Malignant: 10 Horror Movie References You Missed
6. Suspiria
Perhaps the most famous Giallo, Dario Argento's 1977 offering, Suspiria, actually came quite late in the Giallo craze, adding a magical element to the usual slasher plot that would push the genre into more supernatural territory.
Since Suspiria is the Giallo that has the most cultural penetration, Wan's visual nods to this classic are perhaps Malignant's most overt. The splashes of red in the marketing are highly reminiscent of Suspiria's own red-tinged poster and Wan's bold use of brilliant primary colours in Malignant replicate the visual tics in Argento's seminal work.
Malignant's pounding arrangements and strings also allude to Suspiria's brilliant soundtrack and iconic score, which was created by Argento's frequent collaborators, the progressive Italian rock band, Goblin.
Malignant composer, Joseph Bishara is frequently used by Wan as well as other horror directors such as John Carpenter. Bishar is a fan of the genre, often cameoing in the movies he scores, so the similarities between Suspiria's score and Malignant's are definitely intentional.