Sinister - Review

Alright! Since my first couple of reviews for my, still relatively new, horror blog were genre classics, it's time to change things up with a review of a more recent movie. So for tonight's film will be Sinister, starring Ethan Hawke and directed by horror movie aficionado, Scott Derrickson. I mentioned in my previous review of Paranormal Activity 4 on my other blog (Films According To Chris Wyatt) that people should see this film for their Halloween viewing instead of the new lackluster entry in the Paranormal Activity series. What's so good about this film? Let's take a look shall we...

Sinister primarily centers around Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke), a once successful novelist whose last few works were not as well received. Ellison's initial success came in the true crime genre, where his first novel, Kentucky Blood, not only became a bestseller but also helped put the lid on a previously unsolved murder case after Ellison picked up on evidence originally unseen by the police. His two following books, however, were heavily criticized for it's less than enthusiastic remarks on law enforcement, and failed to sell. Desperate for another success, Ellison moves him and his family (his wife, Tracy, his son, Trevor, and daughter, Ashley) to a new house in the country where he can research his new novel. Unknown to his family, the house has a dark past. The family who lived at the house prior to the Oswalt's were murdered only a year ago, with the exception of the youngest child whose whereabouts remain a mystery. In the attic of the house, Ellison finds a box full of home movies with innocent sounding titles, but in fact not only depict the previous residents' murders, but a series of others as well. Ellison studies the films in depth, hoping to uncover the mystery behind these heinous crimes, but as he watches them, strange and seemingly supernatural things begin to happen to him and his family.

I'll just preface this review by stating that I actually really liked the film. Despite it's flaws (and there are plenty) there was a lot that I really dug about it. I wasn't a fan of some of the formulaic story beats or predictable scares, but despite that, Sinister took a fairly original approach, blending traditional horror filmmaking with elements of a found footage flick. I've often been critical of found footage movies, and while there are actually quite a few I've liked, there's a bunch of little pet peeves I have with the sub-genre that continues to get on my nerves. Sinister's way of switching back and forth between the super 8 films and the plot at hand works to it's advantage. Make no mistake, the creepiest parts of the movies are the snuff films Ellison discovers. They're all labeled with innocent sounding titles, which soon afterwards is revealed to be some "nice" sounding pun relating to the victims method of murder. For instance, one film is called "Family Hanging Out," and it contains a family of four being hanged from their necks in the backyard. With the grainy footage and home video effect, the films are raw, realistic, and incredibly creepy. There's one reel in particular, which I won't dare reveal, that made pretty much everyone in the theater scream like little girls. It's pretty creepy stuff, I'll say that much.

The talented Ethan Hawke portrays the main character, Ellison Oswalt, the aforementioned struggling writer. Hawke admittedly hasn't had a perfect track record, but there's no doubt that the guy, with the right role, has some real raw talent. His performance here, is definitely a testament to the guy's skills. While this was by no means an incredible performance, his acting nevertheless served the movie well. He portrays Ellison as a caring and loving husband/father but also kind of a selfish douche. Clearly bent on recapturing the success of his previous hit novel, Oswalt intensely studies the films as they continue to poison his mind all while the supernatural hauntings become more increasingly serious. Hawke's as the determined father whose slowly losing his mind is commendable, as they don't try to make him an immediately likable character but rather one who, while he loves his family, is clearly more intent on his work. The rest of the acting is overall satisfactory, I don't have too many complaints on that front.

As for what doesn't work... there are a few things. While the concept is creative, it's not exactly ingenious. A lot of the story unfolds in the traditional formula with few twists or spins that I didn't see coming. It definitely benefits from Scott Derickson's direction, who gives the film it's creepy edge plus a few memorable scares, but ultimately it's the script that holds it back. There's just not much I haven't seen here and the ending especially I can guarantee won't be a surprise to anyone whose ever seen a horror film in their life. Plus, while the movie doesn't go overboard with the jump scares, there comes a point near the end where I couldn't help but feel like they overstayed their welcome. So yeah, it's a creepy premise that works thanks to the efforts of it's cast and director, but the script, while not terrible, had one too many problems to make it something truly special.

Despite it's problems, I still definitely give this film my seal of approval. It's a good creepy horror film that should do just find for anyone looking for a good film to see this Halloween. A perfect film it's not but a solid scary movie that deserves a look. Check it out!

My Score: 3.5 out of 5!