Malevolence (film)

Malevolence
Directed byStevan Mena
Written byStevan Mena
Produced byStevan Mena
StarringSamantha Dark
Brandon Johnson
Heather Magee
Richard Glover
Courtney Bertolone
CinematographyTsuyoshi Kimoto
Edited byStevan Mena
Eddie Akmal
Music byStevan Mena
Distributed byAnchor Bay Films
Release date
  • September 10, 2004 (2004-09-10) (limited)
Running time
85 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$200,000
Box office$346,085

Malevolence is a 2004 independent American slasher film written, produced and directed by Stevan Mena, and starring Samantha Dark and R. Brandon Johnson. The plot follows a mother and her adolescent daughter who are held hostage by bank robbers at an abandoned house; the robbers' plans are disrupted when they are all confronted by a serial killer who resides on a nearby property.

Filmed over a period of two years on a budget of $200,000, Malevolence was purchased by Anchor Bay Films, who gave it a limited theatrical release in September 2004, and a DVD release in 2005. It received mixed reviews from critics, with some criticizing its referentiality and depiction of violence, while others praised it for its establishment of atmosphere and suspense.

Malevolence spawned a film franchise with a follow-up prequel in 2010 titled Bereavement and a sequel titled Malevolence 3: Killer in 2018.