How to Watch James Wan’s Horror Film ‘Malignant’ for Free
Latifah Muhammad
“Malignant,” James Wan’s (“Saw,” “The Conjuring,” and “Insidious”) latest horror offering, scared its way into theaters on Friday, but for those of you who want to watch from home, the film is streaming exclusively on HBO Max.
Annabelle Wallis (“The Loudest Voice,” “The Mummy”) stars in the spooky movie about a woman who discovers that her debilitating dreams are terrifying realities. Rounding out the cast are Maddie Hasson (“Novitiate”), George Young (“Containment”), Michole Briana White (“Lila and Eve,”), Jake Abel (“Another Life,” “Dirty John”), Jacqueline McKenzie (“Pine Gap,” “Halifax: Retribution”), and Ingrid Bisu (“The Nun,” “Toni Erdmann”).
In order to watch “Malignant,” you must be subscribed to the HBO Max ad-free plan ($14.99 a month). The movie is available in 4K Ultra HD, HDR 10, and Dolby Vision.
Don’t have HBO Max? Join today through Hulu and enjoy a free seven-day trial. The subscription includes a free weeklong trial to Hulu as well. After the trial ends, your Hulu subscription will cost $5.99 a month for ad-supporting streaming, or $11.99 a month without ads (Hulu’s monthly prices increase to $6.99 and $12.99 on October 8).
You can also sign up for HBO Max through internet, cell phone, and TV providers such as AT&T, DirectTV Stream, and Verizon. If you’re a cable subscriber, Xfinity, Cox Communications, and other providers automatically include HBO Max at no extra charge for customers who already have HBO.
With HBO Max, you have the choice of streaming content from your TV, laptop, smartphone, and various compatible devices via the HBO Max app. The streaming service gives you instant access to tens of thousands of hours of movies and TV shows — including HBO Originals and every Warner Bros. film slated to hit theaters this year (but only for the first 31 days after the film’s theater release). HBO Max includes personalized streaming for up to five different accounts, along with flexible parental controls and curated kid-friendly content.
The screenplay for “Malignant” was written by Akela Cooper (“M3GAN,” “The Nun 2”) and J.T. Petty (story by Wan and Bisu). The film is produced by Wan and Michael Clear, with Richard Brener, Eric McLeod, Bisu, Judson Scott, and Starlight Media’s Peter Luo serving as executive producers.
“For better or for worse, I set out to make a movie that is an antithesis to all my other films,” Wan said in an interview with Games Radar. “If people are going to this expecting the kind of scares they see in ‘Insidious’ or ‘Conjuring’ movies, they are going to be disappointed.”
Wan described the film as a “traditional investigative thriller that just so happens to have violent, action set pieces.” In fact, the 43-year-old director sees “Malignant” as more of an “action-thriller” than a horror movie. But that doesn’t mean that it can’t follow the lead of his other successful franchises.
“Yes, Malignant could become a franchise but I set out to just make this movie,” explained Wan. “Having said that, when I make one film, I do think of a bigger umbrella story. I’m always just telling a section of this bigger story.”
