Directed by:
Scott DerricksonCinematography:
Christopher NorrComposer:
Christopher YoungCast:
Ethan Hawke, Juliet Rylance, Fred Dalton Thompson, James Ransone, Clare Foley, Michael Hall D'Addario, Victoria Leigh, Cameron Ocasio, Nicholas King (more)VOD (5)
Plots(1)
Ethan Hawke plays a true crime novelist who discovers a box of mysterious, disturbing home movies that plunge his family into a nightmarish experience of supernatural horror. Sinister is a frightening new thriller from the producer of the Paranormal Activity films and the writer-director of The Exorcism of Emily Rose. (official distributor synopsis)
Videos (13)
Reviews (10)
A very traditional horror premise in a perfect package. Basically, it’s very similar to last year’s Insidious, but slower, quieter, more depressive and more unsettling. Whereas Insidious relies mostly on shocking jump-scares and a dreamy horror atmosphere in the climax, Sinister slowly and gradually reveals the mystery of several murdered families, makes clear that the horrible demon is very near, and makes the fear crawl under your skin. In short, it’s not a gratifying horror ride like last year’s gem by Wan, but it can arouse unpleasant feelings very successfully. Demons, so hot right now :) Certainly, one of the best horror movies of the year, and when it comes to pure genre, probably at the top. It’s (unfortunately) not very often that we get such pure movie terror. Thanks HCE for letting us enjoy it in Czech cinemas this time.
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I can’t say that I was impressed, frightened or frozen. I'm actually disillusioned. I found the supernatural elements in Sinister superfluous to the point of awkwardness, the music terrible (and almost none of the scenes that would be better with silence can do without it), the story is stale... And although it was probably the director's intention, I was incredibly irritated by the omnipresent pitch blackness that made the film just a weird radio play at times (I should note that I watched the DVD and at night and still had trouble discerning what was what, who was who, etc.). It could have been better.
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Mr. Boogie and his collection of home movies, like “mowing the lawn" and “barbeque" in action. A wild soundtrack, then primarily an excellent atmosphere and a twist for all mystery fans. The couple of references to Stephen King are also very fine, the same applies to the actors. Ethan Hawke acts precisely in between nice guy/madman who never gives up and his wife and kid are also really fine. The high point of the picture of course was watching the movies filmed on Super 8. P.S.: The extended version is sometimes seriously better than the original.
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Sinister is certainly no S(s)hining, whether I'm referring to the creative one or the brilliant and still-unsurpassed Kubrick horror, and Scott Derrickson draws material from perhaps every major horror title, starting with the aforementioned The Shining and ending with the amateurish Blair Witch, but it's still one of the best and most story-integrated horror films of recent years. The initial boredom caused great apprehension, but with the gradual unravelling of the murder mystery the film picks up the pace, the atmosphere thickens with each passing minute and I had to wipe the sweat from my brow as I wandered through the dark corridors at night. As it has been mentioned many times, Derrickson doesn't come up with anything new and his attempt to combine a classic spiritual horror with a dark thriller about a brutal serial killer may not be to everyone's taste, and it also squeaks at times, but at the same time, he keeps a close eye on the script, doesn't let it drown in the deadly waters of clichés, and with the help of a very convincing Ethan Hawke and well chosen interiors (another salute to master Kubrick), he plays with the audience's nerves. And if the climax is from the weaker barrel, the rest of the film makes up for it and there is really little missing for a full rating. For me, the best horror film of the year, without doubt.
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I was looking forward to another ghost horror movie modeled after Insidious but in the end, I was slightly disappointed. Basically, it’s not so much about the idea which is great, nor is it the filmmaking that’s obviously well-made. But it’s worse with its individual moments that didn’t make sense to me. The film just doesn’t explain some things to the viewer, so the film throws the viewers right into the center of the action and wants them to fight with it by themselves. Ethan Hawke moves into the house with his family and as it’s customary, finds old videotapes from the Super8 camera in the attic, which is the start of it all. The film doesn’t explain to us why they move into the new apartment or what he actually does for work. Even after the end of the film, I didn’t really understand what his character was actually doing. Did he write books based on real unresolved cases? It must be added that he did not write a single word for the entire film. Hard to say. However, the processing and the idea are good. There is nothing wrong with that. The rest is debatable.
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