If you’re in perpetual search for the next great horror movie, it’s more than likely that “Sinister” caught your eye. It is Directed/Written by Scott Derrickson who brought us “The Exorcism of Emily Rose”. Not bad, but also had a hand in the remake of “The Day the Earth Stood Still”.
The story begins with an eerie and effective slice of a murder film, which is suppose to be enough to hold us over through slow scene setting and some character exploration… it is. Sinister’s Star, Ethan Hawk, who plays a True Crime Author in search of his next big story, is a mixture of clichés and good acting that makes the protagonist's passage passable. It keeps the pace from being too torturous at spots. James Ranson’s goofy Deputy character steals the show though after a bumpy start. The film pieces (and music) within the movie that depicts the haunting deaths of families past are where the movie really sinks its teeth in. Sadly, it doesn’t follow through on much else, except (to the movie’s credit), on delivering on a dark albeit predictable ending.
The downer is that the other bits that were intended to scare and unnerve seem to be out of place or are otherwise excess. Spoiler free, vague examples: While it’s possible living at the site of a murder could exacerbate a young man’s night terrors, it’s hard to get behind the way it’s used in the plot. The box scene was a perfect example. The bush scene was a little better. What of the ghost children parading behind out protagonist? Excess. It’s not like the movie couldn’t tie symbols together, just look at the scorpion, snake and dog. If anything, the movie felt loose and was slow because it was sloppy, not because it was building tension or atmosphere.
That being said, there are many parts that were really great horror, but because of that inconsistency, I rate it a 7.2/10. It’s good and better than a lot of the horror movies out there but isn’t amongst the best.
- Josh
The downer is that the other bits that were intended to scare and unnerve seem to be out of place or are otherwise excess. Spoiler free, vague examples: While it’s possible living at the site of a murder could exacerbate a young man’s night terrors, it’s hard to get behind the way it’s used in the plot. The box scene was a perfect example. The bush scene was a little better. What of the ghost children parading behind out protagonist? Excess. It’s not like the movie couldn’t tie symbols together, just look at the scorpion, snake and dog. If anything, the movie felt loose and was slow because it was sloppy, not because it was building tension or atmosphere.
That being said, there are many parts that were really great horror, but because of that inconsistency, I rate it a 7.2/10. It’s good and better than a lot of the horror movies out there but isn’t amongst the best.
- Josh
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