Malignant: 10 Horror Movie References You Missed

While nods to body-horror classics feature heavily throughout Malignant, Wan never forgets to throw in Giallo hallmarks. One particular reference to watch out for is Gabriel's predilection for donning a pair of black gloves during his killing sprees. It may seem like an innocuous detail, but aficionados know that introducing a killer by showing his or her hands covered in black gloves is a common trope in the subgenre.

Wan shows us many shots of Gabriel's black-glove-clad hands, which is an obvious shoutout to the Italian slashers. More specifically, Gabriel's penchant for calling Madison to taunt her about his kills and who he may kill next recalls another Argento masterpiece of the form, 1982's Tenebrae.

Tenebrae follows an author's hunt to find a serial killer, and features the killer's sinister phone calls and black gloved hands throughout. Perhaps most striking of all, Gabriel's use of a trophy fashioned to a fine point as his murder weapon bears visual similarities to the statue used at the conclusion of Tenebrae.