Sinister 2

SINISTER 2 is an unwanted sequel that carries on the below-par outcome of the first film. As I recall it, the first half of the original SINISTER was an exemplary little thriller, about a guy uncovering the antics of a historical serial killer and the creepy home movies he left behind. Then it all went supernatural and turned into a dumb INSIDIOUS clone.

Unfortunately for the viewer, SINISTER 2 carries on in this same supernatural category, although for some odd reason the filmmakers seem to be more inspired by CHILDREN OF THE CORN here than the original movie. It's unfortunate that nobody in Hollywood tries to be truly creative these days instead of copying what has come previously.

Anyway, this is a typical ghostly B-flick little different from a hundred others. The film is saddled with annoying kid characters for the leads, while the adults fail to act or do much. The sense of dread from the first half of SINISTER, with the creepy music and home movies, is gone here. There are still home movies but they lack the novelty shock value and have been too planned out. SINISTER 2 is a dud, and let's hope they don't bother with a third.

Sinister 2 isn't as bad as some make it out to be. It's not a good movie either. Like most sequels, it struggles with the novelty gone and never manages to succeed in new ways or areas. It is a mediocre and forgettable film, just as the name of it's main character.

I very much enjoyed the first movie. While it's not without its faults - I actually don't think it was that scary with too heavy reliance and textbook-use of "creepy" sounds and the children were too cliché for my taste; it was a very absorbing movie, well directed with excellent music, a good sense for mystery, mood, pace, a solid twist and awesome ending. It cleverly managed to outbalance it's shortcomings.

Sinister 2 starts off promising enough - at first it looks and feels just as it is supposed to, the snuff-flicks are still here with their grainy look and new, obscure kills complimented by creepy music. We find out what has happened after the first movie and continue the investigations surrounding the murder cases involving mysterious events, now with a new family (with twins - which could've provided an interesting twist to the story) and more involvement of the deputy from the prequel which at this point pretty much has inherited the knowledge of the previous main character. Everything you could possibly want in a sequel to Sinister is here, but sadly it is meaningless as they never manage to do something as interesting or memorable with it.

The death-flicks are useless this time as they don't provide anything to resolve the puzzle or any kind of new information. Even worse: the pace of them is pretty much straight to the point giving them a very rushed, uninspired and uninvolved feeling - not enough build-up and no intensity. As opposed to some in the first movie, none of them made me wonder or left me amazed how they were filmed. Instead some of them involve CGI rats and crocodiles - don't even ask. Even the characters argue to watch them all through in one sitting almost as if just to be done with.

The movie also suffers from too much exposition provided by the ghost children. The family, the deputy and Bughuul I found to be decent, but also problematic. While the deputy continues to be the same, likable character, you'll never fear for him because he seems to be too safe from all of it. The character of the mother is another one we should fear for, but oddly enough she is almost entirely absent in any of the horror events; her struggle is only on the family-issue side which doesn't quite sit right with this kind of movie and is more or less a subplot which lacks emotional depth, partially due to the father being so over the top. There is just overall little sense of danger in this movie which is its biggest fault.

To it's credit it does try to provide new things while being true to the first movie. It has it's moments where it shows potential and ideas, but never quite manages to expand on it in suspenseful and creative ways. It does however bother to explain some things surrounding the history and what if's, just about in the right amount without ruining too much, which is always nice. It also has its fair share of plot holes and faulty logic, just like the previous one did (some are even still the same), but I found it to be forgivable as it's not something I should be too concerned about with a movie involving supernatural events.

It's not exactly trash. I wasn't really bored watching it, but it also didn't provide enough suspense either, which is something it definitely should have. With a third Sinister movie seemingly sure to be made it'll be interesting to see where he series is being headed and if it'll reach cult status as any other popular horror franchise. The first one has potential to become a classic, this one is a much weaker entry which makes me wonder how they will handle the next one. Sinister 2 had potential and could have used more polish in almost every aspect. Hopefully the makers will learn from it and allow them more time to come up with good material.

Not as good as the original but still an okay horror movie. Maybe if it didn't involve the kids so much the scenes could have been more graphic.

Being a huge fan of the first Sinister, I was beyond excited for this movie. After seeing the trailer, it looked like they were going to go over the top with this one and make it intense. I really wanted that to happen. I really wanted this to be even better than the first.

I didn't get what I wanted.

This is my first review, so I'll keep it short. Everything that I was hoping this film would have, wasn't there. Not really a spoiler, but I felt like it tried to be more of a family drama movie with some supernatural stuff going on in the background. There were non-genuine jump-scares and the acting was less than average. Even with the glaringly bad plot, I sat there trying to look at some positives. The positives are that some scares got me. I'm jumpy even when I know jump-scares are coming, so they got me on that. But when the movie ended, I couldn't help but reflect on how bad the overall story was and how stupid some of the scares were. I won't spoil any of them, but let's just say that you'll probably be wondering how the scares were "genuine" when you really put it into perspective.

