The Big Picture
- Malignant's twist ending creates plot holes, such as how Madison gains superhuman abilities despite being a normal person. But even great twists like Fight Club and Saw have their flaws.
- The movie drops hints throughout that lead up to the shocking twist ending, such as obvious clues in the opening scene and subtle nods like the lighting pattern indicating the same location.
- Malignant's marketing fooled the audience into thinking it was a typical ghost story, similar to how Gone Girl was marketed as a murder mystery but had a shocking twist.
In one of the craziest and weirdest horror films of the 21st century, James Wan introduced the world to Malignant and the filmmaker wasn't kidding when he said that the 2021 feature was an entirely different beast from his past works. Malignant stars Annabelle Wallis as Madison Mitchell, a woman tormented by shocking visions of brutal and violent murders that happen to be reality. Now, we all know the insane twist that comes in the final act of this film, which is that Gabriel is a parasitic twin of Madison and that the tumor has been taking over Madison's body to commit his heinous and bloody deeds, which are the visions Madison has been seeing. Malignant is now available to stream on Hulu. So, if you're revisiting for the first time since its release or this is your first time ever experiencing this bonkers horror ride, here's every hint the movie teased you with about that twist ending.
'Malignant's Twist Ending Creates Some Plot Holes
I won't pretend that this bonkers twist doesn't create some plot holes. If Gabriel was using Madison's body, how the hell did she gain spider-monkey abilities, like the ability to jump down an entire building during the chase with Detective Shaw, or even have the strength to launch a freaking hospital bed? Gabriel is essentially invincible, but Madison is a normal human being. That isn't the only issue when it comes to the jaw-dropping twist, but some of the best twists in film history also come with plot holes. David Fincher's Fight Club has one of the best twists ever, but when you actually rewatch the film, you end up questioning how can Jack and Tyler Durden be the same person in some scenes. Or Saw, which makes you wonder why Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) needed to pretend to be a dead body the entire time when he had surveillance cameras watching Adam and Dr. Gordon.
'Malignant' Hints at Its Bizarre Ending Throughout the Movie
Nevertheless, the twist still elevates the overall feature, and it's even more fun to watch the clues that lead up to the shocking plot reveal. It's like The Sixth Sense, in that you can sit down and pick apart each and every Easter egg of the film that the filmmakers cleverly planted. The opening scene is a huge red flag of obvious clues: Dr. Weaver's (Jacqueline McKenzie) campy line of, "It's time we cut out the cancer" is the most obvious, but one of the more subtle nods is the adorable panda socks that Gabriel/Madison is notably wearing as the doctors dragged her body to the chair. This is reminiscent of Jojo Rabbit, where Taika Waititi smacked audiences in the face with Rosie's (Scarlett Johansson) shoes. Though we don't see the socks again, the sheer focus on them indicates to audiences that this is a woman's body.
The next big clue is during the incident where Gabriel is released, which is when Derek (Jake Abel) slams Madison's head against the wall. Throughout the feature, blood always leaks from Madison when she is lying down on something, or most notably after Gabriel commits a crime. However, one of the more subtle clues is the scene where Madison locks the door to the bathroom. The lighting pattern is exactly the same as the window in Gabriel's hiding spot in the attic. This indicates that they're in the same location, as that lighting pattern isn't in any other scene outside the house.
The first half also makes a noticeable deal about Madison having three miscarriages. That all comes back down to Gabriel using her fetuses to keep himself alive. On the more subtle side, the second victim Gabriel goes after is Madison's birth mother, Serena May (Jean Louisa Kelly). Wisely, her introduction does give away that she's the birth mother, due to the simple fact that she looks just like Madison. In fact, I actually thought it was Madison in the first few minutes before we got an up close and personal shot of her face, but the similar wig is a dead giveaway that she's related to a tormented girl. An interesting piece of dialogue was stated before Gabriel captures Serena: "Some say the ghosts of the past still haunt these tunnels." It's a clever way of highlighting the complex relationship between Serena, Madison, and Gabriel without making it obvious that there are ties between the three in such an early scene.
Since this film is billed as supernatural, the transition into watching the deaths was smart, in that audiences didn't tie Madison to Gabriel because the story is so familiar. James Wan knows this and plays off our expectations by taking the film into directions that have a "been there, done that" vibe, but in actuality, Wan is literally telling us that Madison's body is committing these murders. When you really look back at the film, you see just how "in your face" these clues are; however, it wasn't just the clues that lead up to the shocking twist, it's the fact we as an audience have an expectation of the type of film we are watching.
'Malignant's Marketing Fooled the Audience
The advertisement led us to believe that this was something in the vein of The Conjuring, The Amityville Horror, or dozens of other ghost stories. This reminds me of the way David Fincher's Gone Girl was marketed. In the trailers, the film comes across as your stereotypical murder mystery that paints Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) as the man behind the disappearance of his wife. However, once you see the film, the curtains are pulled back when we realize that a psychopath (Rosamund Pike's Amy Dunne) is trying to destroy her husband's livelihood by framing him as a violent and abusive man who killed his wife. Now, anyone who read the book knew the story going in, but for the fans who didn't read it, you got an unforgettable theater experience once the true story unfolded.
Once that moment in Malignant is revealed, then the breadcrumbs and masterclass in filmmaking truly make you appreciate what James Wan managed to achieve. Is the film perfect? God no, but as mentioned above, Malignant isn't the first beloved twist-filled film that has plot holes in it. From the brutal murders that unraveled more clues about Gabriel and Madison's past to the low-key Easter eggs sprinkled in, up to the third act, Malignant is one of the most memorable horror films to come out in recent times. Whether you loved or hated it, it's hard to not appreciate the clever way in which James Wan told this strange story of a girl and her psycho-parasitic brother.