Malevolence (film series)
An indie slasher trilogy about a kidnapped boy turned killer.
The *Malevolence* film series is a set of American slasher-horror crime movies created by Stevan Mena, who wrote, directed, and produced each installment. The story follows different groups of people who cross paths with Martin Bristol, a serial killer abducted as a child and raised under the brutal, abusive guidance of another murderer, Graham Sutter. The films track the investigations into Bristol’s crime scenes and the efforts of law enforcement to halt his killing spree.
Although the series lost money at the box office and received mixed reviews upon release, it has gained more favorable analysis in modern times and is now regarded as an indie-cult classic of the horror genre. Contemporary critics have compared the first film to John Carpenter’s *Halloween* and the prequel to *Friday the 13th*; Mena has acknowledged his admiration for Carpenter’s work. Ross Hughes of HorrorCultFilms.Co.UK praised the series, saying, “…this is a franchise that is up there with the likes of *Halloween*. …a Slasher trilogy made by a slasher fan for the slasher fans…Unmissable.”
**Films**
***Malevolence* (2004)**
Ten years after six-year-old Martin Bristol was snatched from his home’s swing set by a madman, the search for him has been abandoned as hopeless. That changes when a group of robbers plans a bank heist in September 1999. The crew includes a desperate couple, Julian and Marilyn; her ex-convict brother, Max; and his friend, Kurt. During their escape, the group splits up, and Kurt takes innocent bystanders—Samantha and her teenage daughter, Courtney—hostage to reach the team’s rendezvous point: a secluded rural farmhouse in the woods. Once there, the group argues over the hostages, only to discover the home belongs to a now-teenaged Martin. Forced to watch his abductor’s murderous rampages and clean up afterward, Bristol has become a killer himself. As he begins murdering each robber, they struggle to survive the night. Julian and Marilyn free the hostages, and together they try to escape before it’s too late.
***Malevolence 2: Bereavement* (2011)**
In 1989, young Martin Bristol suffers from congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis (CIPA), a rare neural disorder that prevents him from feeling pain or temperature. While playing on his swing set at home, a deranged criminal named Graham Sutter kidnaps him and forces him to watch as Sutter abducts, murders,
- field
- Slasher-horror crime films
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Indie-cult classics of the horror genre, compared to Halloween and Friday the 13th
- creator
- Stevan Mena
Lore & Background
The series begins with Malevolence (2004), set ten years after six-year-old Martin Bristol was abducted from his swing set. A group of bank robbers, including Julian, Marilyn, Max, and Kurt, take hostages and hide in a farmhouse that belongs to the now-teenaged Martin, who has become a serial killer after being forced to watch his abductor's murders. The robbers and hostages struggle to survive the night.
Malevolence 2: Bereavement (2011) is a prequel set in 1989, showing Martin's kidnapping by Graham Sutter. Martin suffers from congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis (CIPA), a rare neural disorder. Five years later, a teenage orphan named Allison Miller moves to rural Minersville, Pennsylvania, and investigates an abandoned factory where Sutter holds Martin, leading to a confrontation.
Malevolence 3: Killer (2018) follows Martin Bristol returning to his childhood home, now a rental with young women tenants. He begins murdering them, while Special Agent William Perkins and the Bristol family try to stop him. The series as a whole lost money at the box office and received mixed critical reception initially, but later gained positive modern-day analyses as indie-cult classics.
Reader's Guide
The Malevolence film series, though commercially unsuccessful and met with mixed reviews upon release, has earned a more positive modern-day analysis and is deemed an indie-cult classic of the horror genre. Contemporary reviews have favorably compared the first film to John Carpenter's Halloween and the prequel to Friday the 13th, with Mena acknowledging his fandom of Carpenter's work. Ross Hughes of HorrorCultFilms.Co.UK praised the series, stating it is 'a franchise that is up there with the likes of Halloween…a Slasher trilogy made by a slasher fan for the slasher fans…Unmissable.' The series' significance lies in its cult status and its exploration of a serial killer shaped by childhood abduction and abuse, with a narrative spanning multiple timelines and perspectives.
Did You Know?
- The series was written, directed, and produced by Stevan Mena.
- Martin Bristol suffers from congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis (CIPA), a rare neural disorder.
- The first film was compared favorably to John Carpenter's Halloween by contemporary reviewers.
- The series as a whole lost money at the box office.
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