I give this movie a 5/10. Mostly because I just really, really wanted to like it. I kept searching for any redeeming qualities throughout the movie and they are slim to none. I recommend watching if you're bored one night and you've seen just about all the horror movies out there. It'll pass the time, but it's just a plain jump-scare fest with a nonsensical story. Don't go in having high expectations like I did.

EDIT: I gave this movie a 5/10 because I was in denial. This movie not good. 1/10.

Many a horror sequel fail to live up to the legacy of its predecessor because it is content to simply do the same thing over again and/or try to compensate for that familiarity by over-doing on cheap jump scares. Thankfully, 'Sinister 2' isn't that kind of sequel. As much as it places yet another family in a creepy old house with a past, there are more than enough new elements that differentiate it from the original, while at the same time remaining thematically faithful to the earlier Scott Derrickson film that was regarded as one of the better horror films of its year.

Derrickson doesn't return to direct this sequel, but he and C. Robert Cargill again assume writing duties here. Given the fate of Ethan Hawke's character at the end of 'Sinister', the duo has wisely chosen to leave his character to rest; instead, it is James Ransone's Deputy So & So who makes a comeback, the former deputy who had previously assisted Hawke's Ellison Oswalt now himself obsessed over such similar cases. Indeed, the erstwhile police officer has been tracking houses which were scenes of grisly murders accompanied by the disappearance of the families' youngest, and his own investigation has since brought him to a rural farmhouse where a mother is taking refuge with her two sons from her abusive husband.

Unbeknownst to her, the older twin Dylan (Robert Daniel Sloan) has been seeing several ghosts of young children around the house, who conspire every night to get Dylan to sneak to the basement and watch snuff movies recorded on Super 8 film of them killing their entire families. If Dylan doesn't cooperate, they promise that his nightmares won't go away – or that the demon by the name of Bughuul would be very, very upset. Their intentions only become clearer much later on, and without spoiling the surprise, let's just say that it has to do with some sibling rivalry between Dylan and his much more impetuous younger brother Zach (Dartanian Sloan).

Although casting the accursed family as a protective mother and her twin sons might seem a convenient way of appealing to audience sympathy, there is a much more ingenious reason for the conceit. Those who have seen the first movie will recall the twist near the end where each unfortunate family meets their end only after moving from a previous scene of murder to a new residence; as it turns out, Courtney (Shannyn Sossamon) is particularly inclined to moving away whether by force or volition once she is found by her husband Clint (Lea Coco) . That adds a frisson of urgency to the deputy's quest to find out more about Bughuul before her inevitable move, a personal mission which also puts him directly in evil's way.

Whereas the earlier movie was told largely from Ellison's perspective, Derrickson and his substitute Ciaran Foy opt not just to observe the proceedings from Courtney's point of view but also that of Dylan's, especially as the latter is repeatedly seduced by the seemingly innocuous exhortations of Bughuul's ghost kids. At the same time, reinstating the former's offbeat supporting character into this narrative also provides a perfect opportunity to explore the mythology of Bughuul, in particular a vital clue left behind by Professor Jonas (Vincent D'Onofrio) whom Ellison had previously consulted that points to the demon's modus operandi from more than four decades ago.

At no point do the writers nor Foy sacrifice proper storytelling for convenient scares, and aside from the unsettling moments that are meant to make you squirm (or jump) in your seat, there is a surprisingly well-developed narrative that keeps you on edge. The former however should not be under-estimated, as Foy shows more gumption than Derrickson by upping the shlock factor of the found footage – one shows an entire family being electrocuted by their son while seated in a pool of water in their kitchen, another shows a separate family buried in the snow to die of hypothermia, but the most shocking of all is that which takes place on the grounds which Courtney had moved into, which sees the family of a church minister and the minister himself being burrowed alive by rats trapped on top of their stomachs under a bowl on which rests a piece of hot coal.

Even without its predecessor's benefit of surprise, 'Sinister 2' packs plenty of suspense as it unravels the origins of Bughuul while demonstrating in detail just how each one of the missing children is exploited to recruit his very next victim. Like we said at the beginning, this sequel proves superior than most others of its ilk by being much more than just a retread of the original while showing an impressive restraint against jump scares. It doesn't hurt that it also boasts a gripping story which builds to a strong finish that reinforces the malevolence of the children who have fallen prey to Bughuul's devilish charms. Yes, it is a more than worthy sequel all right, and one that most certainly lives up to its title.