Sinister (2012)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
True-crime writer Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) moves his wife and two young children into a home where four people were murdered years earlier. A young girl also went missing so the writer digs in to try and solve the case but before long he finds some 8mm footage that shows other horrendous death scenes. SINISTER certainly lives up to its title as this here is one of the most disturbing horror films to come across in a very long time. I think what makes the film work so well is that it doesn't fall into many horror trappings, which is either a bunch of loud noises to try and scare you or going for a gory, exploitation style filmmaking. SINSITER does the opposite as it really tells a wonderful mystery story and just slowly builds up all the evil and this leads to an incredibly chilling finale. The mystery of the 8mm footage is something that is so perfectly written that you can't help get caught up in everything going on and you're completely glued to the film trying to find the next clue so that the killings can be solved. The screenplay also makes a right decision in letting us really get to know the writing, his personal problems and the issues that he's having with the family. The more you can connect with this writer and his family the more you begin to care for them and want to see them survive this entire ordeal. Director Scott Derrickson really does a remarkable job at slowly building up the tension but he also manages to make for a very dark and sinister atmosphere. The 8mm footage is beautifully shot and it's quit haunting as is the sound of the projector each time it comes on. I'm not going to ruin the ending but kudos to him for having the guts to end it the way he did. Hawke turns in an incredibly strong performance as you believe every aspect of what his character is going through. It helps to have such a strong actor and especially as the film moves along and the tension starts to wear on the character. Juliet Rylance is good as the wife and we get strong support from James Ransone and Fred Dalton Thompson. The film doesn't resort to gory violence or cheap scares but instead it really builds up a feeling of true evilness and by the end of the picture you're really going to be wrap up in the terror going on and everything that's about to happen to conclude the picture.
