BY CHRISTOPHER STAMM
GUEST MOVIE REVIEWER
Malignant (Now showing in theatres)
Rated R – For language, violence, gore, and adult themes.
Well my friends, that time has come ‘round again. Summer is ending, the temperature is cooling, Walmart has Halloween decorations for sale, and horror movies have started to flood into cinemas.
First out of the gate this season is Malignant, a truly disturbing entry into the horror genre, but unlike so many other generic horror films, this one is actually original and well-crafted and frankly, very good.
Madison Mitchell, played by Annabelle Wallis (Star Trek Discovery), is a woman in the middle of what can only be described as a rough life, and as we meet her, that life becomes decidedly rougher.
To tell you much more than that would be a disservice to both you and the filmmakers’ intent. This is a film that deserves to be spoiler free, because the twist is just so darn good and does not come out of left field; eagle-eyed viewers with a penchant for solving mysteries may actually be able to piece it together.
Malignant surprised me. It was entertaining and clever in ways that are hard to come by in this particular genre.
It also boasts an excellent supporting cast from George Young’s (pretty much a newbie) portrayal of detective Kekoa Shaw, to Ingrid Bisu’s (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It) lovesick CSI agent Winnie. The cast is obviously game for this film, and nobody is just going through the motions for a paycheck.
Malignant has some real moments where you are asking – What the heck is going on? – but at no point do you feel that your intelligence is being taken for granted.
I gave this one three solid stars out of five, because it’s original, clever, and worth seeing in the dark cinema with friends or significant others.
Just a good-old-fashioned horror suspense movie that does not rely on gore. (There is some – it’s not overdone or gratuitous – but be warned.)
Check it out! It’s worth the price of admission.
CORRECTION: Last week I reviewed John Carter and by mistake, I only allotted that film two stars when my intent was to award it three stars. Sorry, folks.