Sinister Review - Evaluation

Hi folks. Sinister was released on DVD recently and managed to grab a copy today.

I took a stab at writing a review for it here so let me know what you think!

Thanks.

By the way, you may have to leave any comments here rather than on my blog since the comments section seems to be down at the moment...

By the way, you may have to leave any comments here rather than on my blog since the comments section seems to be down at the moment...

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I've put my comments in RED below within the text. I had read this earlier, but wanted to comment specifically here when I had a bit of free time. I did enjoy it, it really got me interested in seeing this movie. Unfortunately, I can't put my finger on why (and I haven't seen the movie), but I feel like the last bit may spoil the end a little bit. I really appreciated the structure of this review, it flowed nicely.

The haunted house is a horror setting that has literally been done to death in the genre. But this refreshing psychological horror film from The Excorism of Emily Rose director Scott Derrickson breathes new life into the story of a family under threat from supernatural forces.

The ever underrated Ethan Hawke plays Ellison, an obsessive writer (in what way, or about what, is he obsessive? Just writing, or some aspect of crime, like the violence itself?) of true-crime novels who moves his family into the home where a grisly murder took place in the hope of revitalising his struggling career. Foreboding sets in almost immediately as Ellison is given a frosty reception from the local sheriff. But events truly begin to spiral out of control with the discovery of an old Super 8 film camera in the attic. This is no idyllic home video collection, however, as each film reel contains footage of the massacre of an entire unknown family. Seeing the footage as perfect material for his book, Ellison begins to become more and more obsessed with the imagery he sees much to the despair of his wife.

The focus of the film is character disintegration as Ellison's state of mind crumbles when he begins to suspect that his children may be in danger from ghosts residing in the film stock. Despite the graphic images he sees, Sinister is admirably restrained when it comes to violence. Instead, a sense of dread is continuously evoked by long periods of silence as Ellison searches the house for signs of danger that often culminate in genuinely startling jolts, some false (the jolts are false, or the reality of danger is?) and others real. This elevates the film to the status of old school haunted house horrors of the 1970s rather than satisfying the modern shocker audiences appetite for senseless bloodshed and creating something far more intelligent and intriguing in the process. (excellent description!) The majority of the film's dialogue is concerned with arguments between Ellison and his wife over his psychological state. While articulate and well performed, particularly in the films third act, these lines ultimately feel more like necessity and lack an active attempt to weave them into the plot. In fact, I found myself wanting to return to Ellisons corridor crawls rather than witness a domestic squabble. The rest is focused on plot exposition with an awkward deputy sheriff and a professor of the occult played by Vincent Donofrio in a cameo role. Both allow a moment of reflection on the events of preceding scenes.

The final ten minutes of Sinister represent a kind of genius of horror filmmakers that has been lost over the decades. (intriguing, makes me interested in seeing this movie, you don't spoil it but pique my interest!) Derrickson skilfully traps the audience into a false sense of security before unleashing a disturbing revelation that leads to a shattering and horrific conclusion. (I enjoy the descriptions used here, but for whatever reason I feel like this may be a bit too much insight into the end.)

Sinister offers something original, unique and achieves a terrifying yet strangely compelling atmosphere that manages to be both interesting and clever. Because of its escapist nature and having more in common with a previous generation of horror films, it is unlikely to appeal to all fans of the genre. Nevertheless, this is a rewarding and utterly convincing low key nightmare.

 

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