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James Wan switches up his scare tactics in his newest film, making Malignant more action than horror movie.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Malignant, currently in theaters and on HBO Max.
One of the things director James Wan touted about Malignant was that it would bend genres. And it turns out he didn’t lie because as much as it harks back to thrillers like Saw or straight horror like Insidious and The Conjuring, he also integrates some new elements. And because of how Wan tweaks his formula for scare tactics, Malignant doesn’t feel much like horror at all — it comes off as an action flick.
Now, the tension, suspense and eerie haunting vibe are all there as Maddie tries to figure out what’s making her see a slew of gory murders. At first, it seems like a demon, but it’s later revealed to be her parasitic twin, Gabriel, who’s still attached to her skull and possessing her.
Interestingly, Wan doesn’t use jump-scares as much as in his old films, going for more body torture. And in the process, he uses Gabriel as somewhat of a slasher and martial artist, with the shadowy figure leaping around the Seattle subway, attacking and fleeing cops and stalking victims before mutilating them in their homes. It’s almost as if he has powers like Spider-Man, dodging gunshots as if he’s in a superhero movie.
There’s also a bit of John Wick that kicks in in the second half when Maddie’s placed in jail because the cops think she’s murdering people who performed the surgery to remove Gabriel decades ago. But when Gabriel takes over her body, he slaughters dozens of inmates in the most brutal, bloody fashion. He then breaks out, grabs the blunt end of a trophy and proceeds to fight the entire precinct, just like Keanu Reeves’ character has done so many times.
Even when Gabriel gets to the hospital to kill his birth mother and complete his revenge, it’s not about hiding in the dark. He confronts the cops head-on and tears them apart before attacking Sydney (Maddie’s sister) and trying to suffocate his mom. This level of brutality helps Wan differentiate from past horror outings and proves Gabriel isn’t just a generic ghoul.
To see how Malignant is more action than horror, check out James Wan’s new film in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.
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