My dear readers, I find myself penning this piece of criticism on what is considered, if you ask people of the Christian persuasion, to be the first day of a brand new year. These occasions are used by many to do a little self-analysis and really root out what inadequacies might be sorted out in the coming calendric cycle. My sweet Penny Dee and I go by the Children of The Wilted Virgin’s timetable and won’t be formally celebrating the coming of a new year for another seven weeks but all that aside, I still hardly see what all the fuss is about. These sudden fits of self-improvement can go awfully awry, especially when common sense is temporarily lost among the fervor of betterment. I vividly recall how my own father, possessed by a similar zeal, attempted to best his own record for most arcane texts deciphered in a single lunar cycle and as a result, his eyes glowed with an azure flame for nearly a fortnight. Even though it provided his study with a healthy glow, the condition seemed to strain his eyes nevertheless and the whole episode very nearly put him off the pursuit entirely. We all readily agreed afterwards that sometimes it is best not to tax oneself so terribly.

Angela (Florence Pugh) is a woman who is also familiar with taking the path of least resistance. She is in the business of providing solace to the grieving, letting them know that their loved ones have moved peacefully onwards. Angela provides these comforts without actually contacting the deceased in question, a highly considerate technique that spares the dead any unwanted intrusion. While it may seem a tad misleading, few among the living have found fault with her methods and so far the deceased haven’t registered any complaints either. This unusual career choice closely follows that of her mother and Angela’s family has discouraging memories of her mother’s days spent in conversation with invisible entities. Sadly, her mother’s eventual suicide hardly helped turn public opinion in her favor.

But Angela soldiers on nevertheless and her latest assignment finds her assisting Mrs. Green (Celia Imrie), a woman who, if I may say, has a fairly good reason for wanting to peek into the world beyond. Some years ago, Mrs. Green’s home doubled as an educational institution for young girls until her son went to work on a trio of the dear little things with some needle and thread. Sewing their mouths shut should have silenced the girls to everyone’s satisfaction but the young Mr. Green decided to really cement the whole business by murdering them as well. Despite his best efforts, the girls have apparently been raising quite a din as of late and Mrs. Green asks Angela to contact the former students in the hopes that they might quiet down a bit.

Let me tell you, my equitable public, when I began this fine film, the very first scare thrilled me to the core. Here, I thought to myself, is a sturdy and worthwhile beginning, one that really snatches the viewer by the collar and rattles them into awareness. It is a most excellent strategy, as none of the proceeding 87 minutes or so manages to rally such a flashy effect. Director Olaf De Fleur masterfully commands our interest right from the outset, knowing full well that the weaker among us may not follow all the finer details if our attention is not immediately arrested. Were it not for this bugle horn of a beginning, I might have found myself less-than raptly attentive to this tale of unmuffled ghost girls. 

Malevolent runs 89 minutes and is rated TV-MA.