What’s It All About
The 1 Sentence Summary of Malignant
Madison gets away from her abusive husband only to be plagued by nightly visions of murders that aren’t just dreams.
Cast and Director
From the mind that has brought us so many horror titles, James Wan’s Malignant is more comparable to DC fan-favorite Aquaman than the Conjuring and Saw quality we’re used to. Starring Annabelle Wallis as Madison, Maddie Hasson as her sister Sydney, and George Young as Detective Shaw the cast is attractive but the acting is subpar.
Spoiler Alert
We’d much rather you watch the movie than read some of our favorite and least favorite parts about it. But if you have to know, check out our breakdown below.
The best scene in this movie (and maybe the only reason to watch) is what has come to be known as the “Jail Cell Scene.” In this scene, Gabriel takes over and fights everyone in the cell. Why is this awesome? Because Gabriel is Madison’s parasitic twin who is attached to her back and when he takes over her body, it contorts to accommodate his vantage point, facing the opposite way. This scene is violent, fun, and almost worth sitting through the rest of the movie for.
Gabriel, the parasitic twin. His big reveal was hilarious.
Malignant is not a scary movie. However, if I have to name a best scare (and I do), early in the movie is the beginning of Gabriel’s origin story. At this time we don’t know what Gabriel is but we hear him communicating via electronic equipment. It’s creepy.
This movie is not scary. It’s silly and the acting is subpar at best. What started out as a family movie night ended when Madison delivered the line “Sydney. I’m adopted” and synthesized horror music started playing. I looked up and I was alone. Not even the dogs wanted to watch the movie with me.
Get More
Scare Critic Picks
Looking for something with a little more scare? If so, check out these terrifyingly good movies based on Stephen King books:
Summary
Scare Critics Say: Only If You're Desperate
Scare Critic Review
This movie is a slow and boring dud for the most part. The special effects are cheesy (mannequin head in the shadows anyone?), the dialogue is poorly written, and the acting isn't strong enough to carry it. If you’re going to watch it, do yourself a favor and skip to the last 30 - 45 minutes.
Scares Breakdown
- Creepy Voice
- Nightmares
- Contortionism
- Blood
Good
- Jail cell fight scene
- Attractive cast
- Main characters live
- The end
Bad
- Bad scripting
- Poor acting
- Moves slowly
- Cheesy special effects
