Sinister - DVD, Digital Copy

A die hard horror fan my entire life I've come to understand that for film to genuinely frighten people is something easier said then done. Tired of the same formulas being re hashed over and over it was with some hesitation we streamed the aptly named "Sinister". This is one terrifying movie, a story well told and an instant classic. The cast is superb and performances are top notch all the way around. However, it's Ethan Hawke in perhaps his best performance since "Before the Devil Knows you're dead" who carries the film in a tour de force performance as unsolved murder case writer Ellison Oswalt who when asked early on in an interview if he would ever write for money exclaims "I would rather cut off my hands". We learn quickly that this isn't entirely true as he willingly puts his wife and two young children in harms way. Hawke's descent into some gray fog between terror and madness has a surgical precision to it -- and it's riveting to watch. "Sinister" doesn't waste time as Cinematographer Chris Norr creates an ominous and disturbing world of shadow and light, and the feeling of being watched is palatable. Director and Co Writer Scott Derrickson avoids the expected and cliche' like the plague. Coaxing genuine performances he understands that an audience has to connect with the actors on screen and we do and we do at an almost visceral level. This is smart, terrifying story telling. Aside from a bit of blood splatter there is no gore here and fans of splatter films are sure to be disappointed because "Sinister" does have one pre requisite - it requires you to think an demands you let go. The horror in terms of violent atrocities are suggestive and that too is smart. The greatest horror films that have stood the test of time knew this. They banked on it. The directors knew that nothing, absolutely nothing on the screen can compete with the imagination and that to try is to fail. Roger Ebert whom I have great admiration and respect for was disappointed that the demons identity is revealed so early in the film. But I disagree. In "Fallen" we know very early in the film the demon is Azazel, in "The Rite" we learn almost immediately Anthony Hopkins is possessed by a demon named Baal and of course the early introduction of the big cheese himself - Satan - makes an appearance early on in many films including such legendary classics as the Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby. "Sinister" is not so much a film of possession, it doesn't drag in the over played Church versus Demon formula that requires you to believe in God for any chance of absolution from the terror unfolding on the screen. It's a deliberate and welcome choice. Impressive cameos by both Fred Thompson as sheriff and an uncredited performance as a famous professor of the occult is wonderfully played by accomplished actor Vincent D'Onofrio. A Solid cast, un nerving and deeply disturbing "Sinister" is a haunting and impeccable made film. "Sinister" shows us that things really do go bump in the night and the dire consequences when we bump back.

Seriously one of the best horror films ever. And, I should say, I did not think that the first time I watched it! In fact, I was looking for films to watch in October, saw Sinister, and I was, like, "I think I saw that..." I recognized the synopsis only a little, decided to watch it, maybe again. As soon as the first image of the family with the tree came on, I knew I'd seen Sinister before. Apparently it had not made a huge impression on me. But this second time through -- WOW! I am seriously NOT into supernatural stuff, but this film really got to me. Sure, the dad made some stupid decisions, and that's the way of horror films, no? We call those decisions stupid from the comfort of our couches, but in reality, aren't those the kinds of decisions people under pressure make every day? Anyway, I don't want to put any spoilers into this review. Suffice to say that I found this film interesting, engaging, and I think the concept is genuinely scary. Also, btw, Sinister 2 is almost as good. Rent -- or buy, that's what I did -- both those films now!

Good quality

Okay, let me get one thing out of the way; except for a section where there was a power outage, WHY THE HECK DOESN'T HE JUST TURN ON THE LIGHTS IN THE HOUSE? Yes, the director wanted a different, darker look than a standard Hollywood film but it really pushed my suspended disbelief to the limit when, after several disturbing events, our protagonist wanders around in the near-pitch-black seemingly just to provide shadows for things to potentially hide in. Come ON! This was distracting for me, but, I feel this film gets so many things right in such a singular, tightly-reined way, my criticisms fall into the "well, nobody's perfect" zone. I'd give it 5 stars were it not for some distractingly dodgy makeup and some clunky, talky, and in my opinion unnecessary information-dumping. I found any plot holes to be small. Having said that, I was enthralled by this film. The Super 8 footage is INCREDIBLY DISTURBING and admirably this is due to what the viewer does NOT see. I'm still haunted by it days after watching the film. There are a blessed minimum of silly jump scares and overt cgi effects. However, it's Ethan Hawke who makes this whole thing work. He is SO inside the skin of his very rather unsympathetic character it's amazing. There is a scene where his character argues with his wife which is OUTSTANDINGLY real... just blew me away, and it could've gone so wrong had he not pitched his performance so well. Wisely, the action is mostly focused on the interior of the houses. The various red herrings are quite well-done without seeming unrealistic. And, THANK GOODNESS for once the whole thing doesn't climax with some stupid, cliché special effects fireball "confrontation". Dread is ratcheted up very, very slowly to excellent effect. Personally, I felt things were explained a bit too much towards the end, but, it was such a different sort of ending I was able to set this aside. The cinematography is incredible without drawing to much attention to itself. I recommend this film with the strong warning that the "home movie" scenes were VERY UPSETTING to watch. There was a reason for this, instead being pure excessive indulgence, but, I hadn't been this bothered by this sort of approach since way back in HENRY, PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER. Also, very terrible things are shown or implied to happen to children, so, if that's something you have difficulty setting aside afterward, you might want to skip this one.

