Malevolent

In mid-eighties Glasgow brother and sister, Jackson and Angela Sayers, run a fake ghost busting service. They, and a couple of associates turn up with various impressive looking pieces of equipment and Angela, with the 'gift' inherited from her late mother persuades the ghosts to leave. On their latest job she thinks she really saw something. Their next job takes them to a large country house which was once an orphanage. Owner, Mrs Green, tells them it is haunted by the ghosts of girls murdered by her son many years before. Jackson sees it as a great opportunity to make a quick buck to pay off his debts but things soon look more scary; Angela sees the girls, with their mouths sown shut and one of them is hurt in an accident... things will soon get much more dangerous for them.

This isn't a great film but it is solid enough. There is a decent twist and the end is suitably disturbing, and quite violent. The setting is good although I'm not sure why we are told it is set in the eighties as it doesn't really have a feel of that time; it could have been set anytime in the last forty years from what we see. The cast is impressive; Florence Pugh is great as Angela, I've yet to see her not impress; Ben Lloyd-Hughes is solid as Jackson and Celia Imrie is impressive as Mrs. Greene. The scenes in the house are nicely creepy and there are some decent jump scares. Overall this isn't a classic and those involved have starred in better things; however if you want a ninety minute horror film you could do a lot worse.

While far from being a great example of the genre, this haunted house / survival horror film is saved from banality by two things. Firstly, its sound design, which makes good use of the period setting to build atmosphere through the scratches, clicks and distorted audio of walkie-talkies used by the team of paranormal investigators. But secondly, and most importantly, by strong performances from Florence Pugh and Celia Imrie (who is able to bring depth and feeling to a character that could have been a paper cutout in the hands of a less skilled actor). The plot also teases at some parallels between the personalities and motivations of these two characters, both in their relationships with their mothers and their desperation to hold onto what remains of their families.

There were moments during this horror flick where I was fully engaged but then found myself struggling to keep interested. The pace is uneven and the dialog stiff and unnatural. A big part of the problem is actor Ben Lloyd-Hughes. Perhaps it's the fault of the filmmakers for making this Brit actor an American caritcature, cartoonish in his immorality, bullying with denim shirt sleeves rolled up like a 50's Kerouac character, but most of the fault likes with the actor himself. Lloyd-Hughes prefers bludgeoning the viewer instead of giving us muted shades. On the other hand, Florence Pugh is a revelation. Whereas Lloyd-Hughes's portrayal lacks subtlety, Pugh is all nuance. Silent through much of the movie, the director lets Pugh's face tell the story. She has a way of barely moving her facial muscles to convey a great deal. At one point early on, a friend asks a newly-haunted Angela if "she's on something." Her reaction perfectly captures that look narcotic drugs can bring to a person; it leaves the viewer with no doubt to her changing state of mind. A wonderful moment. As for the film itself, it avoids many of the genre's repetitious gimmicks, relying on our imagination to fill in the blanks. For that alone, and Pugh's remarkable performance, I enjoyed "Malevolent," despite the lagging moments, weak dialog and Ben Lloyd-Hughes.

Starts out good enough. Your average horror film. Decent actors, Ok plot. a little bit of Occulus mixed with Grave encounters and other films.

And then, the ending. Wtf. I can't find any words for it. It is truly horrible. How did they not come up with anything better?

Minor spoilers ahead:

1. They show way (waay) to much. Not a scary ending. 2. Elliot can apparently survive anything.

A simple idea but easily to determine how it's going to end. Good acting but sometimes a bit stiff. Some scenes were gruesome but overall an ok 'ghost' story if you have a spare hour or so to watch it. Nothing to keep you on the edge of your seat.