Siniestro

Say what you will about the varying quality of their releases- popular horror film production company Blumhouse really has a good thing going these days. With micro-budget features like the "Insidious" and "Paranormal Activity" series that are reliant on genuine scares over effects, and some very decent and high-quality releases under their name, its a modern day rags-to-riches story like few others. A company that has flourished without having to spend the hundreds of millions that bigger studios throw around. And one of their more fascinating releases of the past few years has most certainly been director Scott Derrickson and co-writer C. Robert Cargill's atmospheric and unsettling freak-show "Sinister." It has all the trademarks of an inferior film- plenty of jumps, lots of blood-'n-gore that is questionable, a blaring soundtrack. And yet, I feel it rises above many other films because of one thing- expert building and payoff of atmosphere.

We follow the story of true-crime writer Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke), who moves his family into a new house... though his wife and children are unaware that their new home is also the location of an infamous unsolved murder, which Ellison is hoping to use as the basis for a new book. Soon enough, while doing research, Ellison discovers a mysterious box packed away in the attic that houses a collection of 8mm film strips appearing to depict almost ritualistic murders, all with one thing in common- the death of an entire family. As Ellison tries to solve the mystery of these dark and devious film-strips, his family soon finds itself haunted by strange happenings and unexplainable events... which may very well be tied the spirits of the slain victims and a demonic figure that Ellison begins to recognize as he continually appears again and again during his investigation...

A great deal of why the film works lays in the capable hands of the creative minds behind it. While I have taken issue with some of director Derrickson's films in the past (including the woefully misjudged "The Day the Earth Stood Still" remake), I've very much admired his work in the field of horror, in addition to his recent return to the mainstream with the delightful "Doctor Strange." And despite a limited budget, he shines through with wicked visual direction and a wonderfully disturbing sense of dread in "Sinister." This is one eerie, unsettling film, and his keen use of darkness, composition and suggestive camera angles lends a lot of fear to the proceedings. You can feel the tension growing with each and every passing moment, and at any time, you feel like everything is going to fall apart. I also very much admired how he handled the many "snuff films" we see peppered throughout the runtime... they are deliciously evil and twisted in all the right ways to give you the best of goosebumps.

The story Derrickson and Cargill craft is just a blast and a half, with extremely likable characters (archetypal though they may be) and a good structure that builds at a gradual but consistent pace. It's a very well-written film for the most part, and it does its job wonderfully in setting up the insanity to follow. Combine that with top-notch performances, and you got the recipe for a great little horror film. Ethan Hawke is absolutely marvelous as always, and it's nice to see him doing just a fun, old-fashioned horror flick. Supporting roles by the likes of Juliet Rylance, James Ransone and Clare Foley are also extremely well-played. And hey... we even get a small, uncredited turn from the fantastic Vincent D'Onofrio as a professor who repeatedly works alongside Oswalt via Skype chat. It's a small role, but it's also a lot of fun.

That being said... Oh, boy is there one glaring issue that does drag the film down quite a bit, and it's where it loses some major points for me. And that is the third act. While I will not spoil anything, be prepared for a bit of a let-down with a final reel that feels hastily patched together and has a fair share of moments that stink of studio interference. The first hour is so well assembled, that it's actually pretty mind-blowing how much of a mess the final thirty or so minutes are. With a rash of mind-numbing moments, repeated sloppy exposition dumps and a final sequence that is more likely to illicit unintentional giggles than genuine shocks... it doesn't go out with a bang so much as a whimper.

Still, it's not enough to ruin the film. Because outside of that messy, clunky finale, the rest of the film is incredibly strong and it is still a tale well-worth checking out. It's absolutely awe- inspiring sense of primal fear, wonderful performances and wicked entertainment value make it a great go-to for Halloween-night viewings or checking out with a big group of friends in the dark. It's not a perfect film. But it's a very solid and scary experience that I completely recommend to all fans of horror.

I give "Sinister" a very good 8 out of 10.

Controversial crime writer Ellison Oswalt is willing to put his family life on the line when he begins researching his next book, several deaths that occured at their new home.

A very well made, very well acted, with a good storyline, Sinister is a quality production. If I'm honest, I find it a little frustrating, I love the opening sequences, and the elderly premise of the movie, the idea of that serial killer still out there is great. What I didn't care for, was the ending, once it switches into supernatural mode, it isn't as good.

I w always thought there are too many cutaway scenes, too much filler, which pads the movie out unnecessarily, but there are plenty of jump scares, plenty of scenes to keep you entertained.

Ethan Hawke is fantastic, there's nothing more I can say, and dare I say it, his acting skills probably elevate the film somewhat.

It's definitely a decent movie, it should have been a classic.

6/10.

Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) is a true crime writer that was successful in his debut with the book "Blood in Kentucky", but also has failed on his next works. He moves with his wife Tracy (Juliet Rylance), his son Trevor (Michael Hall D'Addario) and his daughter Ashley (Clare Foley) to a house in King Count that belonged to the Stevenson family expecting to write a best-seller. Ellison does not tell to Tracy that the place was a crime-scene, where four members of the Stevenson family were hanged on the backyard and the girl Stephanie had gone missing.

Ellison begins his research about the murder and soon he finds a box with super 8 home videos in the attic. He watches the movies and discovers other murder cases that might be connected to other crimes. He befriends the local Deputy (James Ransone), who is his fan, and gets additional information about the cases. He also sees a creepy man in the footages and symbols painted on the wall. He contacts the specialist Professor Jonas that tells him about the cult to the legendary Bughuul. Meanwhile, Ellison and his family are frightened by spooky events in the house. Ellison decides to quit his research and return to his house, but soon he receives a phone call from the Deputy telling what are in common in the crimes.

"Sinister" is a dark and spooky horror movie with a creepy ghost story. The plot is developed in slow pace but I startled many times with the weird situations. This is the first time that I see Ethan Hawke working in this genre and he has a convincing performance. The scary and gore conclusion offers a chance for a sequel that I hope that it does not happen. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Entidade" ("The Entity")

This movie is creepy and I always love to see D'Onofrio in anything, always. Cool premise, finding super8 movies in the attic, but it's sooooo dark.

When I watched this movie I had few expectations about it, but I ended up being satisfied with what I saw. The story revolves around a true-crime writer who, inadvertently, stumbles on a bunch of old movies with macabre scenes of murder. But if you're expecting gore and litres of blood, forget it. What is more frightening in the film is precisely what the cameras don't show but know how to suggest. The crime scenes are truly remarkable, and they were done cleverly in a long-disused (Super 8) video film that was cleverly honoured. The film is getting more and more intense, as events occur that reveal the true nature of the killer. The ending is at least unexpected. The soundtrack accompanies every moment with great discretion, managing to avoid imposing itself on the action of the film. Scott Derrickson, the director / writer, deserves the laurels, as does Ethan Hawke, who brings the lead actor to life.