This film is more creepy and messed up than it is actually scary. All but one of the films scares are jump scares, and they're shown in the trailer. Really this is just like "Insidious" just with more gruesome killings. Not an awful movie, just not really scary. I will sleep fine tonight.

After a once-successful author decides to move his family into a house where a heinous murder took place, things start to get weird. That is great for the viewer and bad for the family. This film is a nightmarish voyage into the past of unsolved murders and how the missing link doesn't always need to be found. The chills are perfectly timed and the pace of this thrilling horror film is perfect, weaving in and out of states of undeniable tension with little effort. Ethan Hawke is superb as the the distraught author. This isn't a by-the-numbers genre piece. It packs soe interesting surprises. And it doesn't hold back on the thrills, chills, and gore. For the most part, this is what horror should be. The flaw, and not really a big one, is that yet again a horror movie features characters that do not act rationally. Still, that's a minor setback to an otherwise perfect gem of taught horror.… Expand

Quite an interesting horror film. Not typical of recent entries into the Horror genre, it is one that is more psychological than physical horror. The movie follows a "True Crime" writer who moves his family into a house where the previous family had been killed and upon further investigation discovers that this murder may have been part of a larger chain of events dating back several decades. The first act is rather slow but necessary to the big events in the second and third acts of the film.
If you like true horror films (not slasher flicks like Friday the 13th,"torture-porn" movies like Saw or even "sci-fi" horror like Resident Evil, actual HORROR films) this one is for you. Otherwise you'd best stay away.… Expand

Cheap scares here! The movie is a real cliché of the horror genre. Boring, badly acted, pretentious, dull, no suspense at all. You can see the ending coming from a mile.......Ethan Hawke what a waste of talent there...

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This film is incredible, the best film I've seen all year, it takes a lot to make me jump in a horror movie and this one made me jump twice in my books that's impressive. I was a bit skeptical at first but this film proved to be worth my time, this film escapes the cliche of a psycho murderer and I thought it was quite a clever plot although I think that it was a bit weird that they have the youngest child possessed by some sort of cult and killing their family members in gruesome bloody ways. However it was clever because no-one would suspect a child who is portrayed as innocent an sane who then disappears after murdering their family and have you believe that it was a murder and child abduction case. I also thought the mask was incredible and creepy. Loved this film.… Expand

The goal of a horror movie is to scare you, it succeeded. the script a little loose in the middle and the end nothing relevant, perhaps more of the same, but if the film is good.

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.… Expand

It was definitely a decent film, it is truly hard to find a scary movie of such high caliber now a days as many rely heavily on blood and gore and cheap scares needless to say this film did in fact have its share of them. The movie is physiologically boggling and the plot and story captivate the viewer and raises anticipation and anxiety within the viewer. It is quite clever for a film of its class and has a good amount of good scares and jump scenes and clever and delightfully frighting visuals and images. The movies though lacks a consistent base and drifts off into a somewhat absurd heavily rigidity plot which makes the reviewer scratch his head and wonder whats going on, the logic of some of the characters is also somewhat questionable and you can't help but face palm at some of the character's decisions. Another factor is its use of cliche scares such as the good old but overly used popping out of nowhere in your face scare which always leads to a good jump but not quite satisfying as you feel the plot is driven more by cheap scares. The plot is also quite complicated to understand but in the end it ends up being a rather well thought of and daring film that can actually be considered "chilling" the film never failed to surprise aside from the end and it gets a well deserved thumbs up. Best scary movie I have seen in years.… Expand

Ah, the creators of Paranormal Activity and Insidious bring us this well strapped together, macabre film we know as "Sinister." Now, as this film starts off we see that the family we are spectating, are moving into a new house, the father, Ellison (Ethan Hawke) Is looking to write a book based off of the dark and eerie murders that took place in just the back yard of their residence. He then finds boxes with an old film projector and Super 8 tapes. Inside these very tapes lie the twisted deaths that the previous families living in these homes met. I will start off by saying this is an exceptionally written and acted film, I felt the characters were very believable and realistic. The scares weren't cheap at all, very real and clever. The soundtrack also worked very well, as their mellow tones met well with the overall theme of the film. The only complaint I have to make about this film is how the main villain/demon Baghuul, kept sticking his face directly in the camera. I found that to be a nuisance. Overall, Sinister is a chilling, creepy 8.5/10.… Expand

