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MALIGNANT is James Wan's (Saw, Conjuring, Insidious, Aquaman, Fast 7) new horror film, released Sept 10 in theaters and streaming on HBO Max. It's a barn burner of a pic and people are talking about its shocking twists and thrills all over the place so I thought a thread would be nice. I would say the movie is basically pop/lite horror but it is admirably gross and very well made. It could definitely be triggering for people due to some subject matter (spousal abuse, pregnancy, surgery, stuff like that). I really liked the film, I haven't seen the cast members in other stuff so they were fresh to me and did good jobs. The movie is very nice looking with Seattle looking lovely and Wan showing off a lot of flashy camera movement and refined directorial skills from start to finish. I'm very glad that the found footage and shaky-cam eras have passed for the most part. So, if you haven't seen it and you like that kind of thing I would recommend seeing it, and if you 'saw' it and want to talk about feel free!
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# ? Sep 13, 2021 23:58 |
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# ? May 6, 2024 23:41 |
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Watched it with the wife on HBO and loving loved it. If I'd known I was going to enjoy it this much I would've seen it in theaters. That said I can totally see how it turns some people off, seems to be getting pretty mixed viewer reviews, much more negative than the critics.
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# ? Sep 14, 2021 06:02 |
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It’s time…we cut out the cancer…. *metal guitar riff*
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# ? Sep 14, 2021 06:34 |
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Decent horror movie with some action. It reminded me of a certain type of 90s horror movies like Mimic or Jeepers Creepers for some reason Noam Chomsky fucked around with this message at 16:04 on Sep 14, 2021 |
# ? Sep 14, 2021 14:33 |
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Noam Chomsky posted:Decent horror movie with some action. I think the full-on parkour scene was the most 90s part, but yeah the music, the way the gore effects looked, the occasional speed-ramping. It made me think of 1999 House on Haunted Hill and the Dark Castle films in that way. They should've had a scene where detective K rounds up all the parkour people in Seattle for questioning, but they all have an alibi. Cafe Barbarian fucked around with this message at 21:29 on Sep 14, 2021 |
# ? Sep 14, 2021 20:59 |
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just watched this, here is my review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtyxJSGM3x0
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# ? Sep 16, 2021 03:53 |
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Just finished the movie and I loved that James Wan decided to stick an action movie in the middle of a horror movie.
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# ? Sep 16, 2021 04:23 |
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This movie was completely batshit in the best way. It managed that nice balance where you can generally see the twist coming from a decent ways away, but the reveal is still fun and a bit surprising in the details. The reveal of Gabriel's original form was way more gruesome than I'd expected, and the mother falling through the ceiling out of nowhere was hilarious. Also goddamn, some of those action scenes must've been absolute hell on the stuntpeople.
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# ? Sep 16, 2021 15:29 |
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Gaunab posted:Just finished the movie and I loved that James Wan decided to stick an action movie in the middle of a horror movie. There's a part of me that really wants to see an action movie in the vein of, I don't know, Equilibrium or something but where it's a sister and brother who are conjoined twins and they fight crime literally back-to-back. poo poo, you could even call it Back 2 Back.
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# ? Sep 16, 2021 15:49 |
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this movie was a blast
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# ? Sep 16, 2021 19:34 |
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I loved this movie. This felt like the kind of thing you'd find on TV at 1 am back in the day and just watch with your mouth agape the entire time. I think most people expected that Gabriel was an evil conjoined twin. You saw him in the flesh at the beginning and presumably he wasn't wearing those panda socks that Wan made sure to show. But I really doubt anyone expected that he was an evil twin that had most of his body cut off and the rest shoved into his sister's brain under the assumption that he was dead and she needed that bit of brain to survive The horror movie cover of Where is My Mind? is real fun, too, I've been listening to that on and off since I saw this.
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# ? Sep 16, 2021 20:45 |
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This was fun, but I wish they'd gone a little more on the comedy. Felt like a few times where I though they would go for a joke that they ended up shying away from.
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# ? Sep 16, 2021 21:41 |
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Crespolini posted:This was fun, but I wish they'd gone a little more on the comedy. Felt like a few times where I though they would go for a joke that they ended up shying away from. The opening scene of the movie is hilarious and the only reason I give pause to assuming that the movie was meant to be funny and wacky was because the rest of it until the last half hour or something is toned way the gently caress down and at least appears to be played straight. Just watching that first five minutes I was so excited and thought "I am gonna love this!". The acting was so hammy and the dialog was so goofy. Overall the opening was just directed like it was meant to be a horror comedy. I was a little disappointed that most of the movie didn't maintain that energy but it 100% redeems itself later on so I recommend this to people.
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# ? Sep 17, 2021 02:28 |
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Yeah, part of me feels like the opening was added to, like, reassure people that poo poo will get nuts again if you're patient.
