Sinister: Review By The Cryptkeeper: Resurrected

This is a movie that actually lives up to the expectations that are set. This movie had a rep for being one of the scariest movies ever, before it came out, so it seemed. I was shocked at the feedback it was receiving. I saw the trailer, and I thought this movie would be good, but I assumed the only scary parts would be the parts shown in the trailer. Unfortunately, that was partially the case. There were a few parts where I knew what was coming. That still did not keep me from jumping in my seat, or anyone else in the theater for that matter.

What Sinister has mostly going for it, is the fact that it is not only a good horror flick, but a good movie in general. It has a serious plot that even has some good twists and turns to it, that keep you guessing. All you know is Ethan Hawke's family moves into a house where a very sinister crime was committed (technically it was committed in the backyard). Hawke is a writer, whose latest topic is the events that took place in that house. It seems as though he has already had his fifteen minutes of fame, however. So he is trying to get another big break, by making a phenomenal book. He ends up finding old super 8 film canisters up in the attic of murders, that appear to be related only by a symbol and a creepy ass face in the background. But that's all been shown in the trailer, so if you've been following the movie, then that is old news. Like I said, this is a good movie in general. Not just for a horror movie, its good, but as a movie, it's really well written, directed, and acted as well.

Ethan Hawke pulls off his performance quite well, as playing the nearly-failed writer. You actually feel like you want him to succeed, and this book to be a hit. But at the same time, you want him to move away from that damn house, so him and his family can be safe! The rest of his family does a great job as well, even the child actors, which surprised me greatly.

The director is Scott Derrickson. I had not been familiar with the name, until now. He brought us the fifth Hellraiser film (Inferno) and the remake of The Day the Earth Stood still. Now for Sinister, he has gone in a whole new direction. The directing is different in this film. Not bad, but different. There are a lot of continuos shots, instead of several cuts. But it works well, and adds to the effect of the movie. Also, I noticed that the movie is always dark. I am not sure if I liked that or hated it because why the hell would Ethan Hawke want it so damn dark when he thinks some creepy sh*t is going down? Seriously, he never turns on the lights. What's weird is even when a creepy scene is not occurring, the shades are still down, and the film is dark. I think I overall enjoyed this feeling Derrickson went, but it can be puzzling at times.

Visually, the movie is extremely creepy. I already mentioned the whole thing about the movie being dark- literally- but there is more to it than that. The makeup is great, and so are the special effects. The creature, Beghoul (or however you spell it) is definitely creepy as hell.

Overall, I definitely recommend this movie for a good scare. It has a few more "jumps" or scares than is shown in the trailers, but still, I say do not watch them as much as I did. I think I am going to attempt to get some sleep... Probably should not have watched this right before bed!