Sinister brings an interesting idea to the horror genre, but sadly, it fails to fully flesh it out. Slowly it begins to fall into horror cliches, and what is in my opinion a very lackluster ending. Taking this aside, yes at times Sinister can be disturbing, even if the trailer shows all the scares we still jump out our skin, and as the main character begins to figure out whats going on, it gets you hooked. The tape sequences are also very interesting and will have you thinking about for weeks. But, overall, the film just simply fails to bring anything new to the genre, with scares predictable, and to many cliches to count.… Expand

In this sort of anti-found footage film from director Scott Derrickson,

I thought the film was pretty good for the price I paid to see it. It was more eerie than scary but had a couple of "oh crap!" moments that catch you off guard. I thought Ethan Hawke did an awesome job acting as a progressively semi-crazy individual. My only complaint would be that the audience needs more of a history lesson in the origins of the demon and why He/It does what He/It does. All-in-all, a pretty good flick.… Expand

It

Scariest movie out there by far! This film has you thinking throughout the whole film. Much scarier than Paranormal Activity. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will agree with tropicAces with the "creepy more than scary" description, but I think that is the reason for whatever success the film has. The weakest parts of Sinister were the force-fed "ghosts" that seemed to interrupt the decline of our protagonist's state of mind. Their participation was inconsistent and didn't really make all that much sense to me. Sinister works because it is unsettling on several levels, one of which is a real-life conflict that I am sure strikes fear into the hearts of many people on a daily basis: failure. With a career, family, marriage, and mental stability all in danger of failing, a sense of desperation leaks into every corner of Hawke's character's life. That combined with a new angle (though not fleshed out entirely, the villain is kind of freaky) make it a worthy watch.… Expand

I was very disappointed with this movie. It's filled to the brim with cliches and predictability. It's basically 110 minutes of mostly painfully bad acting, with some snuff films tucked inside. I thought there would have been more focus on the footage, like a Paranormal Activity type deal with a different spin on it,but I'm not basing my dissatisfaction on what I was expecting. It really didn't deliver much on scares or creepiness for me. I always expect horror movies to be bad on some level, in fact I enjoy that aspect to them, but this....just pass on this one. I do have to give some major respect for using a Boards of Canada song, though--that was a pleasant surprise.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Sinister is one of those paranormal, occult movies I've been waiting to play in theaters; however, after watching this film I was left disappointed. The ending was too obvious. The storyline was dragged on, wasted, and never even met it's climax. The character's names aren't even memorable. It had the stereotypical annoying, jobless wife or the "housewife", creepy kids, and an obsessed writer. The writer of this film took no authentic advantages of the daughter who was seeing Stephanie, or the son and his night terrors. The son could of been dreaming and the demon thing could've started appearing in his dreams as if it was trying to possess him and that could've been why his night terrors were progressive; and, the daughter was used at the very end, but there were no evident changing behaviors like her drawing pictures of their family dying or her saying weird things. But, instead, It's like the children were just "there". There are no other settings in the movie, in which eliminates the chances for striking, memorable scenes or encounters. Happenings like the skinny policeman or deputy sneaking data for the dad's book and the old deputy/sheriff guy getting suspicious, or the old guy checking up on the dad trying to see what he's up to or taking his tapes and data. Or, kids being bullied, and teachers worried about the son or daughter's behavior or drawings. Or, neighbors and townspeople giving the family crazy looks or disapproval like the wife said they were. Or even, the dad could have hallucinated the demon/children soul-eater thing in a library when researching or asking neighbors about the past family who lived in that house. In his son's room, IT could've been standing or kneeling beside his son's bed while his son is sleeping and whispering into his son's ear of something to possess him all while the dad can't even see IT, then later his son has another night terror. Or, the dad could be hallucinating about IT in public places because of obsession to his "detective work". They never even showed the dad trying to start writing his new book. After they moved, that should have been the half-mark of the movie, because so much could have happened then. At the end, they could've at least added a special scene where the police find their bodies, take the tapes into evidence, then watch them appalled. Overall, although I expected more out of Sinister, the eerie sounds and music, the disturbing kill scenes, the creepy pool scene where you first see IT, the use of the manual, old, and new technology (homemade evidence board, film projector, and the laptop), and seeing Ethan Hawke in a new movie made it likeable.… Expand

By far one of the best horror movies made in 2012. The action begins to build up right from the beginning and the suspense makes you watch it until the end. It is the kind of movie that lets you know when you will get scared, but makes sure you will still jump or scream. Even if there is nothing surprising in the story, the music and the dark atmosphere transform the movie into a spooky experience.… Expand

WOW... I expected nothing of this movie... I was so damn scary. At least the most scariest movie this year. What scene gives me the most creeps especially?? the pool scene on the tape. That thing what ate the kids looks nothing alike in the other tapes. It was if he had a very long nose, whaha.. Ands all those kids in the attic freaks me out too. I have to check all of my paintings tonight :P

Although its ending isn't exactly satisfying, "Sinister" still offers up a rather fresh story, a great lead performance from Ethan Hawke, and some impossibly horrifying imagery throughout.

Sinister is refreshing and omni-effective as a horror film; the blend of anxiety and discomfort forces the viewer to attach the character

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A man moves his family into a house where a family was brutally murdered. Will they suffer the same fate? What do your instincts tell you? Sinister offers plenty of thrills and chills. Story-wise, however, this isn't anything you haven't seen done before.… Expand

With all of the hype that had garnered around "Sinister", admittedly I expected a bit more from it. On the plus side, there are a few jumps scares that work well, a palpable sense of dread throughout, and an undeniably effective soundtrack (a major highlight). On the down side, there are some gaping logic holes (especially in a few of the jump-scare scenes), a wandering script, and some weak acting. "Sinister", although better than most of the horror movies released so far this year, is only a moderately effective horror film.… Expand

This was a decent horror actually, one of the best I've seen in a while. The pacing is very good and it stays creepy throughout. I felt a genuine sense of dread on more than one occassion. It's in the vein of the Ring, with that kind of moody, atmospheric horror that relies on building up suspense rather than bludgeoning you with explanations too early. It leaves lots to your imagination and feeds it at the right pace. Very clever film and quite underated by critics for some reason. Go by the user score on this one.… Collapse

The only horror film i had hopes for this year and once again i was disappointed. It definitely had a few moments of terror throughout the film but as a whole this movie was a letdown. Especially the ending, i was expecting something awesome, but then it was just like "oh, exactly what i thought was going to happen happened" i honest to god predicted the ending in the first five minutes of the movie. Sinister is a letdown for me but im sure others will enjoy. Give it a shot but whatever you do, don't get your hopes up. 4.5/10… Expand

Very good. Happy a movie was scary. Its been quite a while. Highly recommend. Its been 10 years and only a handful of scary movies. Not saying its the best movie ever, however for a horror movie it has a plot, is scary, has a few twist, and will make you jump. This one is a winner.

If you want a better take of this story, watch the brilliant 'Insidious'. Sinister on the other hand feels so by the numbers...family moved to a house, said house is 'haunted'..BOO! While it tries so hard to be scary, it just ends up being boring. Avoid this.

I'm not really a fan of horror movies and this one proved exactly why. I worked out what would happen very early on, the whole thing felt so formulaic and typical, not very original. It wasn't even scary either, in parts it was just slightly creepy and I even laughed at some 'scary' parts. Let me put it this way - the best part was when someone in the cinema fell over when they went to the loo.

I have given it a four because it was made quite well and the acting wasn't bad.… Expand

While it may not be scary, The good plot and the solid acting by the cast makes this movie worth watching. It's easily one of the better horror movies I have seen in recent years.

Many people still consider the horror genre a marginal cinema, and if you watch movies like Sinister you can fast jump to that conclusion. There is here a very good story, however, quite badly told, and the blame falls on the many cliches that are essential to keep the narrative going on. But what is more harmful for the movie is how much aseptic and clean its horror and violence are depicted, how light is the treat and how faded is the fate of the main characters, in a way the movie ends up being self censored probably to hit more audiences with a lower rate. So, what remains of a movie not scary, not terrifying or disturbing, qualities of the horror cinema, are lame cliches that make the final act as predictable as the end of a soap opera. Don't rely on Sinister to judge horror cinema, this is the hollywoodian horror cinema. Stick on extreme french wave if you wish a real evolving of the genre or at least, stay away from, most of, the horror that comes from US.… Expand

Although it has allot of the cliché horror film elements it differentiates itself by having good actors (Hawke) and a creepy atmosphere which suggests more scary things could happen than there actually do. Maybe not a classic in the genre but certainly one of the better horror films.

