Sinister 2

While Sinister 2 is still quite well… sinister, it certainly lacks any of the originality and constant vibe of fear that made its predecessor such a memorable and competent horror film that found both success at the box office and on home release.

Directed by soon to be Dr. Strange deliverer Scott Derrickson, Sinister was a competently made horror that featured scarily good sound designs, an assured lead turn from Ethan Hawke and a somewhat unique premise that introduced us all to one of horror's most eerie creations of recent times in the form of the child hungry Bughuul.

Where the first film's use of home footage horrors and sudden appearances of Bughuul and his tribe were used to horrific effect, new director Ciarán Foy struggles to utilise the murderous footage to chilling affects here (even though a rat centric set piece is a dastardly delight) and an overuse of Bughuul undoes many of the films wannabe scares. It also doesn't help that an uninteresting story that's been co-created by Derrickson fails to engage like Ethan Hawke's struggling writer plot line of the first film.

Trying to keep things tied together by the return of James Ransone's one time sheriff's deputy So & So (seriously we never get to hear his name) and his quest to stop Bughuul's evil dominance, the plot that also includes Shannyn (yes I'm still acting) Sossamon's mother of two increasingly doomed boys just fails to fire and with a mere handful at best of genuine frightening or terrifying moments, Sinister 2 fails to recreate the ominous mood of the first film and where the first film culminated in a shocking finale, Sinister 2 try's but fails to shock us with a fiery and scythe laden crescendo.

The first Sinister offered up so much opportunity for a new franchise to take hold and while Bughuul still remains and interesting and scary creation, Sinister 2 seems to mark an early drop off in form that will likely see the Sinister franchise relegated to bargain bins before long, which is a sad proposition for a storyline that if done right, could be all types of horror filled greatness.

1 ½ late night basement movie screenings out of 5

Sinister is one of my favorite horror films from the past few years, so when the reviews for this sequel started coming out, I was really disappointed. I mean, it has a 13% on Rotten Tomatoes at the time that I'm writing this. But after going into the movie with an open mind, I actually thought it was surprisingly solid, a whole lot better than the reviews would have you believe.

When Sinister 2 was originally announced, I was pretty skeptical. The original focused so heavily on a mystery that was solved by the end, so how do you make another one when we already know what's going on? C. Robert Cargill and Scott Derrickson pull that off by offering something totally different that still feels familiar. We follow the madness from a child's perspective this time, and that allows us to explore the rules of this universe in a really interesting way. In the first one we're begging for the Oswalt family to leave the house, but this time, we're begging for the family to stay in it. The formula is flipped around a bit, and while still being structured around a collection of film reels, Sinister 2 feels different enough to justify its existence.

It's also quite creepy just as the original movie was, although the atmosphere isn't as bleak and relentless this time. A whole lot of scenes take place during the day and just consist of a lot of dialogue, and it was definitely missing the Scott Derrickson touch in some places. Sinister 2 also relies on jump scares a bit more than its predecessor did, and in fact nearly every single scare in the movie is accompanied by a loud noise. They all worked on me, so I didn't mind too much, but I wish I could say the scares in this one were as inventive as they were the last time.

But overall, Sinister 2 does a really solid job of building on the first one. The plot is far more interesting than I expected, James Ransone and Shannyn Sossamon are both great, and the film reels themselves are all pretty fantastic (except for one that goes a bit over the top and just looks silly, but I won't spoil it). Best of all, while Mr. Boogie gets more screen time here, I never felt the added exposure made him any less terrifying, and luckily the franchise hasn't gone the Halloween route of explaining too much.

No, it's not as good as the original, but if you enjoyed that movie as much as I did, you should have a good time with 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.

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.

The first film was good, I enjoyed it, but not scary. So a sequel was expected and it failed to live up to the standards of the original. I would say, it was a decent horror film, with more story and drama than the creepy atmosphere. One character retained from the previous and the core theme remained, but tried a different method of narration. Something like 'Goodnight Mommy' with two brothers and mystery events surrounding them.

It definitely lacks what a horror film required the most, and predictable too. But the story wise, it was decent, because the actors did a good job. So it is an average film. I expected a better ending and it did not conclude at its best leaving me disappointing. The way it ended might have been the suitable for the story, but I wasn't impressed. Again, another sequel is most certain, so I think this tale is not over yet and chances are very high that the story would follow with the same cast.

It was not a bad flick, but not a follow-up you would have wanted. If you're looking for a genuine horror film, then you should skip it. There's nothing brilliance to appreciate at any level. Overall, I too felt it should have been better in some places. So my advise is if you forget its genre and try to enjoy that you're watching some movie that you don't know its category then surely would have a decent time with it.

4/10