Blu-ray/DVD Review: Malevolence 2: Bereavement

Malevolence 2: Bereavement is that rarest of creatures – a sequel that is actually better than the original film. And the original film was quite good.  Unlike many horror films, this one takes the time to establish its characters, to make them believable, and to even make us care about them. It also tells a compelling story, with drama and not just horror, and actually has something to say on the theme of nature versus nurture. And besides that, it is seriously frightening. Malevolence 2: Bereavement has a tremendous cast, which includes Michael Biehn (Aliens, The Abyss, Grindhouse), Alexandra Daddario (Hall Pass, Burying The Ex), Brett Rickaby (The Crazies, Fear Of The Walking Dead: Flight 462) and John Savage (The Deer Hunter, Hair, White Squall, Empire Of The Sharks), and was written and directed by Stevan Mena, who also wrote and directed the original film. The director’s cut is now being issued as a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack, with plenty of bonus material.

At the beginning of the first film, Malevolence, we learned that a six-year-old boy named Martin Bristol was abducted in 1989. The rest of that movie took place ten years later, when that boy – now a teenager – had become a deranged killer. Malevolence 2: Bereavement, as it opens, takes us back to that abduction, providing more details. We see the boy on his swing set, looking rather sullen, while inside the house his mother tells another woman about his condition. “His body just can’t recognize sensations of pain.” A man in an old dark truck pulls up, and soon Martin is being taken to that man’s home, where he witnesses a gruesome murder. This scene is quite frightening, in large part because of the victim’s performance, particularly her scream, which feels real. The man, Graham Sutter (Brett Rickaby), tells Martin not to be afraid. But Martin is afraid.

The film then jumps forward five years (and so takes place five years before the main events of the first film), introducing us to Allison (Alexandra Daddario), a seventeen-year-old girl who moves in with her uncle (Michael Biehn) and his family following her parents’ deaths. She ran track at her previous school in Chicago, but finds that her new school offers nothing for female athletes other than cheerleading. So she is largely on her own, finding solace in jogging. Her jogging route takes her past a seemingly abandoned building where she spies Martin (Spencer List) in one of the windows. The one friend she makes is William (Nolan Gerard Funk), a young man with his own troubles, including his relationship with his handicapped father (John Savage).

Meanwhile Sutter has found a new victim, a woman named Melissa (Valentina De Angelis), who is abducted outside the diner where she works. This film is so adept at establishing its characters that we even care strongly for Melissa, a minor character who in a lesser film would be simply part of the body count, someone to knock off before we get to the main character. Valentina De Angelis delivers a fantastic performance as Melissa, and that is certainly part of what makes this character stand out. The moments when Melissa is suspended from the ceiling, looking directly at Martin standing in front of her, are disturbing and intense. And one of the film’s most horrifying sequences is that of Melissa’s fate. “Furnace needs scrubbing,” Sutter tells Martin afterward. We also see some of the physical and psychological torture the boy endures. And knowing it’s already been going on for five years can’t help but affect us, just as it is clearly affecting him.

In a scene at the high school, a teacher talks to his class (which includes Allison) about the question of whether we are products of genetics, “predisposed to exhibit certain behavioral patterns,” or environment. That, as I mentioned, is a question this film addresses. Can a young boy be made into a killer by the environment in which he is raised? The first film (which takes place after this one) seems to have supplied the answer. But seeing the transformation of this young boy into a killer is striking, and one of the elements that set this horror film apart from most of its genre. Malevolence 2: Bereavement is one of the best horror films I’ve seen in the last twenty years. It features some excellent performances, an intriguing story, a lot of suspense, and a whole lot of frightening scenes. Also, I should mention that there is a scene after the end credits, so be sure to watch it until the end.

Special Features

This Blu-ray/DVD set contains some special features, including a behind-the-scenes featurette. This featurette has on-set interviews with most of the cast, including John Savage (who remarks, “It’s a better script than most horror movies”), Alexandra Daddario, Michael Biehn, Nolan Gerard Funk, Spencer List, Peyton List, Marissa Guill, Valentina De Angelis, and Brett Rickeby, who says he wants people to relate to his character, even empathize with him. It also includes an interview with director Stevan Mena, who talks about the film’s ending. This featurette is approximately thirty-five minutes.

First Look: On The Set is a shorter behind-the-scenes featurette, with interviews with Stevan Mena and producer Tom Bambard. This one is approximately seven minutes. There are also some deleted scenes, mostly stuff with William, but also a scene with Allison and her uncle. A photo gallery and the film’s trailer are also included.

The special features include a commentary track by director Stevan Mena, who talks about the importance of the opening scenes and the necessity of the dark ending. He gives some interesting information, including the name of the actor he’d originally intended to play the role of Sutter.

Malevolence 2: Bereavement was written and directed by Stevan Mena. The director’s cut is scheduled to be released on Blu-ray/DVD on October 15, 2019.