Sinister is one of those films that are not scary on the whole but the little bits and a few scenes such as ghosts walking around you, strange sounds in the attic, things happening on their own, which despite of being typical and somewhat perdictable, manage to give you slight scares. The concept of the film is really different and amazing but it's execution is not brilliant, at least, not to me. Ethan Hawke's performance is the one thing that keeps you connected with the film and obviously, the main storyline of the film. At some points, it all feels pointless but if we look closer, the connection of the murders is present and is explained as well. I don't know why would anyone move into a house where the murders happened and not tell his own wife about it. This seems freaky. Ethan's character is really freaky, he gets obsessed with this stuff and that's what costs him and his entire family. This film does not offer blood and gore, what it offers requires your complete attention and concentration in the storyline. Honestly, my expectations were not high and I think it's a good thing because I am completely satisfied with this movie. Not scary, but this isn't a bad film either especially in 2012, when majority of the horror films sucked.… Expand

if you can watch a movie without over-analyzing it and take it as what it is. . . a piece of fiction then you can appreciate sinister. movies use tricks of all sort that defy any sense of realism but we love them anyways because they are ultimately a form of escapism. hence, sinister is great film. i have become desensitised to horror but still look for that movie that could give me the chill factor and sinister although absurd in some ways did just that.… Expand

Definitely a great horror movie. It was not brilliant. But what it did, it did right. Genuinely creepy, good acting, story moved right along and was definitely more than the trailer.

A few months back, I saw "The Apparition" and "The Possession"--two would-be horror films that were so utterly boring and generic that they blur together to the point that I now struggle to remember what detail belonged to which film. I suspect in three months time I will be saying the same thing about "Sinister". As mainstream US horror movies go, Scott Derrickson first gained attention with the success of "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" and then the widely disliked remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still". The film follows true-crime writer Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) as he discovers a box of home movies that puts his family in eminent danger. Ellison Oswalt moves himself and his family in to a house where a horrific crime took place earlier, but his family doesn't know. He is trying to find out more about the crime so he can write a new book about it to help his flailing career. He uses some "snuff" film that he finds which show the crimes to help in his research, but he soon finds more than he bargained for. Some credit is due for an intriguing twist to the central concept, blending what's happening in the reels with the actual action on-screen. This is what provides the film's best jump-out-of-your-seat moments, with Hawke giving a solid lead performance as the "cardigan-clad" Ellison. Unfortunately, the film become less effective and more predictable as the film's narrative meanders on of just more of the same. Day turns to night, the projector film rolls, creepy noises are coming from the attic, and it's time to go investigate. The best spook house flicks offer credible reasons why the family stay in such a terrifying environment. Yet "Sinister" struggles to convince us. It takes sometime to determine if you are watching a film about the mundane activities of a killer, or a haunted house story as the film seems to wander aimlessly. Hawke is subjected to horrific experiences yet unbelievably brushes them off. He keeps it all from his family which is some feat given the loud racket every night which his wife happily sleeps through. Nothing ground breaking here, but I would recommend picking this up at your nearest RedBox for a late night watch for those who enjoy horror flicks.… Expand

This is a horror movie that is trying really hard to be a real horror. The problem is, it isn't. While there are a few genuinely creepy moments, generally it is rather dull with little excitement. There is very little atmosphere and rather dry dialogue. The movie feels like it would have been better had it been made by a bunch of college freshmen as a school project. Other than Hawke's character, you really do not care at all about any of the other characters and they barely seem relevant other than being plot devices.

Overall:
While I like the idea behind this movie and I did try to like it. It just failed to impress on any level. An OK horror movie that really is nothing special.… Expand

Great movie, plot is great and characters are great, first good scary movie that ive seen in a long time. But, the downfall of it is there wasnt alot of background info on how the demon came to be and why the first family

