Sinister(2012)- User Reviews

I was intrigued when I saw the trailers for Sinister some time ago, and it was definitely on my "must see" list. I was very pleased to not be disappointed by the film now that I've seen it. It's a very dark and creepy film, and in part, disturbing. There is a feeling of dread throughout the film, and the music very much contributes to that. A family of 4, with the father being a writer looking for material for a new book, move into a house that was the scene of a crime in which all family members (save 1) were hanged in the back yard. Of course, this is known only to the father (Ethan Hawke) until sometime later during the film. A box is found in the attic containing several Super-8 films, all of which portray families being gruesomely murdered. As the film goes on Hawke is assisted in his research by a sherrif's deputy who knows what happened in the house, and finds that in each instance where a family was murdered, one child was not among the victims. There is also a strange symbol and a vague, pale figure that appears in the background of most of these films, that upon further research turns out to be some kind of obscure occult figure. And, of course, a major player in everything that has happened or will happen. Truly, the film could have no other ending than it did, but it was a tad on the predictable side after the unpredictability of the REST of the film. It's been a long time since I was as riveted to the screen as I was for this, I wasn't restless, didn't once look at my watch, I was really into this film. If you just want a bunch of gore or cheap "BOO!" effects, don't bother, but if you want to see a creepy film that will get under your skin, this is it.