The Netflix Bonkers Horror Bloodfest With An Unpredictable Twist

Malignant follows pregnant Madison Mitchell (Annabelle Wallis), who experiences terrifying visions of grisly murders while enduring an abusive relationship with her husband, Derek (Jake Abel).

During a heated argument about her previous miscarriages, Derek violently injures Madison, who locks herself in her room. She then has a nightmare of a mysterious figure entering their house and murdering Derek.

To her horror, this dream becomes reality as the killer attacks Madison, rendering her unconscious. Awakening in a hospital, Madison discovers that her unborn child did not survive the attack.

Her sister, Sydney (Maddie Hasson), informs her about the tragic loss. Madison, who was adopted as a child and has no recollection of her earlier life, confides in Sydney about her disturbing visions.

The mysterious killer, identified as Gabriel, continues his spree by attacking Doctor Florence Weaver (Jacqueline McKenzie). Detectives investigating the incident find a childhood photo of Madison at Doctor Weaver’s residence, leading them to discover that Madison was once under the doctor’s care.

Gabriel later makes contact with Madison, setting the stage for the horrors that follow in Malignant.

The police eventually discover a greater link between Madison and the doctors. They hire a psychiatric hypnotherapist to unlock her memories.

Madison remembers that her real name is Emily May and recalls Gabriel’s disturbing influence. When the police arrest Madison for murder, Sydney investigates Simion Hospital, discovering the truth about Gabriel.

Malignant premiered in select international markets in September 2021, followed by a theatrical release in the United States a few days later. Warner Bros. Pictures, through the New Line Cinema banner, handled its distribution.

Originally slated for release in August 2020, the film faced delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic, leading to its removal from the March 2020 release schedule.

As part of Warner Bros.’ strategy for their 2021 films, Malignant was concurrently streamed on HBO Max for one month, after which it received a standard home media release on Blu-ray and DVD. The movie received mostly positive from viewers and critics who appreciated the film’s unique approach to the horror genre and its unexpected narrative twists.

When developing Malignant, James Wan wanted to create a film that felt different from his previous works in the horror genre. In September 2019, the filmmaker revealed that the story would align with the Giallo film genre. The inspiration for the character Gabriel came from Ingrid Bisu’s interest in medical anomalies, particularly the urban legend of Edward Mordake.

James Wan is widely regarded as a modern horror master due to his contributions to the genre. He began his career with a low-budget horror film called Stygian, which earned attention for its suspense and creativity.

However, it wasn’t until his groundbreaking horror film Saw that Wan became a household name.

Wan continued to build upon his reputation with the creation of the Insidious and The Conjuring franchises, among others. Although Malignant doesn’t belong to a larger universe, it’s definitely a testament to the filmmaker’s talent.