Review of Sinister (2012) by Chris O — 18 Oct 2016

Disturbing and chilling, "Sinister" breathes life into a genre that often misuses its chilling stories at hand.

A writer determined to make another hit story moves into a new house. Unbeknownst of the dangers that lie ahead, he stumbles onto a disturbing set of Super 8 tapes containing horrific videos and crimes. Determined to uncover the mystery, he digs deep into a case that is far out of his reach.

This movie has seemed to split critics and audience members alike. It seems like either you hate this movie or you love this movie. I rarely hear any in-betweeners. I've heard that this is the cheesiest movie ever, but I've also heard it's the most disturbing. In my opinion, this movie is definitely more toward the disturbing side.

My favorite thing about this movie is the story. I love the mystery aspect and there was clearly a lot of effort put into the story. It's so disturbing and chilling that it leaves goosebumps down my spine. I had so much fun uncovering the mystery behind the scenes and the legend of Bughuul was an effective nightmare.

The movie is actually pretty disturbing. It sets the tone from the opening scene and it never manages to lose sight of what it is. The Super 8 tapes aren't over done and they are more than effective. They are definitely graphic in their own right, but they never show too much or too little. The scares in this movie were fairly effective for the most part, save for a few meaningless jump scares.

I actually really enjoyed the dialogue and the interaction among characters seemed really genuine and real. Ethan Hawke is a great actor and he really brought his character to life. He brought the emotion and conflict to his character and he really added a lot to the movie. The screenplay was well written and was a solid effort by the cast and crew.

The cinematography was clear and very well shot. All of the shots looked very pristine and a lot of the shots were great tone setters for the film. I liked the lighting and the atmosphere, and this is certainly a movie you shouldn't watch alone at night.

In the end, "Sinister" is a well made and disturbing horror film. I was very thrilled by this film and it's definitely one of the more respected horror films made out there.