You know those films that don’t just linger after the credits, they stay with you? Sinister is one of them. I first saw it late at night (of course), and was reminded why some horror movies stick in your mind long after the lights go up.
It’s not perfect. It leans on a few genre tricks. But at its core, it means business: dread, mystery, family in peril, and a darkness that feels both supernatural and uncannily close to home.
What It Is / The Premise
Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) is a somewhat washed-up true-crime writer who’s desperate for another hit. After years without a bestseller, he moves his family into a new house — a house with a grim past: a family was murdered there, and the youngest child disappeared.
In the attic, Ellison finds an old Super 8 projector and a stash of film reels, each showing horrifying murders of entire families in houses linked to his new home.
As he watches more of the reels, the supernatural begins to bleed into his life. Children’s apparitions, strange symbols, a demonic presence — Ellison’s investigation becomes deeply personal, and dangerous.
Favorite Quote
There’s a moment when Ellison mutters (or thinks):
If you want to prove something isn’t supernatural, you better be ready to dig deep enough.
It feels small, but the line lingers. It’s a hinge between skepticism and horror — and it captures Ellison’s journey: from a man chasing stories to one who’s caught in a story not of his own making.
Critical / External Notes
Directed by Scott Derrickson, co-written with C. Robert Cargill.
Budget was modest (around $3 million) but it made a lot more...a commercial success.
Critics often praised its atmosphere, the chilling use of found footage, and Ethan Hawke’s grounded performance.
Some critiques: the ending is divisive; the film leans on jump scares in its later act; occasionally plot conveniences weaken the mystery.
RATED: Bleakly gripping horror
WATCH IT AGAIN: Yes - for the shadows, for the tape reels, for the things you missed
DO I WANT TO OWN IT?: Absolutely - it’s one I’d return to, though only after daylight
Final Thoughts
Sinister isn’t cozy. It’s not forgiving. It’s one of those films that dares you to look away — but if you do, you might miss something. It balances its elements well: the true-crime drive of Ellison’s ambitions, the terror of what’s being revealed, and the tragedy of a family caught in its crosshairs.
Yes, it dips into horror clichés: jump scares, ominous noises, creepy children. But it pulls them off with style, and with purpose. Its Super 8 sequences are uniquely dreadful — grainy, jolting, uncanny.
For me, the film’s power lies in the slow bleed: you realize how far Ellison has walked into danger while you’re doing the same. And that final few minutes, whether you love them or feel conflicted, hit with a force that reminds you why you watch horror in the first place.
If you haven’t seen Sinister (or haven’t revisited it lately), I’d say give it a spin in the dark. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Hope to see ya' next time!
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