Malignant Movie Review | Common Sense Media

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Parents' Guide to

Malignant Movie R 2021 111 minutes Malignant Poster Image
  • Common Sense Says
  • Parents Say 2 Reviews
  • Kids Say 13 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson By Jeffrey M. Anderson , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 16+

Extreme blood and gore in stylish, over-the-top horror pic.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Malignant is a supernatural horror/slasher movie directed by James Wan. It's extremely violent, with lots of blood, gore, carnage, fighting, spousal abuse, violence against women, and more. There's also guns and shooting, a murderous monster, twisted corpses,…

 Why Age 16+? Violence & Scariness

Extremely strong gore, with brutal murders, slashing and stabbing, huge blood sp

 Language

Strong, fairly frequent language includes uses of "f--k," "motherf----r," "s--t,

 Sex, Romance & Nudity

Flirting.

 Products & Purchases

Google, Wikipedia mentioned.

 Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

A man mentions that he "quit drinking."

 Any Positive Content? Positive Messages

Though message doesn't manifest itself until the end, movie is essentially about

 Positive Role Models

Two main characters are strong women: Madison is put in position of being a vict

 Diverse Representations

The two main characters are White women. Sydney is a well-rounded character. Mad

  • Parents Need to Know

    Parents need to know that Malignant is a supernatural horror/slasher movie directed by James Wan. It's extremely violent, with lots of blood, gore, carnage, fighting, spousal abuse, violence against women, and more. There's also guns and shooting, a murderous monster, twisted corpses, broken limbs, scenes of surgery, stabbing, blood spatters, jump scares, and references to rape and miscarriage. Strong language includes several uses of "f--k," "motherf----r," "s--t," "bitch," and more. Characters flirt a little, and a man says he's quit drinking. It all feels a little too familiar and often silly, but it's also over-the-top and has lots of style, as well as a fresh idea.

    To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

  • Violence & Scariness

    a lot

    Extremely strong gore, with brutal murders, slashing and stabbing, huge blood spatters, bloody wounds, etc. Creepy stuff. Scenes of massive carnage. Murderous monster. A man smashes his wife's head up against a wall, cracking drywall and drawing blood. Characters are slammed against walls, floors. Desecrated corpse, corpse twisted into impossible position. Broken limbs, protruding bones. Opening credits montage includes disturbing medical drawings, scalpels slicing into flesh, etc. Woman tied up, imprisoned. Big fight scene, with punching, kicking, stomping, etc. Some guns and shooting; character shot in head. Jump scares. Fall from high place. Screaming in panic and anguish. Reference to a teen girl being raped.

    Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

    Get started Close

  • Language

    a lot

    Strong, fairly frequent language includes uses of "f--k," "motherf----r," "s--t," "c--k," "bitch," "goddamn," "hell," "pissed," and "oh my God" and "Jesus" as exclamations.

    Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

    Get started Close

  • Sex, Romance & Nudity

    very little

    Flirting.

    Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

    Get started Close

  • Products & Purchases

    very little

    Google, Wikipedia mentioned.

  • Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

    very little

    A man mentions that he "quit drinking."

    Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

    Get started Close

  • Positive Messages

    a little

    Though message doesn't manifest itself until the end, movie is essentially about standing up to a bully. This occurs in supernatural terms rather than real-world circumstances, but it's still satisfying.

  • Positive Role Models

    a little

    Two main characters are strong women: Madison is put in position of being a victim until the end, when she discovers her strength. Sydney is a selfless sister who goes out of her way (even snooping through creepy abandoned hospital) to help Madison. Police detectives are even fairly decent characters, despite occasional cynicism; they're shown as hard-working, sympathetic.

  • Diverse Representations

    a little

    The two main characters are White women. Sydney is a well-rounded character. Madison comes across as a victim for much of the movie but eventually finds her strength. The fourth major character, Detective Regina Moss, is a Black woman; she's a little cynical, but she's also decent, dedicated, has agency. A scene in prison is drawn from reductive "women in prison" stereotypes, with a butch lesbian, a Black woman with a giant Afro, etc.

    Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update .

Where to Watch

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Malignant

Parent and Kid Reviews

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  • Parents Say (2)
  • Kids Say (13)
age 14+

Based on 2 parent reviews

See all 2 parent reviews age 14+

Based on 13 kid reviews

Kids say the film offers a mix of impressive visual storytelling and unsettling gore, resulting in a divisive experience among viewers. While many appreciate its unique concept and thrilling twists, the extreme violence and bloodshed may be disturbing and unsuitable for younger audiences.

  • visual storytelling
  • extreme violence
  • unique concept
  • suitable for older teens
  • divisive experience
  • thrilling twists
Summarized with AI
See all 13 kid reviews

What's the Story?

In MALIGNANT, Madison (Annabelle Wallis) is pregnant after having had three miscarriages. One day, her abusive husband loses his temper and slams her up against a wall. That night, a monster appears in the house, kills the husband, and sends Madison to the hospital, where she loses the baby. Her sister, Sydney (Maddie Hasson), visits and wants to help, while police detectives Kekoa Shaw (George Young) and Regina Moss (Michole Briana White) try to solve the murder with little to go on. Soon, Madison starts having visions of other murders, as if she were transported right to the scene of the crime; she can see what's happening but can't move. As the bodies pile up, the clues point to Madison's past, before she was adopted by Sydney's parents -- a time that Madison cannot remember.

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Is It Any Good?

Our review: Parents say (2 ): Kids say (13 ):

Thanks to director James Wan's exhilarating directorial style and a fresh take, this over-the-top, sometimes silly Frankenstein-like patchwork of old horror movie ideas becomes demented fun. It's not long before Malignant starts to recall old-time favorites like Brian De Palma's Sisters (1973) and Frank Henenlotter's Basket Case (1982), as well as any other number of supernatural slashers and terrifying tales of imaginary friends (there's even a nod to old "women in prison" movies). The monster's long, stringy hair even resembles the locks on the killers from The Ring and The Grudge movies. But never fear: Wan, who cooked up Malignant's original story with screenwriter Akela Cooper and his wife, actor Ingrid Bisu (who appears in a small, delightful role as forensic technician "Winnie"), has a new idea here.

Then there are Wan's signature touches behind the camera. Like the late, great Wes Craven, Wan knows precisely how to use three-dimensional space -- especially corners, hallways, stairways, and nooks and crannies -- for maximum scary effect. With the extra-gory Malignant, he goes big, with fluid, kinetic cameras zooming overhead, taking in an entire floor plan, and then moving up to creepy attics, to a sinister abandoned hospital, and down to secret underground tunnels. These corridors, lit with beams of light sneaking between broken bricks, are filled with surprises, and anything could be hidden anywhere. This is the kind of movie that easily makes you forgive its slip-ups (why does the killer zip around like a parkour practitioner?) and embrace its whole-hearted enthusiasm.

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Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Malignant's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?

  • What's the appeal of horror movies? Why do people sometimes like to be scared?

  • In what way is the movie about bullying? How are the bullies dealt with? Are there any real-world applications here?

  • Do you consider any of the characters positive role models? Why, or why not?

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Movie Details

  • In theaters : September 10, 2021
  • On DVD or streaming : September 10, 2021
  • Cast : Annabelle Wallis , Maddie Hasson , George Young
  • Director : James Wan
  • Inclusion Information : Asian Movie Director(s) , Southeast Asian Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Bisexual Movie Actor(s)
  • Studios : Warner Bros. , New Line Cinema
  • Genre : Horror
  • Topics : Fantasy
  • Run time : 111 minutes
  • MPAA rating : R
  • MPAA explanation : strong horror violence and gruesome images, and for language
  • Last updated : October 9, 2025
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Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Malignant

Suggest an Update

Your privacy is important to us. We won't share this comment without your permission. If you chose to provide an email address, it will only be used to contact you about your comment. See our privacy policy . Malignant Poster Image

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