Malone appeared in the supernatural horror film "The Ruins" (2008) opposite Shawn Ashmore and Jonathan Tucker, playing one of several backpackers in Mexico who become trapped on a Mayan temple teeming with vines that can animate and attack those who come into contact with them. The following year she returned to theater, portraying Lavinia in an off-Broadway revival of Eugene O'Neill's play "Mourning Becomes Electra", opposite Lili Taylor. In 2011 Malone played the role of Rocket in Zack Snyder's action film "Sucker Punch". The film's commercial failure caused Malone to reevaluate her career and consider focusing on photography and music. After the success of her next role, in The History Channel's miniseries "Hatfields and McCoys", Malone's passion for acting returned.