SeveredNitrate Presents Malignant (2021)

Salutations Severedheads. 🧟

I am your hostess Necrosecta and this is SeveredNitrate where we review horror flicks. This week's flick is Malignant (2021)

SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Duh...

TRIGGER WARNING:

-Death

-Murder

-Gore

-Surgery

-Adultknapping

-Abuse 

-Miscarriages 

-Profanity 

-Guns

-Cops (ACAB)

-Electroshock therapy 

-Parasitic Twins

-Teratoma

-Adoption being based on a lie that the parents are dead

-Killer likes their trench coats and gloves

-Human in a non-powered human world has superhuman strength, healing, and electrokinesis 

-Light sensitivity (flashing, strobes)

Let's start off with our lovely cast:

Annabelle Wallis as Madison Mitchell 

Maddie Hasson as Sydney Lake 

George Young as Detective Kekoa Shaw

Michole Briana White as Detective Regina Moss 

Jacqueline McKenzie as Doctor Florence Weaver 

Ray Chase as (the voice of) Gabriel 

Marina Mazepa as (the body of) Gabriel

Behind the Clips: 

Writer: Akela Cooper (also known for: M3GAN, Hell Fest, and The Nun II)

Director: James Wan (also known for: Saw, The Conjuring, and Stygian) 

PLOT: 

Madison Mitchell a pregnant nurse comes home early from her shift having some issues with the baby. Her abusive husband is home heckling her for working and getting pregnant. When she tries to stick up for herself he slams her head into a wall, busting it. This is when things go off the rails. That night her husband is stalked and viciously murdered in their house, leaving Maddy alive but in the hospital. She wakes up to find her sister, Sydney by her side and is told that she lost another child. The third (fourth?) one in two years. We're never told just how far Maddy was in her pregnancy but far along enough that she knew the baby was a girl. Yet, not far enough along that a fall could kill her. 

While in the hospital she's approached by Detective Kekoa Shaw but he finds her unresponsive so takes to asking Sydney some questions. Sydney lets Kekoa know that Maddy's husband kept them apart so she wasn't aware of much. Kekoa and his partner Detective Moss check out the body of Derrick Mitchell and find that the handprints (no fingerprints) are upside down. Detective Moss suggests that Maddy killed him. Which doesn't make sense, even if she had the motive, she couldn't have killed Derrick the way he was murdered upside down and with enough force that it is being compared to a vehicular accident. I hate Detective Moss, I'll get into that later. 

After Maddy is released from the hospital she starts to see shadowy figures outside her house and experiencing visions of people being murdered. The only event that Maddy doesn't see is the kidnapping of a female tourist guide nor where the kidnapper hides her. The first vision is of the shadowy figure that Maddy saw inside and outside her house killing a woman, named Doctor Weaver. When she sees the shadowy figure and has visions there are always flashing lights and a high-pitched ringing. In the next two murders, the figure kills with a modified trophy from Dr. Weaver's house. 

Maddy tells Sydney that she saw the Doctor's murder. Sydney doesn't understand but she says nothing about not believing Maddy. When the second murder happens Sydney and Maddy go to Detective Kekoa giving him a lead in what could be a connected murder. They do indeed find the second body right where she said he'd be. Detective Moss is a cunt, after Maddy gives the cops the description of the murderer she says that they're going after Sloth from the Goonies because of how messed up his face is. 

While Maddy is still at the precinct she gets a call from the murderer who we find out is named Gabriel and he has an odd history with Madison or as he likes to call her, Emily. Cryptically, he says that the people around her kept telling her he wasn't real, and for this, he's going to make them all pay. Despite, Maddy saying she doesn't remember Gabriel, she's the one that actually names him. 

After Maddy leaves the precinct Kekoa finds out that she was indeed a patient of Dr. Weaver. Freaked out about the phone call Maddy decides they're going to visit their mother and she confronts her mother about Gabriel. They watch some videos showing that Maddy used to talk to someone through a toy phone. Constantly, we see people around Maddy saying she's lying when she talks about Gabriel.

(Side Note) During one of Sydney's visits, Maddy admits that she's adopted. We don't actually get to see what Sydney's reaction is so I wasn't sure where to put this tidbit. 

We jump back to Detective Kekoa finding USBs from Dr. Weaver's files talking about a patient and figures out who the next victim will be, even before Maddy starts to experience his death. Kekoa and Gabriel finally meet when the Detective shows up before Gabriel has left. Kekoa chases Gabriel into the Underground where he sees the same face that Maddy had the cops draw up. He notices just how odd Gabriel moves. 

Kekoa and Moss visit Maddy offering for her to see a hypnotherapist which helps her remember when Gabriel tried to get Maddy to kill an unborn Sydney. Once she's brought out another guest decides to...drop in. Turns out it's the tourist who had gone missing. The one Gabriel kidnapped and tied up...in Maddy's attic. Detective Moss snipes about Gabriel being Maddy's imaginary friend before taking her in for questioning. During which, Moss and Kekoa have a nice little conversation with said imaginary friend before putting Maddy behind bars. Which turns out to be a really bad idea. 

At this time Sydney decides to do some digging into her sister's past and comes across the Simion Hospital where she finds videos about a girl named Emily May. She watches the videos with her mother and finds out that in 1992-1993 Emily is struggling with her parasitic twin brother, Gabriel. They share the same brain so is able to manipulate their body against Maddy's will. In one of the videos, we find out that Gabriel feeds off Maddy like a parasite would. So, Dr. Weaver has two other doctors help her remove Gabriel from Madison's back. However, they can't remove him from the brain otherwise they'd break Maddy irreparably. Seeing as Gabriel was a rather violent child when he was woken up, he decided to get revenge for what the doctors did to him. Which he did by manipulating Maddy's body and is the reason she was able to see the murders. Sydney decides she immediately has to contact Kekoa about this new information. 

During this time Gabriel is slaughtering people behind bars, until he's able to escape and then attacks the cops in the precinct. Which gives us the coolest ass sequence in the movie. Gabriel just going fucking ham on these cops. My favorite part is when he just tosses a fucking chair across the room taking out Moss. Also, the blood and camera work! So, cool! 

Gabriel takes off towards the hospital where his and Emily's mother is being held out. That's right their mother is alive! She was the tour guide we saw Gabriel kidnap earlier in the movie. Sydney is trying to head Gabriel off by going to the hospital. The guard outside Serena May's bedroom is killed when Gabriel explodes his pacemaker. He's happy to see Sydney because she was on his list. He's jealous that Maddy chose her over him, her own brother. He tries to crush Sydney with a hospital bed but when this doesn't kill her, he shoots her brains out and then suffocates his mother...

Or does he. Madison is finally able to manipulate him instead, locking him away in a mind prison. He swears he'll be able to get out again. And boy do I fucking hope so. Unfortunately, Gabriel didn't kill Detective Moss, just injured her. Detective Shaw is still alive though and I'm okay with that. The movie ends with Madison and Sydney embracing as sisters. 

Thoughts: 

I adore this movie. I knew I would as soon as the trailers started popping up. There isn't anything that I really hate or dislike about the movie. Well, except Detective Moss. Seriously, she's a bitch illogically. I can understand having this kind of hardass cop but only if they are making logical conclusions that just so happen to be wrong because they're out of their depth. Not just because she wants to be snarky. She in no way ruins the movie for me though, plus when she gets her ass handed to her it's so cathartic. I love it. The other nitpick I have is of Sydney just randomly yelling that Gabriel had been feeding on Madison's babies and that's why she's had all the miscarriages. This comes out of left field but instead of a ball, it's a fucking iron skillet. I know that Dr. Weaver mentions that Gabriel feeds off Madison like a parasite but the conclusion to this being equated to him sucking up his nieces and/or nephews is just thrown in there without discussion or thought on Sydney's end. Sydney says that Gabriel did it to build himself back up energy-wise, but wouldn't he have been feeding off Madison over the past 27 years and not having expended any of that energy in all that time, why would he need more energy? Then again, he could have just done it to be cruel. However, that's not really my complaint here. It's just how did Sydney come to that conclusion? Anyway, the movie is great. I love the graphics, cinematography, acting, costume designs, and Gabriel. Just Gabriel! Necrosecta is hot for slasher. The pacing is spot on. I don't think it drags or that there are unnecessary things added. It's fun, creative, and the gore is great. The action scene in the cop's place is a masterpiece! The people who complain about this movie being funny or just bad are wrong. That's right I said it! Their opinion is wrong. It just is. They have something shoved up their ass and can't have fun at the movies. Or 'elevated horror' snobs. Did I mention that Gabriel is awesome? Also, they could have made Gabriel's action scenes all CGI but they didn't (I'm sure it's there for enhancement). They got a dancer to do all the backward movements. That's imaginative as hell! The love and thought that went into this movie are nuts. Malignant deserves more love. 

Tidbits: 

Malignant was made for 40 million but only made 35 million back. Thus, making it a flop. 

While James Wan says Malignant 2 won't happen anytime soon they do have a few ideas. 

The movie is just under 2 hours long. And currently, you can watch it for free on Tubi TV for the next 10 days. 

The actress for Sydney gets cut by Gabriel but forgets which side she got cut on. We see her in scene switch from one arm to the other before running into the hospital room. And it was left in! lol! I laugh with love. 

James Wan wanted to make Malignant like a Giallo film and it definitely feels like a Giallo film. 

The film was inspired by the case of Edward Mordake which dealt with a similar case. Other media inspirations are as follows: The Evil Dead franchise (cinematography), Basket Case, and The Dark Half (movies). I'm sure there are others. 

My favorite scene:

Have you seen Malignant? What did you think of it? What did you like or dislike? Do you have a request for me? I'm happy to watch something new feel free to ask. Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the review! 

'Till next time stay twisted darlings. 

Lapshi! 

-Necrosecta