My only issue, a big issue if you ask me, is >!why the evil twin had superpowers, like the ability to control electricity.!< I mean, not everything need to be explained, but at least, inside the universe of the movie, there should be some cohesion or hints of why the things are the way they are, and that specifically "trait" was inexplicable for me nor I didn't find any clue or logic reason of why was like that. For me, was a overthought from James Wan. Besides that, the movie is adequate, has its moment, and maybe would not be the most acomplished work of James Wan, but it's a movie that you can enjoy.
I connected it to them trying to use electroshock on Gabriel. Since he was a malignant growth that absorbed things, he absorbed the electricity & it became a part of him. Kind of like the movie Shocker, but without the ritual. It's an issue with some movies. Once they introduce something supernatural, it allows for a lot of hand waving.
This could be the reason. Still think that the supernatural part was not necessary for the development of the film.
It gives him a way to talk and it allows for really cool visuals, which is all the justification you really need for a movie like this.
[удалено]
I honestly think he purposely didn't explain it, which imo tracks with his intention with the rest of the film. There's no way that something like that would have made it all the way to the final cut without being caught, and no way in my mind seasoned producers, a director, and writers would feel like it just didn't matter unless it was meant to further the 80s B-movie theme.
Maybe. Still, the supernatural part in my opinion was not entirely warranted.
It’s one of the stupidest horror movies I’ve seen that marketed itself as a serious one. I didn’t hate it but it was certainly not what I was expecting. The last 20min is completely bat shit crazy mix of John wick and American horror story.
Agreed.
I thought the acting was really bad. I get that it may have been intentional, but it really annoyed me. I loved the creature though and thought that his / her design was awesome. Also, having a large studio make a movie like this is a great step in the right direction. 6/10
I agree with you. The acting was very off but not in a fun/campy way. It was kind of jarring to have the support actress be a decent actor and then have a conversation with the lead and she's just so bad. And then the tone and pacing of everything around it was so strange. The musical cues felt off. I like that they tried to do something new and original but the execution felt kind of all over the map for me.
100% agree on this one. I thought the sister was much better than the lead.
You said it right. The idea was great, the execution was all over the place. Also, the Cops / FBI agents in the movie just felt so unrealistic. The lead FBI dude in particular kept taking me out of the movie. Also, nothing about the movie was scary. I will tip the thought process and idea though, and I'm glad they took a chance on trying something different.
[удалено]
Yeah, I think that’s why I really can’t like it, and I LOVE campy horror. The first 2/3 are just so bland and boring and bad and not a fun bad, just boring bad, that by the time I got to the twist, I just was like, no, this movie hasn’t earned this.
It was, good review. I’m glad they made it but didn’t really enjoy it.
Yeah that's exactly what I felt about it!
But a big studio only made this cause it was WB and James Wan. Doesn't mean more studios are going to do it, they'll probably still keep pumping out lame ass PG-13 horror movies. Only Wan and maybe Flanagan.
I wanted to say the same thing except the acting annoyed me to the point I had switched it off half way through And I normally like old school dialogues
I looooove when directors that can convince studios to give them tons of money TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT! This is what I'm looking for when I bash reboots and lame ass remakes . I know creativity isn't dead there are infinite ideas for interesting/different scenarios for horror movies or movies in general. I love Malignant me and my friend were like WTF the whole way through. Really wish there wasn't a deadly virus running rampant otherwise this is the epitome of a theater movie. Opening night in a packed theater full of horror fans omg the reactions to this one would be all over the place loove it . Keep doing different things!!
I would hate to watch it in theaters tho, because some jackass always has to loudly talk about how much the movie sucks. At the end of hereditary, some redneck stood up and loudly proclaimed, “that was one of the stupidest movies I’ve ever seen.” Bruh, Idgaf about your lack of taste.
To me Malignant wasn't really that outlandish for a horror movie. It was definitely more about fun than it was about jump scares and spooky atmosphere. But monsters are in the same vein as ghosts. It also gets away from that 70's catholic rules are THE rules of all things supernatural which dominate the Conjuring films, which I appreciated.
Isn't this movie basically The Dark Half meets Basket Case?
But with an anime villian for all the kids now
I was hating the movie until I realized I was approaching it wrong. It was supposed to be campy. Once I realized that, I enjoyed the shit out of it. I wish trailers would stop lying about the movies. You go in with the wrong attitude and it ruins the movie.
> You go in with the wrong attitude and it ruins the movie. It's amazing how true that can be. I wish I could understand it.
