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Jessica Malanaphy

Jessica Malanaphy

Producer

Jessica Malanaphy is a founding partner of CatchLight Studios, where she produces commercial films across genres with each project chosen and built around its intended audience. Her credits includes Netflix's Look Both Ways (2022), Lionsgate's Prey for the Devil (2022), The Present (2024) for Gravitas, and DreamWorks Animation's Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie (2025). Before CatchLight, Jessica was VP of Creative at Illumination, developing animated and live-action features including The Grinch, The Secret Life of Pets, and Minions. Earlier, as VP at Blumhouse, she oversaw entries in the Sinister, Purge, Ouija, and Insidious franchises, working closely with filmmakers including James Wan, Leigh Whannell, Scott Derrickson, Barry Levinson, Rob Zombie, and Jon M. Chu. Across animation's biggest family franchises and horror's most durable ones, her approach is the same: start with the audience, and build the film that reaches them.

Read more

Biography from IMDb.

Works as
Producer
Titles
19 on Motif · 20 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Down 4% in 30 days

What are Jessica Malanaphy's films like?

Across their 18 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Survival.

Genres

Horror9 titlesTypical Motif score: 25th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Horror movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Motif score: 27th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama3 titlesTypical Motif score: 23rd percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Thriller2 titlesTypical Motif score: 25th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Thriller movies

Their Motif films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Motif score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
28%
Survival
26%
Self
24%
Morality
10%
Society
9%
Ideas
4%
Family bonds10 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma5 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 18 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 2 · Dark 12

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 9 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 4

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 3 · Charged 4 · Intense 11

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 5 · Shifting 13 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 13 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 12 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 3 · Engaged 12 · Full focus 3

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 3 · Affecting 7 · Heavy 8

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 7 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 6

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
14
Dread
13
Melancholic
7
Warm
3
Hopeful
3
Other
10

How their films linger

Unsettling14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 8 with a twist

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet7
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous4

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Jessica Malanaphy's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 15 of their 19 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Jessica Malanaphy's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

20 credits, 19 with a Motif page.

  • This Tempting Madness(2025)

    Producer

    Motif score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie(2025)

    Executive Producer

    Motif score: 37th percentile of all films

  • The Present(2024)

    Producer

    Motif score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Gray Matter(2023)

    Producer

    Motif score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Prey for the Devil(2022)

    Producer

    Motif score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Look Both Ways(2022)

    Producer

    Motif score: 56th percentile of all films

  • The Aviary(2022)

    Executive Producer

    Motif score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Visions(2015)

    Producer

    Motif score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Jessabelle(2014)

    Co-Producer

    Motif score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Mercy(2014)

    Co-Producer

    Motif score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Mockingbird(2014)

    Co-Producer

    Motif score: 5th percentile of all films

  • The Town That Dreaded Sundown(2014)

    Producer

    Motif score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Plush(2013)

    Co-Producer

    Motif score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Insidious: Chapter 2(2013)

    Associate Producer

    Motif score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Lords of Salem(2012)

    Associate Producer

    Motif score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Dark Skies(2013)

    Producer

    Motif score: 51st percentile of all films

  • The Babymakers(2012)

    Associate Producer

    Motif score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Sinister(2012)

    Producer

    Motif score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls(1995)

    Production Assistant

    Motif score: 56th percentile of all films

  • The Teller (not in the Motif catalog yet)

    Producer

Career shape

A full career of 15 titles, 14 of them dated from 1995 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)

$162M worldwide

Highest rated

Sinister (2012)

Motif 75th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Producing14 of 15: 14 only producing, 0 with another role · typical Motif score23rdOther crew1 of 15: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1990s1 · crew2010s7 · crew2020s6 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Motif score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.

How do Jessica Malanaphy's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 26th percentile, the median of all 19; across their 18 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 28th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

28thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Approval · how many liked their films

21stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Reach · how many have seen their films

90thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Motif score across 19 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th8

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 19 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Panned1
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · producer

The Aviary (2022)

91st percentile spread · 38% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

Sinister (2012)

Motif 75th · 67% liked

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Jessica Malanaphy's work okay for kids?

Across up to 12 Motif titles with content scores, violence & gore and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore9 titles25–88 · median 65 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity12 titles12–65 · median 32 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 31
Profanity9 titles29–74 · median 40 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 35
Alcohol & Drugs8 titles19–48 · median 32 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense8 titles62–93 · median 82 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Jessica Malanaphy work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jessica Malanaphy's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jeanette Volturno shares the most, 13.

Directors

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers