Sinister

Sinister is certainly no S(s)hining, whether I'm referring to the creative one or the brilliant and still-unsurpassed Kubrick horror, and Scott Derrickson draws material from perhaps every major horror title, starting with the aforementioned The Shining and ending with the amateurish Blair Witch, but it's still one of the best and most story-integrated horror films of recent years. The initial boredom caused great apprehension, but with the gradual unravelling of the murder mystery the film picks up the pace, the atmosphere thickens with each passing minute and I had to wipe the sweat from my brow as I wandered through the dark corridors at night. As it has been mentioned many times, Derrickson doesn't come up with anything new and his attempt to combine a classic spiritual horror with a dark thriller about a brutal serial killer may not be to everyone's taste, and it also squeaks at times, but at the same time, he keeps a close eye on the script, doesn't let it drown in the deadly waters of clichés, and with the help of a very convincing Ethan Hawke and well chosen interiors (another salute to master Kubrick), he plays with the audience's nerves. And if the climax is from the weaker barrel, the rest of the film makes up for it and there is really little missing for a full rating. For me, the best horror film of the year, without doubt. (2012-12-02)

Mr. Boogie and his collection of home movies, like “mowing the lawn" and “barbeque" in action. A wild soundtrack, then primarily an excellent atmosphere and a twist for all mystery fans. The couple of references to Stephen King are also very fine, the same applies to the actors. Ethan Hawke acts precisely in between nice guy/madman who never gives up and his wife and kid are also really fine. The high point of the picture of course was watching the movies filmed on Super 8. P.S.: The extended version is sometimes seriously better than the original. (2012-11-11)

Derrickson's got it handled, no doubt about it. He just follows the routine template that doesn't offer a single surprise, and ultimately sells even the extended cut's point as expected from the first screening. That’s perhaps a bit of a shame, as Hawke's excellent performance, solid direction and Young's impressive soundtrack pull it high into the red otherwise. [Inside joke: Norwegian black metal and Pishin on the left did their thing in the movie theater. :)] (2012-11-12)

I can’t say that I was impressed, frightened or frozen. I'm actually disillusioned. I found the supernatural elements in Sinister superfluous to the point of awkwardness, the music terrible (and almost none of the scenes that would be better with silence can do without it), the story is stale... And although it was probably the director's intention, I was incredibly irritated by the omnipresent pitch blackness that made the film just a weird radio play at times (I should note that I watched the DVD and at night and still had trouble discerning what was what, who was who, etc.). It could have been better. (2014-03-18)

Along with Christopher Young, Scott Derrickson manages just as with The Exorcism of Emily Rose to create an impressive atmosphere – this time in a very distinctive way with the help of "music" (or rather, a cluster of sounds that are supposed to be some kind of soundtrack), the effects of which are hellishly depressing and not only fit the film as such, but even surpass its purpose in the end – and for a very simple reason: aside from the fact that it fashions the atmosphere (and at times even creates it from scratch), which is more than half the experience here, it really works as a stand-alone means of creating an uncomfortably vague tension (which with music alone is very impressive). The other aspects of the film are probably worth mentioning as well – Sinister is obviously a horror film, but a certain whodunit plot and a little family drama have a firm place in it. I'm not a horror fan or anything like that, so I won't analyze the scariness or believability of the story here, but a wise friend once told me that a good horror movie (depending on how we imagine or define good horror for ourselves, of course) is all about the characters. Ethan Hawke is quite believable in his performance as a father who internally struggles with his own selfishness and strong recklessness in his own desire for recognition (fame), while on the other hand trying to love and provide for his family as much as he can (I would add that I don't consider this to be the film's fulcrum, of course, but rather an integral part of the whole). While I'm not really a fan of the horror genre, what I do appreciate about this film is that it's suspenseful, scary, atmospheric, and has an interesting occult feel to it and an impressive ending (not unexpected or shocking, but impressive for sure) in which you also get to see a demonstration of the painter's distinctive artistry. A very pleasant surprise and proof that Scott Derrickson is simply a whiz at atmospheric scares. (2012-12-14)