Review of Sinister 2 (2015) by Thequietgamer — 18 Mar 2016

The first Sinister introduced us to a interesting mystery and a creepy atmosphere, but ultimately fell short due to the fact that it never capitalized on any of that with anything scary. Sinister 2 might be even less scary. Outside of some unsettling use of a ham radio, all of the creepy factor is missing here. It even loses the original's seedy voyeurism.

Despite that though I can't help but feel that this sequel is better than the original. It's just a lot more fun. No, it's not scary. We are treated to the same, predictable jump scares we've seen time and time again that we can see coming form a mile away. However the scenario is still very interesting. We may know the mystery, but even without the constant wondering about what is actually going on the plot can still manage to keep one invested.

Part of this is due to the characters. They're a likable bunch played by talented actors. James Ransome returns as Ex-Deputy So-and-So in a plot that continues on from where the last movie left off. Despite being the previous film's comic relief character, he does well as the lead. He's still playing the same goofy character, and as a result there is a lot more humor this time around, but he's likable and brings a more human feel to this supernatural flick.

I got invested in the plight of the mother and children on the run. No I wasn't always satisfied with what was going on onscreen, but I was entertained nonetheless. I went into this with zero expectations. The first movie was a disappointment to me and the trailers made this look straight-up awful. Imagine my surprise when I found a charming, amusing, although ultimately fright-less good time. It's a big, occasionally dumb haunted house. It won't scare you, and as a result won't satisfy your craving for a real horror flick, but will still provide some entertainment draped in the guise of a horror film.