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Sinister (2012)
From
the producer of Paranormal Activity and Insidious comes
Sinister, a film that is steeped in the paranormal and actually manages
to surpass both these films in terms of entertainment. The story of
Sinister revolves around Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke), a novelist
who has moved into a new home with his family to assist with research on
a new true crime novel. This home is also the place where an unsolved
murder of its previous inhabitants occurred. Four of the family were
found hung from a tree in the backyard with their youngest daughter
missing. Although what begins as a muse for Ellison eventually becomes
the catalyst to a chain of devastating paranormal events.
To
make matters worse, Ellison keeps the dark history of the home to
himself and while exploring the home, he discovers a box of old super 8
reels which help him piece together the history of the murdered family.
To further complicate the situation, some of these home movies are from
other families from around the country who were murdered in almost
ritualistic ways. As his investigation proceeds, it appears that
something "sinister" is inside the house and things eventually go from
the odd bump in the night to truly strange and quite frightening events.
Thankfully the movie is carefully directed by Scott Derrickson (The
Exorcism of Emily Rose) who manages to keep the tension of the film
quite nerve racking and will make you jump out of your seat on more than
one occasion.
Ethan
Hawke is brilliant as Ellison Oswalt, the disturbed writer as is Juliet
Rylance who plays his wife. Actor James Ransone adds an element of
realism and comedy into the film as the local deputy who assists
Ellison. Another highlight of the film is the minimal use of gore that
seems all too popular in some Hollywood horror films of late. With that
said, Sinister moves away from this and sometimes the suggestions
can be more powerful than the visuals. If Paranormal Activity 4
annoyed you than Sinister may help you with your horror fix,
especially the intensity of what is occurring in this home. If you can
ignore the clichés, the predictability and the modern horror film
ending, Sinister is a clever spin on serial killers and the
paranormal.
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