#5 Horror Movies To Stream If You Loved Malignant

The best recommendation will come straight from the horse’s mouth, and so we’ll turn back to Bloody Disgusting where the Australian writer-director name-drops Dario Argento and one of his most “out-there” films, “Phenomena.” Perhaps during your “Malignant” screening, you heard Joseph Bishara’s strings and synth-heavy score alongside the increasingly unsettling visuals, and you leaned forward in your seat. If those vibes hit you right, then you’ll want to check out Dario Argento’s mid-career 1985 effort. 

“Phenomena” follows a young woman, played by Jennifer Connelly (“The Labyrinth,” “Requiem For A Dream”), at a boarding school who realizes that she has psychic powers, and uses them to track down a killer. Neither this nor the synopsis of “Malignant” — “Madison is paralyzed by shocking visions of grisly murders, and her torment worsens as she discovers that these waking dreams are in fact terrifying realities,” according to IMDb — adequately showcase the insanity of each film’s third act, but the two share striking macabre imagery, choice needle drops, and arresting compositions. 

A note: a truncated cut of the film with the alternate title of “Creepers” is floating around. That’s generally not the one you want. You want the near-two-hour runtime of “Phenomena,” the one with a chimpanzee and bug minions and all of the weird goodies that make the normies flee from the theater. 

For further viewing: Argento’s “Opera” (1987), and Lamberto Bava’s “A Blade in the Dark” (1983).