Even with its modern setting and use of current technology, Sinister is a motion picture that is a throw-back to the horror films of the 1920’s – 1940’s. We can even see the roots of the film in some of the work of H. P. Lovecraft’s such as The Dunwich Horror or The Call of Cthulhu. The protagonist, Ellison Oswalt is searching for a rational explanation of the horrific events only to discover, in the denouement, that there is a demonic, extra dimensional, or supernatural cause. But his tragic flaw can be traced back to Greek Tragedy, such as Oedipus Rex. Once he has made a decision to investigate this case solo, his course is set and nothing he does will changes that course. Ten years ago, Ellison had a best-selling true-crime book called Kentucky Blood. In that book, he discovered evidence that the local police had overlooked which lead to the case being solved. As a result, he had much fame and fortune. Since then, his fortunes have declined. His second two books were failures. He even acknowledges that due to the one book a true killer went free. His method of writing involves spending a lot of time at the crime scenes, trying to get into the killer’s head. To write one book, he actually moved his family into a house a few doors down from the murder house, a decision that still does not sit well with his wife. His family members feel the brunt of his investigations from the locals. While his wife is harassed by local police and his children are harassed at school, he can stay at home and do his work with little disturbance or local conflict. Ellison could readily support his family by teaching college and editing text books but his hubris stands in his way. He begins to investigate an unsolved crime in an unnamed Pennsylvania town. A family of four was murdered using a very Rube Goldberg device, and the youngest child, a girl about his own daughter’s age is missing presumed dead. In his arrogance, he moves his family of four into the very house where nine months ago the murder occurred. While his family is tight and loving, they all find his chosen profession to be a bit unsettling. Despite this his wife, Tracy, does not question him strenuously. She accepts his lie of, “I promise you I did not move us into a house a few doors down from where the murders occurred”, with only slight unease. This type of semantic lie should be well known to most of us. He seems on several occasions to be about to confess to this, but he never does and when she finds out by accident, events have gone too far. Scenes of moving into the house show the viewer that both children are extremely upset at having their lives disrupted. The son, Trevor, might be on the edge of being Emotionally Disturbed, or is going through a difficult adolescence. He has a history of night terrors, a condition that often dissipates at puberty. The daughter, Ashley, is quite fey and has been given permission to paint on the walls of her room. Both children have been given strict orders to stay out of his office. Ellison is moving items into the attic when he discovers both a scorpion and a banker’s box with an 8mm projector and several movies with titles such as “Hanging Out” and “Family Barbeque”. He brings the box into his office and that very night after the family has gone to bed, he sits to watch these films. The first film that he watches is “Family Barbeque” and he realizes that the family playing near the tree in the back yard is the very family that owned his new home. They sit to eat lunch and the film suddenly shifts to the murder filmed around the same tree they were just playing around. His decision to not turn the films over to the authorities leads to his descent. Trevor’s night terrors have returned even worse than before. Both children are acting out both at home and socially. The fracture lines between Ellison and Tracy widen. Finally, Ellison begins to see the creature that he saw in the home movies in real life. If you like horror that gets under your skin and moves in, this film is one you will enjoy very much. The images are quiet disturbing but there is little gore for an R-rated film. The acting is superb and it is obvious that all involved with the production are highly invested in making a superlative film. Despite the lurid cover art, this motion picture is not “torture porn”. The bloodiest scene in the film is reflected in Ellison’s glasses as he watches the murders in “Sleepy Time”. If you enjoy a horror films that is a journey of discovery, top notch acting, and continually unfolding shocks, you will consider this to be one of the best horror films out there. In some ways this is a meta-film, a horror film about the effects of watching horror films on the protagonist. If you need the relentless gore and acting chops are not something you regard highly, you will probably feel ripped off by this film. The extras on the DVD were quite good. The director's commentaries both as director and as co-writer were extremely interesting. There is a documentary on true-crime writers and another one about properties where horrific murders have occurred. While my review has some spoilers, I reveal nothing that the trailer put out by the production company does not reveal.