A solid Thriller that will have you sitting in fear for most of the movie! It's a fairly simplistic plot but has you guessing throughout it as to what is actually going on in this house and with author Ellison Oswalt. The 'bughuul' is rather terrifying but he is nothing compared to a crop of kids that will scare the sh!t out of you! It's nothing that hasn't been done before but there are some fresh ideas in here that made it very enjoyable to watch, but probably don't watch it alone!… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The movie wasn't entirely original because there were too many cliche moments from other films. An example would be the main premise of moving into a murder home has been explored several times thus it was obvious where most of the story plot was going to go. Additionally, there were too many expected moments that were suppose to be … Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I decided to watch this film and all I can say it was pretty scary and very exciting. The beginning was good, not too fast nor too slow and was well made up which I liked. The films which the main character found on the attic was also pretty well made and seemed realistic; the story seemed to be true. Although I was expecting more scary parts in the movie, but that didn't really let me down because the story was enjoyable. The most shocking part is the ending which I didn't expect at all. The writer finds out the missing childs killed their own family and actually they're behind the camera in the films. Soon after his daughter appears at the door and kills her family, then Bagul takes the girl into the film she just made. Most horror like films end happily, but this one doesn't and I liked it for this reason. I can only suggest to watch this film.… Expand

This movie is extremely creepy and screwed up. It is actually a good murder mystery film too. There are a few jump scares but the film doesn't rely on that alone. This is one of the better horror movies I've seen, not the best but not the worst. If you haven't seen it I recommend watching it. There was a part I physical turned away from the movie because that's how messed up it is. This film isn't for the faint of heart.… Expand

Horrible movie. Way too drawn out and not enough scares. The plot of this movie gives it a nice disturbing feel, but it is not a good horror film. I never felt scared the entire movie.

rented this in red box not sure what it would be like... i was very suprised that it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole movie. great story and was very creepy. its been a while since ive seen a movie that creepy.

This movie is mysterious and chilling. The very core of supernatural horror movies invoking the late Stanley Kubrick's The shinning" in it's spine tingling thrills.

Sinister is a very creepy and jumpy film! I definitely had nightmares for a few days! If you're into the horror genre, you wouldn't want to miss out on Sinister!

Despite the fact that this is a horror movie the plot is well executed. This movie was more creepy then scary but it has it's moments. Ethan Hawke is very convincing as a true crime author struggling to write another good story. The classic film projector was a good addition to the story which adds suspense to some of the scenes. Though the ending could have been better this was a good yet creepy movie.… Expand

I saw this movie at a Halloween movie marathon in the theater and Sinister was the night's highlight. It easily outclassed the movies Paranormal Activity 4, The Awakening and Silent House i also saw that night. Sinister kept me on the edge of my chair and wouldn't let me go. The suspense was so good i felt re leaved when the dawn approached the next morning and felt anxiety at sunset. It's true that most scares are jump scares but that's because there is so much suspense you just automatically launch yourself from your chair. I am a mayor psychological horror/thriller movie fan and am always looking for a new scary/disturbing experience. And this movie was great enough to see it 2 times in the theaters. There was only one thing that spoiled this experience a little and that was the movie trailer. It just shows and spoils many important events so that you know what is going to happen when you are watching the movie. This is the reason i don't wanna watch movie trailers again. So don't watch the trailer. Final Verdict: I'd say this is the best horror/thriller movie of 2012.… Expand

I really wanted this movie to be scary...because it's been awhile since I've seen a really good horror movie. However this movie didn't deliver from start to end It just wasn't as scary throughout as it could have been. There was a lot of promise in the beginning but the ending disappoints. Would I recommend that you watch it? Sure, it does have some scary parts and it is generally creepy.

A horror movie that wasn't bad. Unfortunately for someone whose a horror movie fan like myself I have to say the genre has disappointed in a big way.

I believe this was very well written with convincing acting. Overall a good, original horror movie... well despite the whole "camera" trend these days.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Although I enjoyed the overall concept there were a few things that threw me off the movie and took it down a few notches from being perfect. I didn't personally enjoy some of the overly-theatrical scenes involving dead children appearing, which is a little overdone and didn't really add anything to what the film was trying to achieve. Jump scenes (minus the dead children) were very well executed and sometimes gave you unexpected frights others were predictable. The script needed a bit of work, particularly the wife's lines. She is an English character yet everything she says is very Americanized some of her words are even spoken with an American twang (despite the fact the actress is actually English) which is quite irritating as it detracts from the authenticity of the movie. Her scenes with 'Ellison' were often quite overdramatic and you couldn't really feel much a connection between the two of them; their on-screen marriage seemed to be a (hard to stomach) mixture of love and hate. If that is what it was supposed to be, it wasn't portrayed well!
But overall, this wasn't a bad horror movie. It's a combination of horror and psychological thriller, which to me is the backbone of a great movie for this genre. The dry humour added a little something into the mix, which was quite unexpectedly pleasant.… Expand