Annabelle Wallis' character runs away from an unseen threat in a new clip from Malignant. James Wan first made a name for himself with his feature directorial debut, the notoriously gory Saw. In 2004, Wan made the film with a measly budget of $1.2 million and it went on to gross $103.9 million at the box office, the kind of indie roots he hopes to return to with his next film. Since Saw, Wan has directed Insidious, also made on a small budget of $1.5 million, and The Conjuring, both of which were hits at the box office and went on to become lucrative franchises from Wan.
Wan has also stepped outside the horror genre to helm other franchise films, Furious 7 and Aquaman. Considering that both these films grossed over $1 billion at the box office, one might begin to think Wan has the Midas touch. Whether or not this will be the case with Malignant, releasing on September 10 through Warner Bros.' hybrid model, remains to be seen. The film has clearly been a passion project for the director, as he has expressed an interest in returning to his indie horror roots by making a film with nothing but old-fashioned practical effects, free from giant blue screens typically used by big-budget productions.
Now, Screen Rant has a new clip showcasing the latest look at Malignant. The film centers around Annabelle Wallis' main character, Madison, who is experiencing agonizing visions of grisly murders, which she eventually discovers are actually happening. This heart-pounding clip, which runs just over a minute long, teases how these illusions will manifest themselves. After a strong wind blows her front door ajar, Madison scurries upstairs to her bedroom to safety, but all the while, she appears to be running from, well, nobody. Watch the clip below:
Based on this clip and the previous trailers for Malignant, Wan's latest film seems to be more in line with a psychological thriller rather than a full-on horror film, as any menacing demons, spirits, or others entities remain unseen. However, Malignant has received a "hard-R" rating and Wan recently said it's the "most violent and most gory film" he's ever made, so this could just be an example of the marketing campaign being purposefully misleading to not turn audiences off.
Not much else is known about the film in the way of plot details other than Madison's visions, so this clip could be building to some big revelation that the film is hiding, which the director has teased is the case. With clear influence from 1980s horror films, Wan's return to the genre with Malignant is surely shaping up to be a unique addition to his impressive filmography.
