James Wan has established himself as a king of horror after creating both The Conjuring and Saw universes. Now, he’s ready to stake out new territory with his upcoming horror film Malignant. Watch the first trailer for it below.
Malignant tells the story of Madison (played by Annabelle Wallis), a woman who constantly has nightmares about graphic murders, only to wake up and find out that her dreams are actually happening in real life. Starring alongside Wallis in the film are Maddie Hasson, Mckenna Grace, Jake Abel, George Young, Michole Briana White, and Jacqueline McKenzie.
In the film’s trailer, we watch Madison drift off into sleep where she witnesses a brutal stabbing. After seeing a news report about that same murder the following day, she begins to connect the dots about her not-so-fleeting dreams. Soon Madison remembers details about her childhood imaginary friend Gabriel and his insidious status as the so-called devil. The whole thing is wrapped up in eerie red-and-blue hues, orbiting shots, and supernatural elements that have become staples of Wan’s cinematic work, bringing to mind both A Nightmare on Elm Street and Insidious.
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In addition to directing the movie, Wan teamed up with Akela Cooper to co-write a script based on a story they crafted with Ingrid Bisu. Fans of Wan’s work will be stoked to learn that Malignant is a reunion of sorts when it comes to collaborators from his previous horror franchises. Director of photography Don Burgess and editor Kirk Morri (Aquaman, The Conjuring 2), production designer Desma Murphy (Aquaman, Furious 7), and costume designer Lisa Norcia (Insidious: The Last Key) are all onboard. Plus, the composer behind all seven films in The Conjuring universe, Joseph Bishara, is tackling the music for Malignant, too.
Malignant is set to be released on September 10th. Like the rest of Warner Bros.’ 2021 catalog, it’s going to come out in theaters and hit HBO Max on the same day, so fans can watch no matter their comfort level with a COVID-19 world.
