2014's Last Shift is one of my favorite indie horror films. As a pseudo-reboot/remake, Malum has some very big shoes to fill for myself, and others who thoroughly enjoyed the 2014 original. When remaking a film, I often ask 'why?' Unless the film-maker has something more to say or do with the subject-matter, a new take on the property should not be attempted. With that in mind, Malum is occasionally predictable, flat-out copying ideas from Last Shift. It does sometimes use this to its advantage, lulling you into a false sense of 'I know what's coming', only to do something else, whereas other times it is just like watching a more polished version of the 2014 original. Malum does go for a 'bigger is better' approach, but this is not always to the film's benefit, because by the end, it seems like it is trying too hard to top the original, with mixed results.
Our protagonist, again - a rookie cop, Jessica (Jessica Sula), volunteers to man a near-abandoned police station in order to find an explanation as to what happened to her father (Eric Olson), who went all Jack Nicholson one year ago, his bloody rampage including one helluva spectacular close-up of a shotgun versus a person's head. Receiving no helpful insight from her disturbed, alcoholic mother (Candice Coke), Jessica goes in a desperate search of answers, despite antagonism from fellow police officers in the wake of her father's violent outburst. Originally hailed as a hero for having captured the notorious demonic cult leaders responsible for the kidnapping and mutilating of young women, her father's new legacy, as a murderer, defines him, in a town that seems on the verge of complete meltdown as demented cult followers fill the streets.
Malum is not afraid of violence - eyes will pop their sockets; heads will be beaten into pulp; limbs will be reduced to bloody stumps; it is all horribly glorious. The creature effects are (usually) equally fantastic, however, in an effort to outdo Last Shift, these occur not only earlier in the film, but more often as well. An instance towards the end where we get a good shot of the demon prayed to by the cult, clearly illustrates why more is not always better. This was something that Last Shift clearly understood.
Considering how early the horror starts, the film has to keep coming up with reasons to keep Jessica in the haunted station, which are some of the few sane parts of the script. The film establishes itself as an inconsistent, untrustworthy narrator, with so much of what we see or hear later being revealed as something far more sinister. Not long into the feature, Jessica comes upon a pig that she willingly lets into the station, and you just know, this cannot be just an ordinary piggy - something bad is destined to happen, and you are left waiting for the eventual horrific reveal. An equal number of interactions are left ambiguous - how many of the people that Jessica interacts with are actually real? Who really are the people she communicates with over the phone? By the end, the film itself doesn't seem entirely sure, with even our protagonist occasionally looking utterly perplexed, rather than scared, by what is happening.
Malum could be accused of being over-reliant on its use of jump scares, though these occasionally land with great results. It is when the 'jump-scare' music is not being used - example, in a scene when Jessica is on the phone, and the camera shows us something wretched off to the side, with brilliant subtlety, that the film shines. Director Anthony Blasi can never be accused of misunderstanding dread. The film definitely leaves you with a triumphant sense of unease. It is disturbing in all the right places, and makes you question everything about your surroundings. Blasi will make you afraid of the dark, just like we all were when we were children.
There is, of course, a 'but' coming. BUT, after a really good hour of building tension, the movie goes bat-crap crazy, and not necessarily in a good way. In a film where everything can be something else, the ending, which seems not only true to itself, but contradictory at the same time - well, it left me feeling a bit 'huh?' I think I understood what happened, though, to be frank, I am unsure if Jessica even knew what was going on by the end. In an effort to top the unhinged uniqueness of Last Shift, Malum had to go crazier, and that was not for the best. For every answer the film gives us, it leaves viewers with another question - and though mystery is good in moderation - by the time the credits rolled, I think I was more befuddled than scared. If you loved the original, you owe it to yourself to watch this - however, just like how many films cannot top Last Shift, it seems even Malum cannot outdo its own predecessor.
Our protagonist, again - a rookie cop, Jessica (Jessica Sula), volunteers to man a near-abandoned police station in order to find an explanation as to what happened to her father (Eric Olson), who went all Jack Nicholson one year ago, his bloody rampage including one helluva spectacular close-up of a shotgun versus a person's head. Receiving no helpful insight from her disturbed, alcoholic mother (Candice Coke), Jessica goes in a desperate search of answers, despite antagonism from fellow police officers in the wake of her father's violent outburst. Originally hailed as a hero for having captured the notorious demonic cult leaders responsible for the kidnapping and mutilating of young women, her father's new legacy, as a murderer, defines him, in a town that seems on the verge of complete meltdown as demented cult followers fill the streets.
Malum is not afraid of violence - eyes will pop their sockets; heads will be beaten into pulp; limbs will be reduced to bloody stumps; it is all horribly glorious. The creature effects are (usually) equally fantastic, however, in an effort to outdo Last Shift, these occur not only earlier in the film, but more often as well. An instance towards the end where we get a good shot of the demon prayed to by the cult, clearly illustrates why more is not always better. This was something that Last Shift clearly understood.
Considering how early the horror starts, the film has to keep coming up with reasons to keep Jessica in the haunted station, which are some of the few sane parts of the script. The film establishes itself as an inconsistent, untrustworthy narrator, with so much of what we see or hear later being revealed as something far more sinister. Not long into the feature, Jessica comes upon a pig that she willingly lets into the station, and you just know, this cannot be just an ordinary piggy - something bad is destined to happen, and you are left waiting for the eventual horrific reveal. An equal number of interactions are left ambiguous - how many of the people that Jessica interacts with are actually real? Who really are the people she communicates with over the phone? By the end, the film itself doesn't seem entirely sure, with even our protagonist occasionally looking utterly perplexed, rather than scared, by what is happening.
Malum could be accused of being over-reliant on its use of jump scares, though these occasionally land with great results. It is when the 'jump-scare' music is not being used - example, in a scene when Jessica is on the phone, and the camera shows us something wretched off to the side, with brilliant subtlety, that the film shines. Director Anthony Blasi can never be accused of misunderstanding dread. The film definitely leaves you with a triumphant sense of unease. It is disturbing in all the right places, and makes you question everything about your surroundings. Blasi will make you afraid of the dark, just like we all were when we were children.
There is, of course, a 'but' coming. BUT, after a really good hour of building tension, the movie goes bat-crap crazy, and not necessarily in a good way. In a film where everything can be something else, the ending, which seems not only true to itself, but contradictory at the same time - well, it left me feeling a bit 'huh?' I think I understood what happened, though, to be frank, I am unsure if Jessica even knew what was going on by the end. In an effort to top the unhinged uniqueness of Last Shift, Malum had to go crazier, and that was not for the best. For every answer the film gives us, it leaves viewers with another question - and though mystery is good in moderation - by the time the credits rolled, I think I was more befuddled than scared. If you loved the original, you owe it to yourself to watch this - however, just like how many films cannot top Last Shift, it seems even Malum cannot outdo its own predecessor.