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# ? Sep 17, 2021 02:39 |
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LesterGroans posted:Yeah, part of me feels like the opening was added to, like, reassure people that poo poo will get nuts again if you're patient. I hadn't even remotely considered watching the movie until people were saying how loving nuts it is. But I can't imagine being convinced of that early in the film without that opening so it worked.
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# ? Sep 17, 2021 02:53 |
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Noam Chomsky posted:It reminded me of a certain type of 90s horror movies Same. It felt really nostalgic, like something I'd stumble on old while going through the 2/$1 movies at Family Video, or catch the last fifty minutes of on satellite tv while sleeping over at my grandparents' house in the summer.
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# ? Sep 17, 2021 03:58 |
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Just watched it thanks to this thread. Holy gently caress, what a ride. I heard about a crazy twist in here before going in and fuuuuuck it delivered. Gabriel slaughtering the police station Terminator style was insane as it was unexpected. drat I’m still parsing through this movie in my head. Highly recommended!
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# ? Sep 17, 2021 04:04 |
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This movie loving whips. One question: How did Gabriel call the two detectives while they were all in the interrogation room? What did I miss?
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# ? Sep 17, 2021 06:52 |
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Senf posted:This movie loving whips. he can project himself through electronic devices. He does it later through the hospital PA system And yeah, this movie is loving great. For those who are comparing it to 90s horror, you're right. It has that sense of there being a half remembered and poorly understood article in a medical journal that some screenwriter just loving ran with.
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# ? Sep 17, 2021 07:02 |
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some of the many terrible lines in this movie are played completely straight and its glorious "Maybe you need to stop getting pregnant" is one of the most hilarious things I've ever heard in a movie, goddamn
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# ? Sep 17, 2021 08:26 |
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I saw the Gabriel was a parasitic twin twist coming, but I totally didn't expect him to be physically present and take control of her body. The electricity thing and the spookily moving from shadow to shadow thing made me assume he was some form of ghost and she just had a telepathic link to him. When she was thrown in prison I thought the story was going in the direction of "oh another murder happened and she clearly couldn't have done it this time, maybe we should believe her more"
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# ? Sep 17, 2021 13:10 |
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I'm putting way more thought into this than Wan & Co. but I wonder what happens to Madison after all the events of the movie? I mean, technically the murderer is a different person, but he used her body which multiple witnesses can attest to. I don't see her legally getting to just walk free after all that, I mean the murderer is still alive and connected to her. It's a scenario that has never happened and can never happen so I guess it doesn't matter
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# ? Sep 17, 2021 15:16 |
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CelticPredator posted:It’s time…we cut out the cancer…. The intro credits are ripped right out 00's horror and i love it
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# ? Sep 17, 2021 15:51 |
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King Vidiot posted:I'm putting way more thought into this than Wan & Co. but I wonder what happens to Madison after all the events of the movie? I mean, technically the murderer is a different person, but he used her body which multiple witnesses can attest to. I don't see her legally getting to just walk free after all that, I mean the murderer is still alive and connected to her. It's a scenario that has never happened and can never happen so I guess it doesn't matter She'll be put in that facility from Glass
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# ? Sep 17, 2021 15:51 |
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King Vidiot posted:I'm putting way more thought into this than Wan & Co. but I wonder what happens to Madison after all the events of the movie? I mean, technically the murderer is a different person, but he used her body which multiple witnesses can attest to. I don't see her legally getting to just walk free after all that, I mean the murderer is still alive and connected to her. It's a scenario that has never happened and can never happen so I guess it doesn't matter Any answer is fanfic. Ending it there makes it so we don’t need to think about such things. But look for Malignant 2 Gabe on Trial in 2024
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# ? Sep 17, 2021 16:16 |
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I mean, I don't want a trial I basically want the sequel to be a buddy cop action movie, but shot like the loving Underworld movies or whatever. I want Disturbed on the soundtrack, but maybe like a slowed-down version with a sad, gravelly-voiced woman singing.
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# ? Sep 17, 2021 16:25 |
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Gresh posted:some of the many terrible lines in this movie are played completely straight and its glorious That's followed almost immediately by another banger: "I'm tired of my children dying inside you." That's less than 10 words to show you what a shitheel that guy is. I'm all for "elevated horror" or whatever they call the A24-type stuff that's in vogue right now, but wow it's great to see something like this still being made — and made well. I was so glad Wan played it straight for the most part. It's totally unashamed to be what it is, enthusiastic to show you what it's about without pandering.
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# ? Sep 17, 2021 16:55 |
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weekly font posted:Any answer is fanfic. Ending it there makes it so we don’t need to think about such things. But look for Malignant 2 Gabe on Trial in 2024 The fanfic can be fun though. Like, her body was used to murder a looooooot of people and her getting a pass because it was actually a grody twin brother that puts her in a trance and pops out of the back of her skull like it's a blast shield, then does backwards murder parkour, but it's ok now, because she trapped him in a mind prison, is funny to think about. Imagine being the defense lawyer having to go to trial with that. Or the prosecuter who loses the case.
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# ? Sep 17, 2021 17:14 |
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I also loved that they have super strength and electric powers for some reason and the movie doesn't even attempt to explain why.
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# ? Sep 17, 2021 17:34 |
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Gaunab posted:I also loved that they have super strength and electric powers for some reason and the movie doesn't even attempt to explain why. Yeah, the powers of the villain are really funny OK, Gabriel has some kind of power over electricity....fine, it's some mutant thing. He has super strength...ok I guess he can release adrenalin or something. He can make Madison see what he wants...fine, it's necessary for the plot and is cool looking. Ok, also he can do parkour...oh and he has more moves than Jackie Chan and he can destroy a police station faster than the Terminator, and dodge bullets, and he knows the city like the back of his hand. .....What?? It's got a level of villain fan service that you wouldn't see until the 4th movie in a series ordinarily.
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# ? Sep 17, 2021 21:39 |
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I mean, it's also Madison's mind he's using so wouldn't she have the same powers? I'm sure at no point did the writers consider this, or if they did they probably assumed the audience wouldn't. They sort of address it when Madison mentions that it's her body so clearly she has Gabriel's strength too, which makes so little loving sense that it's hilarious.
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# ? Sep 17, 2021 21:47 |
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Gaunab posted:I also loved that they have super strength and electric powers for some reason and the movie doesn't even attempt to explain why. I think you're supposed to assume that whatever raped her mother was demonic in some fashion. King Vidiot posted:I mean, it's also Madison's mind he's using so wouldn't she have the same powers? I'm sure at no point did the writers consider this, or if they did they probably assumed the audience wouldn't. She explodes all the lights in the interrogation room when she gets frustrated and later on says what you said, so yeah, she has the same powers and super-strength, she just didn't know she had it or how to harness it until she learned Gabriel was literally a part of her.
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# ? Sep 17, 2021 23:15 |
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Gaunab posted:I also loved that they have super strength and electric powers for some reason and the movie doesn't even attempt to explain why. Its very simple , Gabriel got electric powers because they attempted to electrocute him in the Simian hospital in the 90's and superstrengh because all of Madison's babies that he ate . It make perfect sense if you think about it, and also overdose on meth . The movie was great , If you can vibe with self aware cheese that plays itself completly straight - its some of the most fun you will have watching a movie this year . I am so glad I caught it at the theater because the crowd reaction to that chair throw made it all worth it .
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# ? Sep 18, 2021 02:45 |
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I thought that this was kind of a huge mess, but also a lot of fun, and sort of reminded me of some of the J horror I saw in the early 2000s. It needed a few more runs on the script, because this feels like a bunch of energetic ideas just clumped together, and the tone is all over the place, but if this is what giving James Wan a bunch of money and letting him jump around in a bouncehouse gets us, then I hope it's a big hit so we get more of this. Just little things, like the giant mental asylum on the cliff, or the bizarre police headquarters, made this for me. edit: also this is one of the least Seattle movies I've ever seen Magic Hate Ball fucked around with this message at 16:10 on Sep 18, 2021 |
# ? Sep 18, 2021 15:51 |
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Had a grin on my face the whole third act, movie owned
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# ? Sep 18, 2021 21:21 |
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Yooooo Malignant is like what if Brendan from Home Movies actually got to make a movie and I liiiiiiive.
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# ? Sep 19, 2021 10:51 |
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This movie is a very entertaining movie best gone into blind. Regarding questions on the baddie, It's entirely in keeping with horror superpowers. She's super strong because she's literally two people. She has extra brains so she has electrokinesis. Once Gabriel wakes up he can also access all her senses, it's been established. It's all consistent in a horror kind of way.
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# ? Sep 19, 2021 11:44 |
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I watched it and while I appreciated its inspirations was pretty bored with it until the big reveal happens. Then I loved it. The biggest question I have is how she had such a nice house.
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# ? Sep 19, 2021 12:17 |
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Timeless Appeal posted:I watched it and while I appreciated its inspirations was pretty bored with it until the big reveal happens. Then I loved it. Her jerk husband probably had a jerk job.
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# ? Sep 19, 2021 14:36 |
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# ? May 6, 2024 23:41 |
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It was crazy in a good way. The third person cuts to the murders was interesting and cool. The explanation of what was going on was batshit crazy and cool. James Wan has made Warner Brothers SO much money that they gave him free reign to make something so wacky.....and really couldn't say anything. I lol that they cut the trailers to make it seem like a fairly straight forward horror movie after test audiences couldn't understand what they were seeing. Also.....one of the coolest movie posters in recent memory. Freaky.
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# ? Sep 19, 2021 15:02 |