Malevolent 2018

In 1986 Scotland, American siblings Angela, Florence Pugh, and Jackson, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, along with a small crew, run scams on clients who believe their houses are haunted. They lean on the memory of their late mother and promote Angela’s supposed powers as a medium, weaving convincing stories to draw in customers. Most of the money they collect goes toward paying off loan sharks, making their operation a precarious balance between luck and risk.

During some of the scams, eerie incidents arise that raise questions for those who stick around, but the majority of their marks remain oblivious. Angela experiences vivid hallucinations and speaks with her mother, who heard voices and saw people who weren’t there, a connection that hints at a painful, unresolved history and foreshadows the consequences of exploiting the supernatural for profit.

A new client, Mrs. Greene, Celia Imrie, calls about the alleged “screaming” of ghost girls within her house. After some digging, Angela uncovers a brutal historical pattern: fifteen years earlier, the owner’s foster children were found dead with their mouths sewn shut, and Mrs. Greene’s son Herman bore the blame. Traumatic memories churn as Angela hesitates to take on another risky job, shaken by the thought of reawakening a slate of old traumas. Nevertheless, Jackson, driven by the need to settle debts and keep the wolves at bay, pushes ahead, ignoring Angela’s warnings about the toll it could take on her well-being.

The team develops a plan to con Mrs. Greene, though she orders them to stay away from the East Wing. As cameraman Elliot, Scott Chambers, films Angela moving through the mansion, she begins to glimpse the murdered girls’ spirits. Drawn by their presence, she follows them into the East Wing, where the floor suddenly collapses beneath Elliot’s feet, injuring him. In the aftermath, Jackson and Angela discover a hidden stone cell where the girls had been imprisoned, a chilling relic that underscores the real danger lurking behind the house’s quiet facade. Angela insists that she truly can see spirits, while Jackson contends that she and Elliot are cooking up schemes of their own and grows increasingly hostile.

Now that the ghost-hunting team is deeper into the crime scenes than they anticipated, Mrs. Greene publicly denounces them as mere con artists and orders them to leave. It becomes painfully clear that Jackson has inherited their mother’s abilities as well, though he has been suppressing them with drugs and loud music. After Mrs. Greene implies that the girls deserved their fate, Jackson resolves to quit the con, hoping to reclaim a sense of control. But tragedy strikes when he discovers Beth, his girlfriend, unconscious with her mouth sewn shut in the attic. The group’s attempt to flee ends in catastrophe as a car crash into a tree kills Beth, a blow that intensifies the peril and guilt that haunt them.

Herman, the son blamed in the past, finds the group and knocks Jackson and Elliot unconscious. He drags Jackson back to the house, where Mrs. Greene mutilates his face and sews his mouth shut. She orders Herman to kill Jackson in the shed as retribution for crossing her, and Angela intervenes—only to be seized herself.

With Angela captive, Mrs. Greene begins sewing her mouth closed, while Elliot fights back, killing Herman in a desperate struggle. In retaliation, Mrs. Greene slashes at Elliot with a bone saw. The spirits of the dead girls reappear, and Angela pleads with them for aid. The ghosts scream and swirl around, creating the distraction needed for Angela to break free and turn the tables, ultimately killing Mrs. Greene. In the aftermath, Angela urges Elliot to find medical help for the injured while she finishes the dangerous business of saving herself.

As the night winds down, Angela limps away from the house and glimpses Jackson’s ghost wandering the grounds, still searching for Beth. Her heartbreak spills over as she walks along the road, breaking down in tears and drawing the attention of a passing car. Both she and Elliot are rushed to the hospital, where she must confront a difficult question about whether she’s fated to follow in her mother’s footsteps or whether she can forge a new path.

Back at the hospital, Angela reaches out to her grandfather, who fears she may be slipping into the same illness that haunted her mother. He offers to come join her, but she affirms that she is not alone in this fight. As a dark, shadowy presence seems to hover over her, she reassures him—and herself—that she is not alone in facing what lies ahead. This humbling moment sets a tone of cautious resilience, suggesting that the bond between the living and those who came before can offer strength even in the darkest hours.