Sinister
Dan Abel

Review by Dan Abel Patron

Sinister 2012

★★★★

Rewatched 02 Oct 2022

31 DAYS OF HORROR 2022 - Film 7

Ellison Oswalt is a famous author of true crime books, loved by his fans and reviled by police for helping solve cases that they couldn't. While writing his new book he and his family move into the house that was once occupied by the murdered family that is the subject of his new novel. In the attic of this new house he discovers a crate of films in a box. Films that detail a handful of familicides in which the youngest child always goes missing. Films that could either help him solve the rash of murders or lead him and his family to be the latest victims.

Years ago, not long after it released, I popped Sinister in for the first time and I'll always remember how the intro made me feel. It's rare for a film to unease me so much, and nowadays it's probably impossible, but it's still quite the memory. Today, re-watching it for the first time in years, it doesn't have the same impact because I know the story that follows, but I still got an inkling of that long lost feeling.

Sinister isn't just a supernatural horror film. It's also a mystery that keeps you on edge with a unique premise and a plot that commands attention. A murder mystery involving in-universe folklore and an evil entity with a strange connection to children. Don't come here expecting blood and guts because this is a Blumhouse mid-2000s PG horror that ditches all of that in favor of strong writing and decent CGI FX to deliver it's brand of horror. This was their bread and butter strategy for well over a decade and it lead to a string of great horror films, with Sinister being one of my favorites that resulted from their efforts.

If you like unnerving supernatural horror or murder mysteries, this is for you. It runs a little longer than it should but it still presents a great story with a sick ending. Plus Ethan Hawke always rules. Check it out.

31 Days of Horror 2022

Block or Report

Dan liked these reviews

All
' ].join(''); if ( adsScript && adsScript === 'bandsintown' && adsPlatforms && ((window.isIOS && adsPlatforms.indexOf("iOS") >= 0) || (window.isAndroid && adsPlatforms.indexOf("Android") >= 0)) && adsLocations && adsMode && ( (adsMode === 'include' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) >= 0) || (adsMode === 'exclude' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) == -1) ) ) { var opts = { artist: "", song: "", adunit_id: 100005950, div_id: "cf_async_79dd59d8-4793-44e9-975d-ae3f50835aad" }; adUnit.id = opts.div_id; if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//srv.tunefindforfans.com/fruits/apricots.js";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; } else { adUnit.id = 'pw-79dd59d8-4793-44e9-975d-ae3f50835aad'; adUnit.className = 'pw-div -tile300x250 -alignleft -bottommargin'; adUnit.setAttribute('data-pw-' + (renderMobile ? 'mobi' : 'desk'), 'med_rect_btf'); if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', (event) => { adUnit.insertAdjacentHTML('afterend', kicker); window.ramp.que.push(function () { window.ramp.addTag('pw-79dd59d8-4793-44e9-975d-ae3f50835aad'); }); }, { once: true }); } } tag.remove(); })(document.getElementById('script-79dd59d8-4793-44e9-975d-ae3f50835aad'));
' ].join(''); if ( adsScript && adsScript === 'bandsintown' && adsPlatforms && ((window.isIOS && adsPlatforms.indexOf("iOS") >= 0) || (window.isAndroid && adsPlatforms.indexOf("Android") >= 0)) && adsLocations && adsMode && ( (adsMode === 'include' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) >= 0) || (adsMode === 'exclude' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) == -1) ) ) { var opts = { artist: "", song: "", adunit_id: 100005950, div_id: "cf_async_22cb7f76-a5e8-46ea-98a6-c451f0697d9d" }; adUnit.id = opts.div_id; if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//srv.tunefindforfans.com/fruits/apricots.js";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; } else { adUnit.id = 'pw-22cb7f76-a5e8-46ea-98a6-c451f0697d9d'; adUnit.className = 'pw-div'; adUnit.setAttribute('data-pw-' + (renderMobile ? 'mobi' : 'desk'), 'sky_btf'); if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', (event) => { adUnit.insertAdjacentHTML('afterend', kicker); window.ramp.que.push(function () { window.ramp.addTag('pw-22cb7f76-a5e8-46ea-98a6-c451f0697d9d'); }); }, { once: true }); } } tag.remove(); })(document.getElementById('script-22cb7f76-a5e8-46ea-98a6-c451f0697d9d'));