There is something suitably eerie in the way Antony Diblasi (Dread) unravels his psychologically disturbing portrayal of trauma and isolation. Set in a police station run by a skeleton staff, Malum draws comparisons to John Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13 with a supernatural Manson-esque occultist, hellbent on bringing all who come into their wake to ruin. 

When rookie police officer Jessica Loren (Jessica Siula – Split) takes up the graveyard shift at the afore-mentioned, decommissioned police station, she does so in search of answers to her father’s brutal demise and its connection to a vicious cult who undertook a suicide pact within its walls a few years ago.

Upon arrival however, Jessica soon realises that not only does she get a frosty reception from her supervisor, but throughout the night she may not be alone. Diblasi plays out an evening filled with tension where the audience is left guessing whether or not the demons of the past have culminated in tormenting all those whole encounter the police station, hanging in the air and projecting a world of horror into the fold; or figments of a traumatised mind.

The Prognosis:

Diblasi does well to carve out a warped world within the confines of an isolated space. Jessica Siula does well to portray the victimised protagonist which is essential as the narrative rests solely on her shoulders. There are however, too many questions left unanswered and you can’t help but feel that more time could have been invested in the universe to draw out the tense-riddled paranormal instead of the few jump scares that we’re provided with. Yes, there are some strange occurrences that lay groundwork to the atmosphere that has been generated, but considering Malum is a re-working of Diblasi’s previous feature, Last Shift, you’d think that he would have been able to develop something a lot more intrinsic and with a lot more depth.

• Saul Muerte

Malum is currently streaming on ShudderANZ.