We Know You Love ‘Malignant,’ but Have You Seen the Movie That Used Its Amazing Twist First?

Audiences were blown away by Malignant back in 2021, quickly spreading the word that there was a huge twist no one could see coming (anyone a little behind on their watchlist, be warned – spoilers abound). But James Wan wasn’t the first to utilize an unborn or parasitic twin for horror purposes – if you’re not as familiar with Stephen King’s novel The Dark Half, you might recognize the name from the George A. Romero adaptation from 1993. Both movies hinge on the general idea of a fetus partially absorbing their twin in-utero, only for them to physically manifest years later, although the specific plots of The Dark Half differ greatly from Malignant. But the 2016 horror film Let Her Out not only uses the same premise but also has some very similar story beats to Malignant. It wouldn’t be much more than a fun coincidence if Let Her Out didn’t also go hard on the body horror, making it a solid watch on its own merits if you’re a fan of gory scares.

‘Let Her Out’ Is Like ‘Malignant’s’ Long-Lost Twin

Cody Calahan’s Let Her Out stars Alanna LeVierge as Helen, a young woman who gets into an accident which results in a seemingly minor head injury. Soon after, however, Helen begins experiencing blackouts and hearing a sinister disembodied voice. She eventually learns that she had a twin in the womb, but not all of the embryo was absorbed, leading to a tumor-like mass of tissue in her brain. The head wound she sustained seemingly awakened the remains of the twin, just as Gabriel was awakened in Malignant, and it’s now grown strong enough to take over Helen’s body – at least until its own body is ready. Things escalate quickly, with Helen experiencing terrifying physical changes in herself and her behavior during her blackouts, threatening to push away her closest friend, Molly (Nina Kiri).

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In addition to the brain injury awakening the full powers of the parasitic twin, Let Her Out also shares Malignant’s themes of found family vs. biological family. Helen’s mother attempted to terminate her pregnancy (which was a result of rape and possibly black magic), but Helen survived. She still feels the trauma of her biological origins as an adult but also sees Molly as a true sister, even though they’re not related by blood. Still, despite these similarities, the tone of Malignant and Let Her Out really couldn’t be more different. James Wan’s movie has a campy vibe to it that makes it borderline ridiculous in an entertaining way (even if whether that ridiculousness was intentional or not is up for some debate). Let Her Out, meanwhile, opts for a much more straight-forward tone, playing its horror completely seriously. This unfortunately leads to some questionable dialogue and stilted acting, but it also means that when things get bloody, they get bloody.

‘Let Her Out’ Doesn’t Shy Away From Body Horror

Outside of its cold open, Malignant keeps its grotesque imagery to a minimum for a long time – to do otherwise would spoil the twist that Annabelle Wallis‘s Madison is being controlled by her twin, Gabriel, from the back of her own head. The emergence of Helen’s twin is more gradual in Let Her Out, leading to more moments of terrifying body horror as the twin gets stronger. One of the earlier signs of the twin’s growth is a huge lock of stringy black hair forcing its way up Helen’s throat, which Helen then has to pull out to avoid choking. The process is agonizingly long, and the hair is extra disgusting as it’s coated in saliva and bile and who knows what other bodily fluids. Helen also experiences injuries from the periods where her twin has taken over, shown in excruciating detail, as well as various new body parts growing beneath her skin. But it’s the final emergence of the twin that takes the cake and gives Gabriel’s appearance in the back of Madison’s head a run for its money. Without going into too much detail, Helen undergoes a full-body transformation akin to The Substance when her twin fully manifests for the first time, and it’s shown in all its gory detail.

It’s that unflinching level of body horror that makes Let Her Out worth the price of admission. It’s certain to make you squirm, saving it from being just a novelty due to its similarities to Malignant, and is a strong choice if you want your body horror actually horrific instead of being a little more on the campy side.

Let Her Out

Release Date

August 25, 2016

Runtime

89 minutes

Director

Cody Calahan

Writers

Cody Calahan, Adam Seybold

Producers

Ira Levy, Peter Williamson, Chad Archibald, Christopher Giroux, Nat Abraham, Michael McGuigan