Siblings Jackson and Angela run a profitable ghostbusting racket; swindling the bereaved with fake detection equipment and Angela's paranormal 'visions'. Hired to investigate a haunted old foster home, the team uncover its terrifying past: young girls brutally slaughtered, mouths stitched shut; silenced by a sadistic killer. And Angela's on the edge - sleepless, strung out and losing her mind, no longer certain what's actually real; convinced she hears the girls crying out to her from the darkness... But supernatural terrors are the least of their problems when they discover the very real evil lurking in the isolated house.
Void of scares, its few engaging moments early on -- and Celia Imrie's acting -- just aren't enough to help Malevolent rise above its stilted performances and nonthreatening ghosts.
There are a lot of good ingredients in Malevolent, from its concept to its cast. And the final 25 minutes are incredibly tense and scary. But the rest of the movie can't really hold its momentum.
It's not going to be anyone's favorite new horror film this holiday season, but it's a solid enough start to the month when temperatures drop and it becomes cooler to tell ghost stories.
