James Wan’s horror pedigree spans far and wide. Malignant’s director got his start coming up with the Saw franchise with fellow film student Leigh Whannell. Recently, Wan is most known for his work in the Insidious and The Conjuring franchise. These are titles that horror fans know and love.
This makes the film Malignant even more confusing. Starring Annabelle actor Annabelle Wallis, the story revolves around a traumatized woman in an abusive marriage, struggling with the death of another child in utero. This stark and devastating opening to the movie does not match the rest of the film. Many elements of the film are out of place, confusing, or just don’t make sense.
Gabriel’s Powers
There are times where Malignant cannot decide what it would like to be. Gabriel is a parasitic twin, and is admittedly a scary-looking horror movie villain. But his combination of powers does not all connect. Gabriel has increased strength and takes over Madison’s mind to benefit himself.
But Gabriel's control over electronics is baffling. He can control any electrical medium and use electricity against his foes. This is never explained. In addition, he at times displays corporeal and noncorporeal abilities. Gabriel controls Madison’s body and kills without reason. But before Madison’s husband Derrick is killed, he sees the couch move as though someone was sitting in it. Gabriel is not a specter. But somehow he can act as though he is a ghost.
Gabriel’s Doctor
Dr. Weaver had been a presence in Madison and Gabriel’s life since birth. While the twins are admitted to her hospital, she thinks that she can tame Gabriel while he is still attached to Madison. When she realizes this isn’t feasible, she elects to sever their connection and cut Garbiel out. This would be an achievement in science, which is why she is one of the smartest characters in Malignant. However, when she completes the procedure, she seems to forget about it entirely.
When Gabriel returns, it takes far too long for Dr. Weaver to remember that Gabriel existed. Dr. Weaver had one of the most terrifying and awe-inspiring cases of her career. And yet when Gabriel comes to kill her, she only seems to remember that he existed after he appears. At that point, it is too late for her and Gabriel kills her.
Parasitic Twins
Parasitic twins are a phenomenon that is known to happen outside of fiction. But the only way for parasitic twins to occur is if they are identical. Identical twins come from the same embryo and split. This is the only way for twins to become stuck as they do in Malignant. Because they are identical, they would have to share the same gender.
Fraternal twins would not be able to be parasitic. In this case, Gabriel and Madison are heavily implied to be of different genders. There would be no scientific way for Gabriel to be stuck to Madison unless they came from the same embryo. This is something overlooked by the filmmakers.
Useless Detectives
In many horror films of this ilk, detectives are exploring this phenomenon because of a crime. Detective Shaw comes into play after Derrick's death. If they suspect foul play, they only suspect Madison for a short period and move on to other reasoning. And yet, they are not the ones to solve the mystery. The detectives are not necessary to the plot of Malignant.
Shaw's partner Regina Moss never seems to want to do her job. She is outwardly antagonistic to Sydney at most opportunities. And even when Shaw is working the case well into the night, Moss elects to leave him by himself. Shaw pursues Gabriel into Seattle’s underground, but he never finds out anything. Madison’s sister is the one to find all the information on Gabriel. She breaks into the condemned building that used to be a hospital and finds Madison’s old case records. Detective Shaw ultimately does nothing and it is Sydney that finds out what is going on.
Gabriel And Madison's Mother
Many of Gabriel’s motivations make a lot of sense. He becomes activated after Derrick smashes Madison into a wall. He then goes on a rampage, killing anyone that tried to hurt him at the hospital. But that is where the logic stops. There is a plot thread regarding Gabriel and Madison’s mother Serena that does not seem relevant at all.
Gabriel kidnaps Serena after finding her on a tour of the Seattle underground. While it makes sense that Gabriel may want to kill his mother for giving them up, no plan ever comes to fruition. Gabriel hides their mother in Madison’s attic but little else happens. Serena is comatose for most of the film and may only survive due to dumb luck. And even when she does wake up, she inexplicably regrets giving up Gabriel and Madison despite the torture she has just endured.
Gabriel’s Rules Are Confusing
Madison maintains that she was adopted at eight years old in a tonally strange scene that elects to play The Pixies 'Where Is My Mind' in the background. This memory loss may have to do with the surgery meant to suppress Gabriel in Madison’s brain. However, Gabriel does not disappear. When Madison is adopted, she still gets messages from Gabriel, trying to convince her to kill her unborn sister.
There is no explanation why Madison’s time at the hospital or those few months with her new family disappears. Her sister later states that Gabriel was there the whole time, feeding on Madison’s fetuses to grow strong. Even if that is the case, Gabriel only starts wreaking havoc after Madison’s brain injury activates him. The film can’t seem to decide what rules of the world to follow.
Romance That Goes Nowhere
Madison’s romantic prospects seem to be doomed. She is trapped in an abusive marriage with a man that blames her for her miscarriages. Derrick is also the reason that Gabriel starts taking control of Madison. Romance does not flow well with Malignant, and yet the film tries to fit one in.
Detective Shaw meets Sydney, one of Malignant's best characters, through the investigation. From this moment, it seems that there is a hint of romance. The two characters gaze at each other and there are throwaway lines about their attraction towards each other. But in the end, there is no follow-through. This plot is shoehorned into a movie that does not want romance. This time would have been better devoted to explaining the rules of the world.
The End
The end of Malignant is anticlimactic. Despite its impressive action sequences and entertaining twist, the ending is surprisingly toothless. Madison realizes that because she and Gabriel share a mind, she can employ the same tricks that he did. This reveal is so far in the movie, it is difficult to become invested in it.
Madison simply locks Gabriel in a prison in her mind. The scene is short with a speech explaining exactly what Madison is doing. This end is so easy, it doesn’t make sense why it takes an almost two-hour film to find this conclusion.