Sinister (2012)

Sinister (2012)

       Sinister is written and directed by Scott Derrickson.  I went to it on opening night with my girlfriend, who spent the majority of the movie staring into my shoulder.  That’s loan money well spent ladies and gentlemen.

The Plot

                We are greeted by a chilling opening sequence showing a family being hung from a tree by what we can only assume is a ghost.  This scene sets the mood for the rest of the film.  It’s dark and gloomy and gives you an unshakable sense of foreboding.

                Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) is a former best selling true crime writer who is working on a new case.  The case he is working involves, you guessed it, the family found hanging by their necks from the tree in the backyard.  One interesting feature of the case is the fact that the youngest member of the family, a little girl, is reported as missing. He is a method writer, so he loves to get close to the scene of the crime.  Too close.  He decides, using his infinite horror movie wisdom, to move his family into the very house where the crime he is covering took place.  Proving that poor decision making is one of his more prominent traits, he also chooses not to inform his needlessly British wife (Juliet Rylance) of his decision to move the family into the scene of multiple grisly murders.

                It isn't long before Ellison finds a box of recordings while snooping in his attic.  The fact that the films he finds are recorded on reels doesn't bode well for anybody. 

Seriously is there anyway that these are good news?

                 It turns out that the films Ellison finds depict a series of violent family murders.  At first, Ellison believes the murders to be unrelated, but thanks to some help from Deputy So and So (James Ransone, not to be confused with James Handsome), he manages to find a link between the cases.  Each family lived in the house that the previous family had been butchered in.  In each case, one of the children winds up missing and is never found.  A disturbing trend in the films is a certain occult symbol that shows up all over the place.  According to specialist, the symbol is that of Bagul, or the eater of children.  Another one of those Pagan Gods you really have to scratch your head at.  Upon further inspection, some of the recordings reveal a tall dark stranger, who Ellison refers to as Mr. Boogie.

Mr Boogie is creepy as fuck

                After a couple days of research and exploring the house for more clues, Ellison starts seeing some terrifying shit around the house.  He is under enormous pressure to release another hit book, as to not be remembered as a one hit wonder, so he continues to pursue the truth.  Due to the mounting stress, but also coming agonizingly close to cracking the case, Ellison starts to spiral into an alcoholic depression and withdraws from his family, becoming completely obsessed with his work.  His wife Tracy, the accented voice of reason, suggests they leave the house and start fresh somewhere else.  Ellison manages to put down the bottle long enough to assure her that he is onto the biggest case of his life and that he is completely in control… he isn't.

My Take

                I really like the crime writer angle for a supernatural horror thriller.  The struggling writer who is willing to do anything to write another hit book is a nice motivation for the Ellison to continue to put his family in danger.  He is obviously not the kind of person to believe in a supernatural explanation for a crime, so the twists and turns of this plot really force him to change his whole perspective on everything.  The storytelling is chilling and there are tons of suspenseful and straight terrifying scenes to get your juices flowing.  The acting is spectacular, particularly from Hawke and Ransone, creating a compelling duo of characters that you want to see succeed.  Ransone provides a calming presence on screen and even a few laughs, making him an excellent supporting character.   I still don’t get why the wife needed to be British, but for some reason it irritated me throughout the film.  Each home movie Ellison watches is more horrifying than the last.  The one titled “Lawn Work” is especially disturbing.  Bagul is terrifying.  Derrickson does a good job of not over using Bagul, or showing him too much, (A-la Insidioius) preventing the audience to be comfortable with the main purveyor of terror.  Also the dead kids are a nice touch.  When a director is ballsy enough to shed children in a not so innocent light, it generally has a big pay off as we are all secretly scared of creepy kids.

Especially dead, creepy kids

The Verdict

                 I can’t find much I don’t like about this film.  The twist at the end is a tad predictable, but it successfully resolves the story and maintains the overall dark mood of the film.  The movie is not only scary while watching, but it’s creepy too, giving you the chills well after you leave the theatre.  It is a very well done horror/thriller that I can watch again and again. All these god damn excellent horror movies lately, I am excited to do a write up on one that I hate and tear it apart.

8.7/10