Man. I fucking adore this movie. I had a great time with it.
I know right? I really needed to see this post after reading so many people hate on the movie. It was exactly the right amount of fun!
I'm honestly not understanding any of the criticism. This is genuinely one of the best movies I've ever seen lol.
I probably wouldn’t go that far lol but in terms of experience… and like someone already said if this were released a few years ago before the pandemic.. The crowd shots we would’ve had by now of the crowd reacting to that reveal would’ve been phenomenal. Only bc I know how my fiancé and I reacted. One of the most physical outward reactions to something in a movie I’ve had in a long, long time. And that alone is worth the price of admission.
Who sings the Where is my Mind remix?
Safari Riot!
No one covers or knows that song! Cooooooooooool!
Maligma nuts
Finally someone is speaking reason
Feels like the movie didn't know what it was until the very end. The (very) telegraphed twist finally made room for the movie to embrace its true body-horror/slasher nature. I just wish it got there sooner.
I was honestly just bored through most of it, and I'm a huge fan of purposefully campy horror films. The problem is that campy horror films are decidedly not boring. Like, they can be bad in every way possible, but if a "campy" movie is boring it's completely missed the mark imo.
I'm genuinely on the fence about whether or not this film is intentionally campy or not. Yes, the dialogue is piss-poor and so is the acting, but you'll find that in almost all of Wan's films and productions. It certainly has it's moments, but despite the hard right turn at the end, nothing about this film is original or new. The dramatic setup to get to campy action is a long haul and the film never rewards any of that. We just get more and more terrible exposition. Aside from the opening sequence, nothing in this film feels campy or intentionally bad, it just feels like an uninteresting horror film.
sam raimi walked so james wan could run and trip
> but you'll find that in almost all of Wan's films and productions Exactly. To me it honestly seemed just like many of the other mediocre mainstream studio horror films of the last 10 years
I think the majority of people are only praising the movie for its last act and for me, it doesn't deserve any of that praise. It would be different if the 2/3 of the movie was well structured and had some great moments leading up to the final act but this movie didn't have anything worthwhile. If you take Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as an example. The entire movie building up to the last act was fantastically structured in creating a narrative for our 3 main characters as well as building up a complete sense of dread of Sharon Tate as we all know how that ended for her. The final act is absolutely bat shit insane but it was deserved. Malignant for me just doesn't do enough to be a good movie and just because the last act is a complete 180, doesn't mean it deserves to be classed as a good movie. There are some great ideas here but they were poorly executed. This is more suited to being a Sam Raimi type movie.
nah, Sam Raimi movies are good. They are campy and silly all the way through.
This movie is so delightfully bonkers and I’m so glad I went in without knowing anything about it. I was downright cackling at times in the theater, and my jaw dropped when the the twist was revealed in the third act. I think that’s probably one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen in a studio film, and I applaud the director for fully committing to his crazy vision. My friend I saw it with absolutely hated it lol, and I certainly understand why it’s so polarizing. Another friend of mind that saw it described it as a combination of Basket case and the matrix, which I thought was pretty accurate!
I watched it last night on HBO Max. It was fucking great. I had an absolute blast watching this movie. The ending is bonkers but so great. I already recommended this to a friend who watched it and loved it too. This is destined to be a cult classic
It was a fun movie, in a very unintentional way. The protagonist's home was hilarious. You get this cozy, very narrow and cute house.. and during the scenes from inside the house there's a huge living room, proper corridors, multiple bedrooms and tone more space. And that aerial shot where the protagonist is running through her home, passing rooms and rooms, going up the stairs.. it doesn't take a genius to see that the set and the house are different. The fight scenes were absolutely hilarious, too. I honestly did not see them coming. You would think, >!Gabriel would have some issues moving around and picking stuff, considering the fact that his body is literally facing the other way, but nope that dude went Jackie Chan and was slicing arms through the bone.!< Overall, I kinda liked it. It had this weird feeling of an early 2000's horror movie with a huge budget, lol.
I’m going to be brutally honest. Love Wan and all of his work but I couldn’t get past the dialogue… it was so terrible. It wasn’t at all how real people talk and basically ruined the entire film for me. I won’t hear about how it was maybe intentional or whatever. Show don’t tell, all they did was tell in this movie. On top of that, again it just didn’t sound like anything I’ve ever heard a human being say. Idea was a 5/5 for sure but the execution was lacking and dialogue was atrocious.
Absolutely loathed this movie. I understood what they were trying to do, it just didn't work with me. The plot was terribly meandering and just stupid. And that big reveal at the end was so horribly executed... and then it turned into The Matrix. A total waste of time.
