Malum (2023) - Movie Review

What do you get when a writer / director decides to remake one of their less than mediocre horror films?

A better, if not extremely flawed experience.

Let’s discuss…

A low-budget horror film rarely gets a sequel, much less so when one gets a remake. Especially one that performed as badly as 2014’s The Last Shift. Which is why I was surprised when I saw this Blu-ray on the shelf. I was even more shocked that this film, in its overtly satanic packaging, was on a featured, new release shelf at my Bible Belt Walmart.

Malum is a 2023 horror/thriller from writer/director Anthony Diblasi and writer Scott Poiley. DiBlasi is best known for the previous iteration of this film, 2014’s The Last Shift, and the criminally underrated 2009 Clive Barker adaptation, Dread. He’s a disciple of Clive Barker, which is evident by the absolute dreamscape of atmosphere he puts into his work. He’s visionary, but he lacks the budget and the chops to execute a complete thought. That being said, Malum is the closest he’s gotten to a complete original horror film.

The film focuses on Jessica Loren on her first night as a police officer. It’s been a year since her father, a decorated lawman, saved two young girls from a murderous cult. It’s been a year since her father followed up his heroism with a mass murder of fellow police officers. It’s been a year since he killed himself before telling her why. As members of the cult run rampant through the streets and the police struggle to maintain order, Jessica volunteers to work the final overnight shift in the dilapidated police station where her father died. She’s hoping to find answers, but hope quickly turns to horror. She’s working by herself, but she’s not alone. There is a crawling darkness within the building, a hungering mystery that could answer her questions or swallow her whole. Will she find what she’s looking for, or will she fall victim to Malum?

There’s a momentum that builds at a fantastic pace, but then crashes and burns in the third act.

The movie starts with a bang. It’s a fantastic entrance into the film and establishes a direct motivation for Jessica’s mission. That was something missing in the previous film.

As the film progresses, the effects and the story devolve into stereotypical horror tropes that bring down other low-budget projects. Rubber masks and the lead character have repressed memories / they’re the monster.

This is a legitimately creepy film for about an hour. The setting, the creature design, and the smoke and mirrors of keeping everything just out of focus work incredibly. It’s when the film gets to its climax that it’s obvious that there was no money left. Using prerecorded “found footage” narration over strobing actors, who are meant to be spirits, but there’s no attempt to make them look like it. It’s as if they filmed the actors while flipping the lights on and off.

The film ends even more abruptly than the first, and feels incomplete. The lead character is a strong, young woman with conviction. She’s a survivor, and then the film does that to her?

Really?

Jessica Sula is a fantastic lead.

I feel so bad for Ms. Sula. She is such an incredible upgrade over the original film’s actress, Juliana Harkavy. Juliana is a gorgeous woman, but she can’t act. She can’t emote. She was one of the weakest elements of the previous film. Sula was the exact opposite. She was the best actor in the film by far, and she carried it as far as she could.

Jessica Sula is a powerhouse and I was pissed (not in a good way) at how this film failed her.

The sound design is great, and there are some legit scares here.

Yes, many scenes are shot-for-shot remakes of the original film, which spoils some of the jump scares. Most of the terror comes from the creepy atmosphere and the fantastic performance of the films lead.

It’s just too bad the film doesn’t stick the landing.

I purchased this film on physical media. I believe it is available to rent on most digital platforms.