Malignant (2021)

James Wan is starting a whole new chapter here 🙏

First off, this movie looks freaking insane. The visuals, the production design, the costumes, the sets, the VFX—it’s all this sick blend of gothic and industrial vibes. Honestly? It’s killer. 🙏

And the villain? Total game changer. They don't give a damn if it's day or night; there are zero rules. They just strike whenever and wherever they feel like it. 🙏

The way they move and how they look... easily one of the most innovative and striking designs I've seen in a long time. 🙏

This is exactly the kind of shake-up Wan's career needs right now.

Oh, and yeah, the dagger... 🙏



4.0🙂1.0

Pure, raw intensity at 100 miles per hour. There isn't a single ounce of mindless dialogue, internal conflict, or unnecessary nonsense here... just pure, brutal filmmaking.

Carol Hughes10 said:Are you serious??

Aha. It’s essentially the same vibe—just without the supernatural elements and he didn't actually murder anyone. He was this guy with a face on the back of his head... plus the whole thing about a twin brother constantly whispering in his ear to kill people.

It's an old story, but a pretty famous one—certainly for those who have an interest in the bizarre and the macabre. It carries about the same weight as the case of John Merrick.

neontinker5 said:Pure adrenaline at 100 mph. No stupid dialogue, no internal conflict, just zero unnecessary nonsense... just pure, brutal energy.

spoiler alert!
"no internal conflict"?

man, the whole damn theme is basically "internal conflict" but like... literal...

Edward Watson18 said:Right. It’s essentially the same concept, just without the supernatural elements or any actual murders. He was a man with a face on the back of his head... and the rest of him was driven by a twin brother constantly whispering instructions to kill.

An old case, but quite famous among those who have an interest in the macabre and the unusual. It holds about the same level of notoriety as the case of John Merrick.

Interesting. Where might one find more detailed reading on this particular case?

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S10 using Reddit

spoiler alert!!!
I just remembered this one similar case, who knows, maybe it's what inspired Wan 🤷

Patrick Martin said:spoiler alert!
"There's no internal conflict"?

Well, the main theme is essentially a sort of "internal conflict," just taken quite literally...

I'm not talking about the themes in general. I mean the action sequences where a strike happens without being dragged out like chewing gum. Aside from that final scene, a hit lands and it's over...

Carol Hughes10 said:That’s actually pretty interesting—where can I find more details about this case?

It was the case of Edward Mordrake, if I remember correctly... Or maybe just Mordrake...

Edward Watson18 said:The whole Edward Mordrake thing, if I got the spelling right... Or maybe it's Mordrake...

Look, that story is just a classic old-school hoax, nothing more. It isn't some true tale. That character even popped up in American Horror Story: Freakshow back in the day. There’s really only one article ever written about him—believe it or not, it was by some sci-fi writer—and honestly, not a single verifiable fact in there actually holds up.😁

I'll say it one more time: if you actually liked the concept behind the movie, or if you thought the film itself was decent, do yourself a favor and go watch the Japanese Evil Dead.

neontinker5 said:I'm not talking about the whole movie, I mean those specific action beats where you get a quick stab without the scene dragging out like a piece of cheap gum.

Yeah, you've got those few savage dagger stabs, and then there's those moments where the whole thing suddenly pivots into some brutal, one-man-show slasher brawl.

It's kinda shocking, honestly, but that's exactly why it hits so hard—it feels cinematic as hell.

Aside from that scene at the very end, it’s just stab, fuck him, repeat...

Wait, I'm lost again (which stabbing at the end are we even talking about?) 🙄

Taylor Gray5 said:That whole story is actually just a well-known old hoax rather than anything true. That character even popped up in American Horror Story: Freakshow back in the day. There’s really only one article ever written about him—which, believe it or not, was by a sci-fi writer—and not a single verifiable fact in it turned out to be accurate. 😁

I'll say it again—if you liked the concept of the movie, or if you actually thought the film itself was good, do yourself a favor and watch the Japanese Evil Dead.

Are you thinking of Charles Lotin Hildreth?

It might be a hoax (and it probably is), but Wan still found a way to utilize it for the film. That said, I do believe an anomaly like this could exist and potentially be dangerous for the individual involved—in certain specific cases, at least. You don't necessarily have to be named Mordrake... but from a medical standpoint, the case of a parasitic twin is a fascinating phenomenon.

The movie was absolute garbage

Edward Watson18 said:Are you talking about Charles Lotin Hildreth?

Look, maybe the whole thing was a hoax—honestly, probably was—but Wan still took that concept and ran with it for the movie. Still, I truly believe these kinds of anomalies exist and can be seriously dangerous for the person involved (in specific scenarios, anyway). You don't have to be named Mordrake for it to happen... but from a medical standpoint, the whole parasitic twin thing is a fascinating piece of business.

Yeah, I dig how Wan picks his patterns, you know? Like, his go-to templates for scaring people. It always basically boils down to split personalities. In The Conjuring Universe and Annabelle, we're dealing with ghosts, but here he’s evolved the idea into something tangible, something you can actually touch. Like what they said, you gotta cut out the cancer. Physically.

For me, if you want a killer example of that duality/split identity vibe, check this masterpiece out:

Now THAT is a trailer worth watching, unlike the garbage they put out these days.☕

What an absolute joke of a movie, honestly... just a total waste of time. 🙏

Patrick Martin said:James Wan is totally pivoting 🙏

First off, this movie looks sick. The visuals, the sets, the costumes, the interiors, the VFX—it’s all this insane gothic-industrial vibe. Absolutely killer. 🙏

The villain is such a breath of fresh air too. Doesn't matter if it's day or night, there are zero rules, they just strike whenever and wherever. 🙏

The way they move and look? Hands down one of the most innovative and striking things I've seen lately. 🙏

This is exactly what Wan needs to shake up his career.

Oh yeah, the dagger... 🙏



4.0🙂1.0

Signature.
The movie is LUUUD.
I freaking love how Wan shoots stuff. All those camera rotations on every axis, the soundtrack is creepy as hell, nightmare fuel, just a straight-up brutal horror flick. 👍👍

It devolves into total trash comedy toward the end, so if you absolutely have nothing else to do, maybe give it a shot.🤣 Aside from that, the whole thing is a slog, and frankly, the acting from almost every supporting character has been some of the worst I've seen lately.

Look, I’m not saying the movie is total garbage, but calling it a masterpiece? Definitely not. Honestly, you don't really go to a James Wan movie expecting some groundbreaking, never-before-seen plot. It feels like we've seen his entire playbook a dozen times already. He’s more of a specialist when it comes to crafting killer sequences—he knows how to set a mood and nail a jump scare. And yeah, this flick has a few moments that actually land pretty well. But that’s about it.
To me, > is his absolute peak. Solid 9/10.
This one? Maybe a 5/10 at best.

I honestly don't even know what to make of this movie, other than the fact that it was a total blast—I’ve seriously never seen anything quite like it. For me, it was awesome. 🤣🙏

How charming.

Boring, boring, boring—and then comes that twist which is just so preposterous. It’s not even the concept itself, but rather the visual execution and the resulting action that makes the whole thing suddenly fun because of how ridiculous it is.