James Wan has been one of the most interesting voices in modern horror. With his latest venture, Wan reaffirms his grasp on the genre yet again. Malignant is an absurd concoction of all the best and cheesiest ingredients of 80's slasher goodness. Complete with a unique, signature murder weapon and a soon to be iconic killer. Madison finds herself in a horrifying predicament after a brutal murder takes place in her own home. She's being haunted by a killer as well as visions of his future victims. What follows is a disturbing mystery with a lot more camp than you might expect. Wan's direction keeps the film engaging and genuinely terrifying. The horror scènes are marinaded in Wan's signature style and they're all the better for it. He even manages to put some impressive action sequences on the screen. His work on Aquaman has clearly been fruitful. The score is a mixed bag. I found the compositions to be more distracting than compelling. It's unfortunate because his scores have been one of my favorite elements of Wan's other franchises like Insidious or The Conjuring. Another issue I had with the film is its tone. Malignant is a love letter to 80's horror but it can't seem to mesh this homage with the serious modern subject matters and tone. It's not always clear to me, what is supposed to be comedic and what is unintentionally absurd. Especially the film's conclusion might divide audiences. I found it to be hilariously absurd in a good way. Others might find it insultingly stupid. Either way, the film is ambitious and bold. After the underwhelming Conjuring outing, Malignant provides some much appreciated James Wan horror. That's always a win in my book. Make of that as you will.

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