I have not seen the first Malevolence. I watched this for one reason and one reason only: Alexandra Daddario. The movie was worth watching for her, alone.
Beyond that, this was a pretty boring horror movie that takes more than a few cues from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Which is funny, because Daddario would star in Texas Chainsaw only three years later.
I really feel like there is a good movie in here somewhere. There is just so much story going on within, that it topples under its own weight. Were this a novel, I'd probably like it much more.
I am, however, more interested in seeing the first movie now, since I was missing parts of the mythology that would have made more sense, yet not enough to really make this any better.
Ultimately, the movie writes itself into a corner by making the characters more interesting than the overall plot. I wanted to know more about Allison, and William. So much time was given to them and their tragic family life, that I was sure it was going to pay off, but it was totally irrelevant. Maybe the director/writer should write an indie drama.
Anyway, a total must watch for fans of Alexandra. What an under-appreciated scream queen.
Satisfying prequel to Malevolence. Typical nature vs nurture study that the first was one, but it's cool to see it play out in a slasher like this. Once again Mena shows he has a real proficiency for building tension and some impressive looking shots on a low budget.
Shout by SequelBlockedParent2023-11-20T23:56:20Z
I saw this a couple years ago not realizing it was a prequel & enjoyed it. Just watched the 1st movie Malevolence then watched this one again. As a stand-alone, this movie isn't terrible. As a prequel...soooo many plot holes. Plus the timeline doesn't really match making me wonder if the writers even watched the 1st one :thinking: