The Secret of Sinchanee (2021) User Reviews

You need some time off

[nogodnomasters · 4/10 · 27 October 2021]

The backstory takes 20 minutes to develop. The Sinchanee tribe was not wiped out by disease. Pagans who worship Atlantow (spirit of death) want to wipe out all of the Sinchanee and their seed. In 1995 Will Stark (Steven Grayhm) survives the massacre of his mother and sister by a Native American. His father, who was away at the time now suffers from mental illness. Twenty-five years later, Will inherits the home of his estranged father and we know there is an entity in it.

This is a two hour slow burn with the climax being shown as a shadow. Will had zero personality which made it very boring when he is on the screen. The two detectives on the case are divorced with shared custody. They were the only folks worth watching in this Deerfield, Mass. Saga. It felt similar to a Wedingo type of film. Plot needed better construction.

Guide: No swearing, sex, or nudity.

It just doesn't seem right.

[Otkon · 4/10 · 19 March 2022]

The acting is a bit off. The married cop couple were totally annoying. Nothing they said had a whit of verisimilitude.

The story borders on exploitative while being certainly confusing. The house was in foreclosure but he inherited it? In the end I didn't really know or care what was going on. Well, except for the dog returning.

At least, the cinematography and sound was professionally done.

Otherwise, there is a lot to cringe over with this one.

Not the worst...

[ravenhair702 · 5/10 · 19 October 2021]

Ever get a headache after watching a movie because you had a hard time following it? This is one of those movies. I understand that in Horror movies, dream scenes can be a good source of jump scares. Also, psychotic episodes and visions are good, too. HOWEVER, If a movie has too much of either and you can't tell what's real and what's not...there's when the headaches begin. I like the ex-husband and ex-wife working together part of the story...THAT I can follow. Adds some grounding to the story. The rest I mostly understood, but after the end....headache. One time watch, folks. Peace.

This was insanely slow paced and downright pointless...

[paul_haakonsen · 2/10 · 23 January 2022]

I virtually knew nothing about this 2021 horror movie titled "The Secret of Sinchanee" from writer and director Steven Grayhm when I sat down to watch it in 2022. It was a horror movie that I hadn't already seen, so of course I opted to give the movie a chance.

And this was 1 hour and 55 minutes of pure torture and a complete waste of almost two hours. Man, talk about a pointless and boring movie. Every time director Steven Grayhm set up a scene with something semi-scary, intense or important, then once whatever the scene set up was brought into the open or to a climax, the scene cut to something else entirely. So there never was a follow-up to whatever was just brought to fruition on the screen, and it left me not caring an ounce about the storyline or the characters milling about therein.

This movie was insanely slow paced. Trust me, you have no idea the lengths of snail pace that this movie manages to accumulate. Running at 1 hour and 55 minutes, I felt like I was sitting down for twice that period of time. And to make matters even worse, then nothing interesting or scary happened on the screen, so it was just a total waste of time.

Sure, I am not familiar with the Mohican folklore of Atlantow, and after having seen "The Secret of Sinchanee", then I can't claim that I care or have any interest to know more.

The acting performances in "The Secret of Sinchanee" were actually fair enough, especially when taking into consideration the heap of rubbish that passed as a script and storyline here. But it was just a shame that the performances could do nothing to salvage the train wreck that is known as "The Secret of Sinchanee".

Seriously, as the movie ended I felt like I had virtually wasted 1 hour and 55 minutes of my life on nothing. There was no fullfilling climax moments in the storyline and everything felt incredibly superficial and pointless.

If you, like myself, am a big fan of horror movies, do yourself a massive favor and stay well clear of "The Secret of Sinchanee". It just simply isn't worth the time, money or effort. The only horror about this movie is how utterly pointless and slow paced it was.

My rating of "The Secret of Sinchanee" lands on a very, very generous two out of ten stars, and that is based on the production level and the fact that the actors and actresses managed to put on such stalwart performances despite the fact of having literally nothing to work with.

Stopped the movie after 40 minutes...

[martlarrivee · 1/10 · 9 October 2021]

It was on my watch list. Sadly the acting is very weak and the movie has a cheap "tv pilot" feel... so none of the tensions or scares have any gravitas or weight. After 40 min of not feeling anything, I gave up. Obviously that bad movie poster was a warning.

Fun but overlong supernatural effort

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 7/10 · 9 October 2021]

After his father's death, a man returns to his old house to put the finishing touches on the property when he starts to experience a series of strange events that keep him up late into the night and start affecting his work, eventually discovering the cause to be a Native American curse attached to the land.

Overall, this was a highly enjoyable if slightly flawed genre effort. Among the more impressive aspects to be had here is the intricate and complex web of storylines present here involving the numerous plot points brought up. With the central story involving a tribe of peaceful Indians that were supposedly immune to diseases and somehow turned into a cult of pagan practitioners, an Indian curse featuring a generational abuse on its people for several centuries and finally resorting to possession, mental illness, and involvement in a slew of mysterious accidents spread throughout the town all being investigated by a detective assigned to the small town from a major city. This is an incredibly strong storyline that gives this one the potential to have something intriguing going on and the film works quite nicely because of it which sets up the idea of these things happening in a location like this. That also leads into the films' series of supernatural scares once these various elements have been fully explored. The idea of the house he's living in being haunted by a malevolent spirit dominates the first half, causing some short shock jump-scares that further the idea of something going on involving the family curse that was brought up at the beginning of the film. Other scenes, including the idea of something out in the woods serving as a physical representation of the supernatural entity they're fighting generate some solid sequences here or featuring the possessed individual speaking in demonic tones to himself about the strange curse about to be wrought. With a solid finale offering some supernatural action and a fun resolution to everything, there are some rather likable factors at play here. There isn't much really wrong here, but it's a big issue and is quite detrimental. That is the films' obviously overlong and unnecessary running time that has no business being as long as it is, with the intricate storyline coming into play with several issues here. Not only is it all way too complex and overbearing for something of this nature, but there's also way too much going on here that is never explained or overexplained leading to several other side issues from its length. Since way too much is going on here, the film also desperately needs an editor to trim this down as the film's a good twenty-thirty minutes too long as it is with scenes here coming off as unnecessary and need to be removed or scenes that go on way past their usefulness, including many of the interactions between the detective and her daughter which play into the film's storyline but are just overlong. It's the one issue with the film and holds it back the most.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Violence.

Abandon hope all ye who seek a cogent plot here

[jaymakak · 3/10 · 9 October 2021]

The location is nice. The backstory that you will read during the opening credits is interesting. The lighting, scenery, camera work and sound are all right where they need to be. The players are in character and what starts out as creepy, in a good way, flicker of a horror tale's ember, slowly grinds to a meandering and confused object lesson on how not to make a movie who's plot appears to be about awakened, evil indian spirits, who are super miffed over a purloined arrow head.

Don't worry I haven't spoiled anything. It won't make much sense to you either.

The more your own imagination fills in the plot holes the production never bothered to address, the better the chances will be that you may possibly find this movie watchable.

Bonus: Just as the final credits are ready to roll, a non shocking, sophomoric and hackneyed stab at a twist ending lands so flat that any redeeming qualities you may have manufactured out of charity for this wretched time waster, will fade into the same dark crevasse the plot of this film disappeared into, almost two hours ago.

Chilling and creepy.

[JaneBingley · 8/10 · 9 October 2021]

I really liked this. It reminded me of the VVitch and Wretched. I love horror movies that keep the evil entities in the background, where you just catch a glimpse of something standing in a corner or among the trees.

It went a bit over the top at the end, but it was all relevant to the story.

Excellent direction, beautiful and chilling scenery.

Spooky

[haroldwestin · 7/10 · 1 August 2022]

Be patient with this film. The opening set-up is worth the final pay-off. Above average film outing with lots of plot twists and beautiful scenery. Would recommend it.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[bilingavais · 1/10 · 28 April 2022]

Someone wake me up when it's over. This is one of the most boring, disappointing 2 hours of my life. If YOU have insomnia, just play this snooze fest and it's guaranteed you'll be sleepy in no time.

Original Storytelling

[pr-46177 · 9/10 · 23 December 2022]

I saw this film on the silver screen at the Raindance Film Festival last year in the UK and was chuffed to find it online to rent this holiday season (it has proper Christmas themes so it works great for those holiday thrills). This film had won several awards before it arrived at Raindance on the festival circuit, so there was a lot of anticipation for it to come to the Genesis Theater in London. Attending the Q&A after the screening also provided a lot of insight into filmmaker Steven Grayhm's challenging, yet rewarding process of bringing this film to the screen. To be fair, this special little (big) film is nothing short of ambitious. Scary at times and thoughtful at others - but at its very best - this film is original! As most have stated, the third act tends to tie up nicely - giving the audience a satisfying ending - and an unexpected horror fan shoutout in the form of a CODA at the end credits. The cinematography is gorgeous, with many unique camera angles and shots. The musical score is beautiful, and at one point at the UK screening, it made some of us in the audience incredibly emotional. A second watch at home and it was just as intense. The score at times sounds like something from the late, great Jóhann Jóhannsson. This is simply a brilliant little independent film that I would recommend to most anyone looking for something unique and different.

New England is Scary AF!

[fargonwinters-46407 · 7/10 · 29 June 2022]

First off - I'm never going to New England. Between the Salem Witches and everything Stephen King writes - hell naw! This was a thoughtful film, more like a character study I would say. It has horror and paranormal elements, though I would say it is a thriller. We were able to watch it with our kids.

Don't go back to Deer Field

[BandSAboutMovies · 4/10 · 9 October 2021]

An industrial tow truck driver suffering from insomnia returns to his childhood home - hey wait - after the untimely death of his father - no seriously wait! - to discover that a paranormal presence has been living in the house - oh no, you're not listening - and haunting the sacred land it was built on.

If I've told the characters in movies one thing in my life - I talk to movies more than people - it's never going back to your hometown after the death of a relative and try and set things right. There's always something dark, something wrong, something supernatural and nothing ever gets fixed.

Oh yeah - don't go to New England! Have we learned nothing from folk horror films?

Written, directed by and starring Steven Grayhm, this film takes us to Deer Field, Massachusetts and Will Stark, the protagonist who has come home for his father's funeral, a man that suffers from a buffet of mental illnesses all at once: schizophrenia, psychotic episodes and multiple personality disorder. His many stays in mental hospitals at one time kept him from living in his father's home. Now that he finally has it back, it's only a matter of time - literally a few minutes - before the jump scares begin.

There's also a murder investigation going on and if you know your genre films like I know you do, you know that the cops from the big city are going to run into Will before this movie is over.

This isn't a bad movie. But it struggles to say something new in a world where I have seen enough films where someone goes home, goes mad and then deals with ghosts. But hey - making a movie is a major effort and anyone that undertakes that journey deserves our respect and encouragement.

Something New and Thrilling

[krvmjgj · 5/10 · 14 October 2021]

I really appreciate how this movie flips the "Native American Burial Ground" trope on its head. In this movie it is the care and compassion and history of the local native community that takes down the demonic forces.

The cinematography is breath taking and there is no thin Hollywood veneer. The landscape, the weather, the practical effects are all genuine. The cast and crew deserve an award just for braving the snow alone!

Bit of a mess

[martyk-94855 · 4/10 · 24 October 2021]

Had me confused at the start, in the middle I thought there might actually be a decent movie in here but then it fizzled out. In all honesty it's not worth watching even to pass the time.

A horror fan's horror movie

[killercharm · 7/10 · 13 January 2022]

This has a riveting story with true scares. Two factions of witches are feuding through the ages. One side is happy to use deadly force. A 30 year-old murder of a boy's mother and daughter has tainted the family home it took place in rendering it unsalable, and haunted. This is a movie with marvelous acting, directing and also the mood and look of the thing. Much is communicated without words.

Bad editing, poor choice of music, patchy acting

[sammycunneen · 5/10 · 29 January 2022]

Honestly, there is a good movie in here somewhere, there really is. But dear lord jasus did they miss the mark. Not a scare, nor a fright. Very poorly executed. I can advise "Hereditary" or "Anything for Jackson" if you fancy a great scary movie.

What a plot

[axonchelsea · 8/10 · 15 May 2022]

Not an action packed movie with unrealistic superficial machismo. The film was filled with interesting twists that kept me engaged from the beginning. Great acting also and the plot is fantastic. The super natural elements in this was interesting and convincing enough to keep me on the edge of my sofa to the end. I loved Rudy Reyes's character too. I'll rate this a 8.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film

[miguelthirtysixx · 7/10 · 2 January 2023]

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It was really well made and there's a lot to like here folks. The acting was really good with some really strong and understated performances. I read some of the bad reviews that said this film was boring. I couldn't disagree more. You do need to pay attention to the multiple stories and various plot lines, but this kept me interested rather than bored. As most have stated, this is an extremely unique and original story. It may not be for everyone. And that's okay. It's not something you come across often so that wins a lot of points in my books too. The cinematography was beautiful and the soundtrack was haunting and heart pounding. The winter setting in New England was also a perfect fit for the mood and storytelling. Over all seven stars for me. I really enjoyed it and would recommend this film to anyone. It's definitely worth checking out.

DON'T WATCH

[yuvalhangar · 1/10 · 6 November 2021]

Don't waist time watching it. Bad actor, bad production and bad everything.. it's not scary at all, very very slow. The story is not make sense at all.

What a ride

[kershawedward · 9/10 · 17 May 2022]

This movie gave me nightmares for the next week after I watched it for the first time. It has a strong story line and creates fear in the audience in a totally different way. The plot is unpredictable but is all connected and you never know what's going to end up happening (that's a good thing). Beautiful location and soundtrack also and some inner deep meanings in this one.

Vertical Entertainment does it again

[kennyjjro · 7/10 · 26 March 2022]

I've heard so many great reviews about this film so i had to watch it and i have to say this was one of the best thriller moves out right now. Such a great cast, creepy and cinematic setting and the drama and tension in this film left me breathless at times. Worth the rent cost on prime.

B Movie

[gab-67599 · 4/10 · 10 October 2021]

The acting was ok and the story was good but when the monster stared using words like thy and thee I rolled my eyes and could not help but laugh. Thy will killith thee human! If your going to have a monster at least make it be scary. This felt more like a mental break down then a possession thing, but then in the end wow back to possession! All around a confusing movie not sure what to do with itself.

Good Bones, But It Needs Little More!

[icocleric · 5/10 · 4 March 2022]

It Started off insanely slow, and not very engaging, but it does improve towards the end. I have seen a lot worse.

Once it actually got there I did find it enjoyable, and the story decent enough for a horror film. The trouble was getting there. Its a shame the pace was so bad at the start, because I think it had potential to be a decent horror.

Dreadful ....

[tchitouniaram · 3/10 · 22 April 2022]

So many fake reviews , like usual ... Pulled me in too ) Even though I should know better )Always trying to find something cool , unusual , in that case , I got a very bad movie ... Avoid...