The Mosley Review: Malignant
In the great universe of horror, very few films come along that take you on a ride that is obvious in the beginning and yet pivots in a direction that you've never seen done before in the indie or even mainstream. When it comes to horror films, I tend to avoid trailers so that I can go in blind and let the film drape over me with its blood soaked blanket of story. I did that vary thing and I let the master James Wan take me on this bizarre, violent and genre bending tale of family drama and self empowerment. I can't tell you how long its been since I have been through a story like this that leads you down a path that is all too familiar with a decent story you'd find out of any slasher flick and then takes a turn that was foreshadowed, but still kept me on the edge of my seat. The film starts off like your typical creature feature that has the director's famous flare for visuals and then takes on a neo 80's horror trip that was both fun and refreshing. I can't say anymore without spoiling the fun for you, but I will say that this cast really goes for it.
Annabelle Wallis has always been a class act of an actress and she was excellent as Maddison Lake. She is vulnerable, but not without a form of inner strength. To see her go through the amount of torment and trippy visions was great and you feel her grief and terror. Maddie Hasson was good as her sister Sydney Lake. She wasn't on the same level as far as performance goes, but I did feel the connection between them. George Young was good as the young and attractive Det. Kekoa Shaw. He does come off as a slick cop you would see in any other horror film, but he grows on you as the plot progresses. Michole Briana White was good as the no nonsense and feisty Det. Regina Moss. She really channels Wanda Sykes in her performance which was fun and yet very cliche. Marina Mazepa is an amazing contortionist dancer and she was terrifying and amazing as the body double for Gabriel. Ray Chase provided the voice of Gabriel and he was wonderfully intense and creepy. Together Marina and Ray did excellent work bringing a character to life that is now a new horror icon.
The score in this film is by composer Joseph Bishara and it is one of the best horror film scores I've heard in a long time. It doesn't over stay its welcome or give anything away when a scare is about to happen. Instead, the score is another character of the film and helps tease you of the impending violence and when it happens, the music goes wild with the perfect mix 80's synth and modern sound. I've said it before and I'll say it again, this film was stunning to behold. The morphing of the different environments in each vision, the gory kills in all of the action scenes and to the how the camera tracks the lead character through the main house was amazing. Director James Wan takes very bold swings and to me he has taken his biggest swing with this film and he has knocked it out of the park. He has delivered a truly original story that is unpredictable, brutal and very entertaining. I loved every bit of this film and I am declaring this as one of the best films of 2021 and horror films of the decade. This is a MUST SEE! It is in theaters now and currently streaming on HBO Max. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comment below. Thanks for reading!
