Malignant (2021)    Warner Bros./Horror    RT: 111 minutes    Rated R (strong horror violence and gruesome images, language)    Director: James Wan    Screenplay: Akela Cooper    Music: Joseph Bishara    Cinematography: Michael Burgess    Release date: September 10, 2021 (US)    Cast: Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, George Young, Michole Briana White, Jean Louisa Kelly, Susanna Thompson, Jake Abel, Jacqueline McKenzie, Christian Clemenson, Amir AboulEla, Mercedes Colon, Ingrid Bisu, Ray Chase, Ruben Pla, Jon Lee Brody, Paula Marshall, Zoe Bell, Dan Ramos, Shaunte Johnson, Mckenna Grace, Madison Wolfe, Andy Bean, Patricia Velasquez.    Box Office: $13.4M (US)/$34.9M (World)

Rating: ***

 James Wan is a modern Master of Horror. He created the Conjuring Universe and co-created the Saw and Insidious franchises. These are the horror movies that pleased genre fans and dominated the box office for the past two decades. Will he continue his winning streak with his latest offering, the supernatural thriller Malignant? If it was up to me, yes. Alas, it’s not. It all depends on how audiences react to it. Do I think it deserves to be a hit? To that, I say yes.

 Seattle resident Madison Mitchell (Wallis, star of the first Annabelle movie) is stuck in a bad marriage to an abusive jerk (Abel, Love & Mercy) who blames the pregnant woman for her previous miscarriages (three in the past two years). He says vile things like “How many times do I have to watch my children die inside of you?” before violently slamming her head against a wall. Witnessing this, we know the creep isn’t long for this world. Sure enough, a dark, ghostly figure shows up that very night and proceeds to terrorize him in the usual ways (e.g. turning on appliances, lights and the TV) before offing him. It then attacks Madison, knocking her unconscious and causing yet another miscarriage. This is only the start of her problems.

 Naturally, the two investigating detectives- handsome Kekoa Shaw (Young, Containment) and tough Regina Moss (White, Lila & Eve)- suspect Madison killed her husband despite the fact it’s physically impossible for her to do it the way it’s described. She comes home two weeks later under the watchful eye of little sister Sydney (Hasson, God Bless America). Not long after, Madison starts experiencing visions of murders taking place in other parts of the city. She’s convinced the killer is her childhood imaginary friend Gabriel. Well, he wasn’t really a friend. She describes him as “the devil”. As for being imaginary, he’s anything but. It’s all connected to some weird goings-on at a psychiatric hospital in the early 90s and a past she doesn’t remember.

 I don’t want to spoil things for you by revealing what Gabriel really is, but I feel absolutely compelled to thank Wan for giving a great big shout-out to one of my all-time favorite cult horror movies. I can’t tell you what is it, but the director’s initials are FH. Go ahead and Google it if you must.

 For me, Malignant is a neat throwback to old school horror albeit with modern CGI effects. The poster itself is a work of art. It shows Wallis, who resembles 60s horror actress Barbara Steele (Black Sunday, The Pit and the Pendulum), looking terrified while a knife blade (the letter I in the title) dangles just inches from her eye.  As for the movie, it positively brims with atmosphere and dread. It uses its overcast Seattle setting to great effect. I especially like how Wan and writer Akela Cooper work Subterranean Seattle into the story. Malignant has plenty of suspense, a couple of decent “BOO!” scenes and buckets of blood. It would have been cooler if didn’t use CGI gore, but whatever. It’s still great to see a scary movie with a high body count. I didn’t keep score, but it has to be in the double digits. The police station slaughter, which starts in a jail cell and makes its way to the squad room, makes the one in The Terminator look like a Sunday school picnic.

 It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the acting in Malignant isn’t Oscar-level stuff. It never is in any of these mainstream horror flicks aimed at fans and teens. That said, the performances aren’t terrible either. Wallis looks suitably scared as the already psychologically damaged woman haunted by terrifying visions of murders committed by an apparition (or something). White has some good moments as the no-BS cop who doesn’t buy Madison’s story. Romanian actress Ingrid Bisu, also the story co-writer, is good as a lovelorn CSI crushing on Detective Shaw. I’ll grant that character development isn’t one of the movie’s strong points, but we know enough about Madison to know her pain. Horror fans will appreciate cameos by Paula Marshall (Hellraiser III), Zoe Bell (Death Proof), Andy Bean (It Chapter Two), Madison Wolfe (The Conjuring 2) and Mckenna Grace (Annabelle Comes Home).

 Although a bit overlong at 111 minutes, I really enjoyed Malignant. It took me back to a time when the pain of school starting was eased a bit by the horror movies that came out in early September, two of them being The Slumber Party Massacre (1982) and The House on Sorority Row (1983). I don’t know if others will share my nostalgic viewpoint; I’m just funny that way. As for it starting a whole new franchise for Wan, I can think of worse things. It might be interesting to see where he can take the story.