Review of Malignant (2021) by Jamess — 11 Sep 2021

After dipping his toe in big budget films in the Fast And Furious franchise and the DC universe, James Wan returns to his pulpy-Leigh Whannell partnered roots with Malignant. It's more along the lines of, say, Dead Silence than Saw.

I've seen reviews mention the campy aspects of the film and I'd call it pulpy instead. Like Tales From The Crypt or Amazing Stories kind of pulpy. And the title which I kept mistaking as Malicious or Malficient, makes perfect sense as the precise definition of malignant is "tending to invade normal tissue or to recur after removal".

Then there's the underground Seattle location with the building atop the damaged portion of the city that remains pretty much intact. Thematically fits. It's bat turd crazy, but in a good way. I've also seen comparisons to directors like DePalma and Raimi.

I would add to the list, thematically, Frank Henenlotter of Basket Case and Brain Damage fame. That should give you an idea of what type of film Wan was aiming for.