Skip to main content

Sinister (2012) | Review

 


It’s been quite some time since we’ve gotten a really good horror movie. Earlier this year we got Cabin in the Woods, which was a great horror comedy, but it’s been a while since we’ve had a true horror movie be good. Director/co-writer Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) and co-writer C. Robert Cargill (Carlyle from Spill.com) bring us Sinister, a throw back to old school horror. Can Derrickson and Cargill finally put together a truly great horror movie or does Sinister go the way of most horror movies of the last 20 years?

Ethan Hawke (Training Day) stars as Ellison Osborne, a true-crime novelist who moves with his family into a house where a family was murdered. He plans on writing a book about the murder that happened at the house but chooses to keep his knowledge of the murder from his family. In the attic of the house, Ellison finds a box of old home movies which he starts to watch. With each video he sees a different family murdered, this causes him to do some research and try to find out who murdered these families and if they’re linked in any way. A strange figure shows up in all the videos, this is who Ellison believes to be the killer. After seeing the figure in the videos strange things begin happening around the house and Ellison starts seeing this figure outside of the videos. Could Ellison just be hallucinating from lack of sleep and stress or is his family in danger of this mysterious creature?

For a horror movie to work it can’t just rely on jump scares. The filmmakers need to create an atmosphere that is frightening and put a sense of fear on screen that the audience can believe.Sinister does just that. What director Scott Derrickson puts on screen is actually scary and it’s because of the atmosphere he creates. Right from the opening shot you can tell this is going to be a disturbing movie, and while it is disturbing it never goes over the top with its scares. All the jump scares here are earned, they don’t feel cheap like they do in most other horror movies because of how the movie is set up. Here the jump scares don’t just make you jump, they make you feel the terror that is on screen which is all I could ever want from a horror movie.

This movie spends most of its time with one character and for it to be successful that actor needs to give a really good performance. Thankfully, Ethan Hawke gives a great performance. He gives you a character that you can root for and you hope that he and his family make it out of this situation alive. It’s also very interesting watching his character try to uncover all the clues to the murders, it gives part of the movie a mystery aspect that works just as well as the horror and Hawke does a great job in both aspects. While there isn’t much of a supporting cast everyone involved does a good job supporting Ethan Hawke. Juliet Rylance makes a great wife for Hawke’s character, James Ransone is both humorous and surprisingly smart as the town’s deputy and Fred Dalton Thompson as the sheriff makes for an interesting character who you aren’t sure if he’s a good or bad guy.

Sinister works as both a horror and a murder mystery. It provides a great performance from Ethan Hawke and showcases a new horror creature that will stay with you even after the movie is over. This is without a doubt one of the best horror movies in the last ten years.

Rating: 8/10

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Spider-Man: Brand New Day | Review

  2026 | PG-13 | 145 mins | Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton It has been five years since the last Spider-Man movie hit theaters. Spider-Man: No Way Home was one of the biggest post pandemic movies and was able to capitalize on bringing together all three live action Spider-Man actors. After taking some time off, Spider-Man is back with a new director and a new look at not just the superhero but Peter Parker himself. Picking up right where the last movie left off, everyone has not only forgotten that Peter Parker is Spider-Man, but everyone also has forgotten Peter Parker altogether. Now, living on his own and mostly keeping to himself Peter tries to live a life without his aunt, his best friend and the love of his life. Continuing with his duties as Spider-Man, he has been collaborating with the local police to help track down any villains that try to destroy the city. He still keeps tabs on Ned and MJ as they are now attending MIT and living their life post-Peter Parker. A new t...
Post a Comment
Full Review »

Swapped (2026) | Review

  2026 | PG | 102 mins. | Directed by Nathan Greno Swapped is the latest in what seems to be a never-ending cycle of animated talking animal movies. With the success of Zootopia 2 last year and recent movies like Hoppers and Animal Farm also getting into the mix, how does Swapped separate itself from the pack? On paper, it looks like just another generic animal movie with a heavy-handed lesson that the characters must learn and then everyone feels good in the end. Thankfully, Swapped stands on its own and separates itself by being creative with its character designs as well as taking big chances in its plot point. Throughout the movie we follow a small woodland creature named Ollie (Michael B. Jordan). When he is younger, he befriends a young bird, called a Javan, that he shows how to eat the food of his species. After doing so the bird invites the rest of her flock to come and try this food, which makes things difficult for Ollie and his family. Ollie's species, called Pookoos, ha...
Post a Comment
Full Review »

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie | Review

  2026 | PG | 98 mins. | Directed by Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Pierre Leduc After striking out in the 90s with a live action attempt at the character, Universal and Illumination finally struck gold with Mario and his pals in the 2023 smash hit The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The movie went on to gross over $1.3 billion at the box office and was the second highest grossing movie of 2023. It was inevitable based on well the movie did that a sequel would be right around the corner. Now in 2026 The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is hitting theaters with a bigger story and even more characters.  When Princess Rosalina (Brie Larson) is kidnapped by the son of Bowser (Jack Black), Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie), it is up to Mario (Chris Pratt) and the gang to try and save her. Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) set out on their own journey to try and find where she is being kept. Meanwhile, Mario and Luigi (Charlie Day) stay back to help protect the Mushroom Kingd...
Post a Comment
Full Review »

Toy Story 5 | Review

  2026 | PG | 102 mins. | Directed by McKenna Harris and Andrew Stanton For over 30 years the Toy Story  series has remained one of the most consistent franchises. The original movie was the first computer animated film and has gone on to be remembered as one of the greatest animated movies of all time. After spawning three sequels, the franchise has gone on to become a cultural phenomenon. Now with Toy Story 5 , the toys are back once again and this time they are taking on a new foe that is putting their jobs in jeopardy. Buzz, Jessie and the gang have their hands full when their owner, Bonnie, has a problem making friends. While Bonnie still loves playing with toys and likes to be imaginative and creative, the kids in her neighborhood and in her dance class only want to do one thing, play with their tablets. Bonnie and her parents are unsure of how to get other kids to want to play with her so the parents end up getting Bonnie her own tablet so she can hopefully interact wit...
Post a Comment
Full Review »

The Mandalorian and Grogu | Review

  2026 | PG-13 | 132 mins. | Directed by Jon Favreau It's been seven years since the last time a Star Wars movie hit the big screen. After The Rise of Skywalker premiered in 2019 and was met with lukewarm reception, Disney decided to shift their focus for Star Wars. Over the last seven years the franchise has seen several series make their way to Disney+. These series have allowed Disney to expand the universe and create new stories within the world. The first series, and arguably one of the best, to hit Disney+ was The Mandalorian. Fan and critic reception has been mostly positive for the three seasons of the show. After toying with a fourth season, Disney decided to scrap the idea and do a new Mandalorian movie and return Star Wars to the big screen. With The Mandalorian and Grogu , the movie follows Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu on a new adventure. Now working for Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver) and the New Republic, Mando and Grogu are hired by the Hutt family to track d...
Post a Comment
Full Review »