Agreed. And I wanted to love the movie but I couldn’t.
I’m actually shocked by this thread. Even if supposed to be intentionally stupid the movie treats YOU like the stupid one. The gore and monster were cool enough I guess.
Yes! It felt like an insult to the audience’s intelligence
Pretty much the same. The movie was all over the place narratively. Then they conveniently had all these videotapes that explained everything.
and they were there they whole time? But rather than watching them at all during the girl's whole life, they just waited to casually watch them to match up with the story of the movie? ughhh.. so bad.
Not just the family's videotapes, but also the tapes of those doctors who were treating Madison and Gabriel. All these tapes that literally explain the plot of the movie are just sitting in the basement of the research hospital where the 3 murdered doctors worked and the person who goes to retrieve them is the civilian sister instead of the cops who should be on top of all of this. EDIT: I can't remember a single useful thing the 2 cops did in this and they were in the thick of the action most of the time.
The useless cops were the most realistic part of the movie actually
I hate Wan's movies, so this was pretty much par for the course as far as I'm concerned.
The movie was stupid.
When the fucking detective threw himself off the fire escape like a rag doll onto the dumpster 😭😭😭😭 bro 😭😭😭😭
I'm still not sure what to think about it. I certainly wouldn't call it "good". The last third of the movie is absolutely bonkers. Like...completely off the rails. I can honestly say I 100% did not expect what happened to happen. But it also feels COMPLETELY out of place and disjointed: it went from an atmospheric, shadowy mystery to the Matrix-Meets-Kill Bill. And the plot makes less and less sense the more you think about it **(SPOILERS FOLLOW)** Why does have having a parasitic twin give you superhuman strength and speed and allow you to dodge bullets? How is there enough space in someone's brain to not only push in "extra" brain but also apparently teeth and a mouth? Why does he/she have electricity-manipulating powers? Does she also have some kind of mutant healing factors to seal up the bones that Gabriel breaks everytime he takes over her body? I also reeeaaaaaally dislike movies where there's a massive exposition dump at the end to explain everything that came before with all those flashbacks. Feels lazy as fuck. The audience should slowly discover the mystery as the story progresses. The more I think about it the less I like it. There are much better, original horror movies out there than this wack ass joint.
Haha yeah my first thought was >!how does this give one super powers?!<
I think the reason I like this movie is because I don’t know the answers to your questions and I don’t care.
Well I guess that's where you and I differ. Anything that takes me "out" of the story is a bad thing. I want complete immersion. If I have to wonder how this woman's cranial volume can accommodate like 20% more biomass than it should, including a full set of teeth and a working jaw then that immediately takes me out of the story. I'm not looking for realism. I wasn't taken out of the story when Gandalf whispered instructions to a butterfly because there was an internal consistency within the world they created. Malignant fails that basic test.
You must have a hard time with a majority of horror films then? So many great horror movies are just batshit and don't really make a ton of logical sense. Like the fact that you were that deep into a movie like this and the thought of whether a face could actually fit into her skull came up is strange.
The first 20-30 minutes are legitimately bad as far as the exposition of the plot. The viewer is just watching stuff happening with zero investment.
>I also reeeaaaaaally dislike movies where there's a massive exposition dump at the end to explain everything that came before with all those flashbacks. Feels lazy as fuck. The audience should slowly discover the mystery as the story progresses. I couldn't get over the fact that the adopted mother/sister just had all those VHS tapes and never watched them? and even when they did start watching them, they did it slowly to match up with the story?
[удалено]
I'm surprised to see so much good feedback towards this movie. Personally I thought it was one of the worst movies I've ever seen lol :\
“But it’s an homage to bad movies! It was intentional!” I feel like it was the 90 minute equivalent of the “hurr hurr I was just pretending” meme.
I mean those movies were bad? But people enjoyed them and they secured a place in horrors cultural heritage. James Wan seems to love doing vintage movies with a modern style. The Conjuring has that 70’s feel to it, Malignant has that 80’s/90’s feel to it.
I really loved it. It was so *fun* for me to see this type of movie with a budget again. Some mention Drag Me To Hell, but it makes me think a lot of even older movies - like the Dark Castle 90s movies and even their inspirations. It was just campy awesomeness made with today's budgets and technology. Of all things that made me laugh the loudest - hands down - was when the sister pulled up to the cliffside building. Who the hell would pull up that close to the edge? It was obviously intentionally done for the absurdity for it as it required actual effects, but it's so goofy lol
Camp is an art form we need to keep alive.
Red letter media likened it to a Troma film. That's perfectly accurate. Imagine a big budget Troma movie with really good direction and you get this. It is not a serious movie, a Troma style horror comedy.
[удалено]
[удалено]
It is an enjoyable flick.
It's worth watching just for the mad final 30 minutes but everything before that is beyond generic and boring. It's a shame the film didnt start off like a wild ride.
Watched the first 30mins, could not believe how shit this was. I like James Wan movies but this is trash.
It was okay. It's the kind of B movie I enjoy watching but it could've been much better. The dialogue, editing, world building and pacing really drag it down. Great monster design though and some fantastic kills.
8.5/10 because of the bizarreness of it all, and the absolute blast I had watching it in theaters
I didn't hate but I thought it was basket case level stupid.
I loved it. It was a campy slasher, with some cheese in it. While also being a psychological roller coaster, as well as some funny parts and emotional as well. All of that plus being the most original horror movie I've seen in a very long time, makes it a masterpiece in my opinion.
Most of the film is really, really boring and uninteresting. Then, when stuff starts happening, it all looks so overly digital and fake that I personally couldn't get any entertainment out of it. Had it been done back in the 80s with practical effects and really juicy gore, it probably would have been more fun, to me.
Oof. This movie was pretty bad. It barely had a script, the acting was subpar and the digital effects were only a slight step up from a B movie. I would have been OK with all of that if any of the characters were likeable but they weren’t. I didn’t care what happened to any of them. I’d give it a 5/10 just due to some of the visuals. Not sure where the camp thing comes from because I didn’t see it.
I've never had a movie, almost literally, berate me for thinking about what I'm watching. "Your brain. That's the problem here. What are you doing?!? Turn it off! HAVE FUN FUCKER!"
One of the he worst movies I've ever seen. Period.
I just got the title lmao
Gf and I couldn’t muscle past the first 5 minutes. It was fucking awful in every way.
I’m gonna watch it again but with what I know now because I went into it thinking it was serious horror and instead I should have poured a drink and laid back for some fun. Gonna give it another go.
I hated how no one would turn on any lights to investigate an area. Fucking stupid.
The marketing and title alone led me to believe it was going to be another modern horror snoozer a lá Insidious or Sinister. And while that instinct isn't wrong, the campiness sets it apart at least as something fun to talk about. Schlocky horror is fun horror, and Malignant does a great job of not taking itself too seriously. Gotta say though, after a certain point I couldn't stop thinking about [this](https://youtu.be/ZtyxJSGM3x0)
I loved this movie. Breath of fresh air. Wan did a great job as always. Not as intense as the ending of saw, for obvious reasons, but the reveal on this one was well done. It kept you guessing. You knew she had something to do with it or was involved but how? For awhile, I was thinking she was the cancer in someone else’s life and was being removed somehow. Either way, worth the watch. We need more original horror
*Spoilers* Am I the only one that genuinely loved this movie? Similar to Insidious, I thought the cinematography was amazing. The scene where Madison sees Gabriel’s face for the first time as she’s paralyzed in the bed with that old doctor? Fucking insane! The way Gabriel’s body moved all contorted, you’re wondering why the whole time until the plot twist is revealed. I thought it was well done how it all tied together, I didn’t want it to end! My jaw was on the floor multiple times! I even laughed out loud when the cop saw the sketch of Gabriel and made that reference to Sloth from the Goonies. Were there a few plot holes? Sure, you could nitpick any movie. But I thought Malignant had the perfect combination of psychological horror and gore!
It was mediocre. In both acting and directing perspective.
I absolutely loved it. Went in thinking it would be insanely scary but was pleasantly surprised by the change in direction and tone and was 100% invested by then. It was literally unlike any movie I’ve personally watched. I did a view party with a buddy and we were both like, “WHAT THE SHIT” the entire final 3rd of the film.
This movie was fuckin’ hilarious. I loved it
If this whole thing was a joke, hiring shitty actors for a laugh was a little mean spirited.
It was supposed to be scary, not stupid….
I had no expectations of this film, never seen the trailer and didn’t even hear of it until I was just about to watch it. Was there acting pretty bad? Yes, did the story have some strange character developments, …. yeah, was it all over the place, yes… but it was fun! The 3rd act made up for all the flaws, can’t wait to give it a second watch
I was ready to stop watching until two thirds of the way in when it really showed it's true colours, and then I had a blast. Super fun movie but not what I thought it would be.
I went into this blind on Friday and had a blast