The good: the movie was appropriately creepy, with good direction and some really nice shots. The (eventual) plot was interesting and as far as I'm aware, unique. This film takes the old trope of "move into a new house, uh oh creepy stuff!" and turns it around a little, which is nice. The actors are good, even (and especially) the child actors. There was enough gore to make the scenes feel real, without having an excessive amount. What blood there was really only was there to reinforce that violence that occurred. There is no gratuitous gore, guts or nudity. This movie really wants to stand up on the merit of its story and not how much fake blood they can get in one shot, which I really do appreciate. The not so good: there were times when the movie pulled me out of the story it was building, which is disappointing and limits my ability to get pulled back into the narrative. Overall it felt like there were some scenes missing from the the film. I am unaware of any deleted scenes but the film felt like I should know a little bit more about what was going on with the individuals themselves. The characters as the film stands are very flat feeling, not having much of anything else going on except what's immediately happening on screen. It seems like there was a lot that hit the cutting room floor. With all that said, this would make an exceptional novel, especially if some of the meat and mythos of the story could be gotten to. As it stands, this film leaves me with more questions than answers, and not in the good way. Overall: if you're looking for a creepy psychological thriller that you can put down with ease, this is fine. As much as this movie wants to, it won't follow you home.

To me, this is the best horror movie to come out in decades! My friend and I saw in the theater in 2012 and she could barely stand it, she was so scared and wanted to leave the theater but I got her to stay. After we left she said she won't watch anymore horror movies.

(Complete review with Spoilers). This is a film about madness. Evil. Which crept its way into the lives of a family. Into their minds. Their souls. Long before we meet them. Worse. A trusted family member paved the way for the corruption of innocence. For that possession. Nietzsche wrote stare into the abyss, it stares back at you. Here we see that. Literally. This film creeps up on you and never lets you go. From the beginning frames. With rare exception the film unfolds from Ellison Oswalt, the main character's point of view. What he sees or does. Or more to the point, what he doesn't see or do. What he should have recognized, should have done, etc. Having Ethan Hawke as the main character was a great choice for one reason. For me he has a long history of playing deeply troubled characters who undergo some transformation. He excels at being malign, unsympathetic, destructive. Here Ellison Oswalt is not uncaring. He is deeply flawed. Multiple deep flaws. Starting with classic Greek myth hubris. To regain that last shot at fame and notoriety. Along with that comes blindness. A dismissal of anything that interferes. Reality can be denied only so long. So far. A blindness to what an already troubled daughter paints on walls. Unicorns in black storm clouds. And that long-haired son who oozes screaming out of a cardboard box due to night terrors? Distortions of truth to his wife. Then add obsessional curiosity. He HAS to look. The warnings are there. A classic three: scorpion, snake, black dog. The progressive worsening of his reactions, increased maladaptive coping. We never see the Oswalt family before they are damaged. We see others, unaware, of their horrific fate, through a medium once benign, commonplace. Home movies. That hideous twist is the hallmark of great horror. People are familiar with the phrase the eyes are the windows of the soul. What enters those eyes have a consequence; to paraphrase - if what enters your eyes is evil, your whole body becomes darkness. How this happens? The clever mechanism is an invented Babylonian pagan diety Bughuul - "eater of children" who comes to possess the children - body and soul. Through being viewed by a child. An image made manifest. The literature of possession provides examples of how new abilities, unusual knowledge is gained by those affected. Add to that the influence of anger, resentment, bitterness at being uprooted from one's previous home. Fertile ground for evil to take root. And that darkness in the soul is reflected in the literal darkness of the film itself - intended by the director. Only when other characters come in does that darkness dissipate - only for a time. Ellison lacks the tools to combat that inevitable darkness - that small flashlight? Emblematic of his inadequacy to fight or dispel externally what he has promoted internally. The daughter's final ironic comment that she is going to make him famous again - give him what he so badly wanted - so perfect. Be careful what you ask for - the lesson of great horror. The soundtrack is perfect for accentuating the terror felt by the characters - and by the viewer. In the commentary the director refers to European bands I never heard of - nor could I find any reference. Loud sudden noises, repetitive disturbing sounds - short techno synth loops to create and and accentuate the mood. Excellent. It is not that the mechanisms and devices used are new that makes this film worthwhile. It is how and why they are used to create that overall effect. Here I am left with that disquieting, disturbing, creepy residue afterward. On top of the horror and fright during. A word about the supporting cast. None outshines or usurps the other. Perfect ensemble acting. Great film entertainment. I loved this film.