Review of Sinister (2012) by David W — 14 Jul 2013

Sinister is a boring, cliched horror film that just isn't very good.

Seeking inspiration for his latest book, Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke), a true-crime novelist, moves his family into a home where a horrific crime occurred some years ago. Wasting no time getting to work, Ellison discovers a box full of old movies in the attic of his new home. To his surprise, the various film reels reveal disturbing images of families being murdered, leaving Ellison to watch in terror. As he begins to investigate further and further into this mystery, his family is overtaken by supernatural evil.

The problem I have with this film doesn't stem from the acting. Ethan Hawke is perfectly fine in the lead role and does a good job portraying a character falling deeply into a disturbed state of mind. You really don't see any of the other characters for a majority of the film, but when they do appear the acting is solid all-around. No gripes there.

The real issue with Sinister is the stale approach that it takes. I will admit, the story is fairly unique, but the execution is poor. At first, I was very intrigued with what was happening, but the movie quickly fell into a state of boredom. For a large of chunk of the film there is literally nothing happening. When you expect the story to really pick-up with an exciting moment, it falls completely flat. The "scares" are the same paranormal clichés we have seen in films for years. I understand the horror genre is hard to be original in, but that's no excuse for being boring. That, accompanied with a lame ending that is more cheesy than anything, makes Sinister a very forgettable experience. 2 stars.