Who knew the Grim Reaper could be so … welcoming. It’s hard to express the excitement I felt seeing him on the bright red Spirit Halloween banner wisping through the wind like a beacon from the heavens above. As my gaze intensified, I began to sense my adrenaline increasing — and my bank account declining. 

Although I have grown out of my days of roaming the aisles of Spirit Halloween in search of extravagant costumes, I’ve learned that the appearance of the annual pop-up store foreshadows two things: cheap candy in bulk at the grocery store and a new slate of horror films set to be released before Halloween. With a rush of inspiration, I got to work on finding both.

I kicked off my horror movie extravaganza this year with the critically acclaimed “Malignant,” directed by James Wan, whose filmography includes “The Conjuring,” “Insidious” and “Saw.” The film revolves around Madison Mitchell (played by Annabelle Wallis), a soon-to-be mother haunted by shocking visions of gruesome murders. The violent acts are performed by a featureless silhouette named Gabriel, whom she finds out is connected to her past. It sounded promising enough to me, so — complying with the ritual for which I believe all horror movies should be watched — I shut off the lights, silenced my phone and let the film roll. 

I’ll start off by saying, the highs are high and the lows are low. The strong contrast between strengths and weaknesses is so conflicting, I found myself sputtering when a friend asked if I’d recommend it. This is apparent online as well with a strong rotten tomatoes score of 77% but underwhelming scores of 6.3 on IMDb, 1 star on RogerEbert.com and a C grade on Cinemascore. So, let’s break it down. 

The acting is a key element holding this film back; I found it difficult to empathize with the characters and establish any sort of emotional attachment, because their performances felt as if they were solely actors in a horror movie. Because of this, any of the reckoning that came their way wasn’t as impactful. It was more of a series of unfortunate events happening to strangers, and call me heartless if you will, but I wasn’t rooting for anyone in particular to win. 

To the actors credit, the script wasn’t doing them any favors. Although the story may be original, it’s filled with bland dialogue and absolutely no character development. Wan is relying on shock factor and gore to win the audience over, with a dash of sympathy for Madison who can’t shoo off the gray storm cloud over her head. 

What didn’t sit well with me was the obvious character tropes Wan made no attempt to avoid. From the lab technician who proclaims, “This is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before,” to the workaholic detective, single because he’s so devoted to his work, the characters felt like recycled cliches that have overstayed their welcome in Hollywood storytelling. 

My final critique would be the third act of the film which is quite jarring —- something that typically works in the favor of horror films. However, in this case, the plot crosses the line from scary to absurd. 

At the beginning, I was tensing up during jump scares that felt true to the film’s paranormal-centered horror, but by the end, I was scratching my head at the bizarre events taking place on screen. The direction of the film, through the first two acts, was as precise as an archer’s arrow, but the third act felt like a gust of wind that blew the arrow off course. 

In spite of the film’s many flaws, the cinematography is something to behold. Shots are artfully composed, and the camera movement lures the viewer in without making the jump scares too predictable. I could tell within the first 20 minutes that the film was meant to be viewed on the big screen and my 16-inch computer wasn’t doing it justice. However, for the sake of curiosity and convenience, I persisted.

The visual effects work hand in hand with the cinematography to construct some highly offputting scenes. As seen in the trailer, the visions of the room melting and morphing into different locations are almost worth the price of admission, or HBO Max, alone. While much of it is incredibly disturbing, it did grab my attention and never let go. 

I also liked the idea of setting the film in Seattle, depicted as a dark and dreary city during its rainstorm season. The atmosphere truly depicts the internal conflicts taking place within Madison which set a clear and consistent tone. It's placed in a location that’s close enough to the wilderness to make you feel estranged from the hustle of downtown, but still urban enough so that it feels like nowhere is safe. 

I am impressed by the sheer risk that James Wan took with this film. After having success with multiple franchise movies over the years, Wan never has to work another day in his life, but he’s here for the sake of contributing original content to the genre he loves. During a period in which sequels and remakes are dominating the box office, I admire his decision to pursue an original passion project. What he imparts to the audience is completely out of the ordinary, and if one thing is for sure, the film, whether you like it or not, is unforgettable. 

“Malignant” is not a movie for everybody. While I’m torn between the good and the bad traits, I can confidently say I’m happy to have given it a chance. It may not be a top tier horror movie, but it did set the tone for the slate of upcoming pre-Halloween releases. And also serves as a great company with some dollar store candy corn.