Malignant Review: 5 Ups & 5 Downs

By Jack Pooley / September 10, 2021

Ups...

5. James Wan's Stylish Direction

Warner Bros.

Far and away Malignant's most praise-worthy aspect is James Wan's slick, stylish filmmaking.

From first minute to last, the director pulls out every trick in his repertoire to keep the film visually interesting, be it energetic, fluid camerawork darting all over the place or intriguing, reality-warping VFX shots.

It was suggested pre-release that Malignant was heavily inspired by the Italian giallo genre of horror movies, and while that's not overtly evident in the story or style itself, the abundant bright neon palette does evoke that aesthetic from time to time.

These flourishes ensure that Malignant stands apart from other similarly-themed horror films, while again affirming Wan's penchant for eye-popping imagery.