Does Malignant Know It's a Bad Movie or Not?

Malignant. Image courtesy of Warner Bros.

Malignant, a new horror film from director James Wan, is a bad movie. The question is - what kind of bad? Is it the good kind of bad, that’s self-aware of and revels in its cheesy, schlocky, ridiculous fun? Or the bad kind of bad, where it actually thinks that it is good, like The Happening? I think it’s the first kind of bad. The fun kind.

For one, we should probably give James Wan the benefit of the doubt when it comes to horror. This is his wheelhouse. He gave the genre a shot in the arm with The Conjuring, and it’s something he knows and feels comfortable with. He’s aware of the tropes. And he’s aware of the tonal influences Malignant is drawing on, like Sam Raimi. So when his actors give stilted line readings of bad dialogue in service of a totally bonkers plot, it’s probably on purpose.

Moreover, the technical bones of the film are good. As many people have pointed out in their reviews and reactions, the camerawork is clean especially the overhead tracking shot that follows a character as they run from room to room. The production design is likewise, subtly kind of clever. We never get any clue whatsoever as to why this young couple, who don’t seem to have jobs, live in this giant house decked out in 1970s grandma style. Just another head-scratcher in the mystery world of the film.

I think at this point what we are seeing is James Wan making movies for himself, rather than anybody else. He’s done the big budget thing, with disappointing results in my opinion, and Malignant is a return to his roots. This is a modestly budgeted old school horror/supernatural thriller. It’s no-frills, and it’s not meant to make a big splash or even make a ton of money (it will probably turn a modest profit in the end, since it didn’t cost much to make).

It’s an excuse to play around with a crazy twist and revel in utterly ridiculous schlock. I found it mildly entertaining, but not Earth-shattering. And that’s probably about the level a film like this is aiming for. Good, competently made low-brow horror with no pretensions, where the villain can hurl a chair across a room and knock a pair of detectives out like they are playing dodge ball and nobody bats an eye. That is what Malignant promises, and that’s what it delivers: a bad movie in the good kind of way.