Review of Sinister (2012) by Myffubs — 11 Oct 2012

Though its previews give Sinister the appearance of a by-the-numbers fright flick, or perhaps some crummy J-horror ripoff, the end results are different, and decidedly better. Ethan Hawke stars as Ellison Oswalt, a true-crime novelist who moves his family into a home which doubles as the site of several ghastly murders.

Tellingly he plans to write about them without telling his wife (Rylance) or children (D'Addario, Foley). Ellison uncovers reels documenting the crime along with footage of other killings. Upon viewing the murders, he sees a common thread, which then begins to weave itself into his family's life.

Rounding out the cast are a disapproving local sheriff (Thompson), his eager-to-please deputy (Ransone), and a college professor (D'Onofrio) only present via webcam. Sinister works on a small scale, but uses this to its advantage; its few characters and fewer locations provide a more claustrophobic feel to draw the audience in and aid the story's horror.

Writer/director Scott Derrickson and fellow writer C. Robert Cargill occasionally allow the film and plot to resemble other genre standards (namely The Exorcist, Poltergeist, The Ring, and The Shining) but refrain from hackneying or reproducing the works that inspired them.

Though some moments dip into silliness and others into stupidity, Sinister reveals itself as a surprisingly satisfying experience. Its scares do scare and its horror does horrify. Those hoping for a gore fest are advised to sit this one out.

Those who want to be frightened while being entertained would do well to see Sinister.