The two films today make the effort to stretch the Horror genre, and offer something different in approach from the formulas that have worked in the recent past. With the names James Wan and Jordan Peele attached to these two films, we can only hope for the best.

Malignant (HBO Max) - Here is James Wan latest, and he’s personally publicized it as his attempt to reboot the horror genre, create something that hasn’t been done before in the genre. Given that Wan is the director of Saw, Insidious, and the Conjuring, it’s not a statement that will be taken lightly by fans of Horror. We’ll even forgive Wan for having deviated from his true path and having taken on a Fast & Furious installment and Aquaman. With Akela Cooper writing the screenplay, the film fundamentally takes one of the terrors and fears of our everyday existence, contracting cancer; and turns it inside out so the malignant tumor becomes a living, breathing thing - an independent entity that drives the horror elements of the film.

After the film’s disorienting prologue, we’re introduced to Madison (Annabelle Wallis) who sees vision of a very driven, sadistic killer, as he murders his victims. What follows is a mash-up of a slasher film, a possession premise, and even a ghost story of sorts. And of course, when Wan decides to make his final reveal, it’s one that either has us cheering, or has us stupefied. Now, I won’t go as far as to say he’s rebooted the genre; but there is a lot of energy here, and surprisingly, a good dose of grim humor. It helps give the film its own special feel; and that’s to the credit of Wan and Cooper. What I will also say is that Wan once again shows the visual flair he has when working in this genre, and it covers up a lot of the holes of a plot and major plot devices that I personally found hokey. To see is to believe in this case.

Candyman (Video on Demand) - While this film is directed by Nia de Costa, a lot of the marketing of this updated Candyman film is centered on the fact that Jordan Peele is one of the producers, and he’s also listed as a co-writer. With Get Out, Peele has practically turned himself into a film franchise, and his projects are all much-anticipated. This one can best be described as a supernatural slasher film, that operates as a spiritual sequel to the 1992 film that was set in Chicago’s Cabrini-Green housing projects. We basically fast-forward to more than a quarter of a century for this film, that in typical Peele-style goes for saying something about the Black Man in America today, about gentrification and urban development, and all within the context of a horror film.

In this manner, it can be said that Peele has more modest ambitions in returning to this 1992 cult horror classic. It’s both homage, and a sequel. Our main protagonist here is a African-American visual artist named Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul Mateen II), who lives in a high-rise located in a new updated version of Cabrini-Green. As Anthony explores the macabre history of Candyman to inspire his Art, and make it ‘real’ for his upcoming neighborhood exhibit, it goes without saying that he awakens forces that have been dormant for over two decades, and this results in a bloody, free-for-all. And fans of the original film will be happy to know that Tony Todd is on board to reprise his role. You’ll also appreciate how de Costa utilizes shadow puppetry to bring home the point that it’s all about story-telling and urban legends.