10 Great Performances In Recent Horror Movies
2. Marina Mazepa - Malignant
Where to begin with Malignant? James Wan’s bonkers Giallo masterpiece has left many a jaw lying on sticky cinema floors the world over (and for good reason). Following abused spouse Madison, as she bears psychic witness to a string of horrific murders committed by her childhood imaginary friend, the film keeps its cards close to its chest for most of the film.
Our brief encounters with killer Gabriel for much of the runtime show us a vaguely humanoid killer moving in some distinctly inhuman ways. That is until the earth-shattering reveal that Gabriel is Madison’s parasitic conjoined twin who has been taking over her body from the back of her head to commit said crimes.
The scene in which this is revealed sparks a bloody massacre in the middle of a police station; Gabriel/Madison’s contortions are now in full disgusting view for the audience. Honestly, there hasn’t been fight choreography this good since The Raid. No, really. It stacks up even more impressively when you find out this choreography was achieved through actual bodily contortion and minimal CGI.
None of this would have been possible without Gabriel’s body-double actor Marina Mazepa who gives one of the most blistering physical performances ever put to film. Herself a dancer, who before this was only really known for her appearances on America’s Got Talent, Mazepa brought to life a horror villain for the ages; making the insane concept of Gabriel as a physical presence terrifyingly believable. Here’s hoping James Wan’s franchise magic allows us to see more of Mazepa’s Gabriel in the future.