Sinister
2012 · Directed by Scott Derrickson
Original language: English
- horror
- thriller
- mystery
The story
True-crime writer Ellison Oswalt is in a slump; he hasn't had a best seller in more than 10 years and is becoming increasingly desperate for a hit. So, when he discovers the existence of a snuff film showing the deaths of a family, he vows to solve the mystery. He moves his own family into the victims' home and gets to work. However, when old film footage and other clues hint at the presence of a supernatural force, Ellison learns that living in the house may be fatal.
What it’s like
Grainy Super-8 and home-video footage, scratched and washed out, sits against the cold, dim interiors of a rural Pennsylvania farmhouse where Ellison Oswalt's attic study is lit by a single bare bulb and the blue glow of a projector. The camera stays close and unsettled, often handheld, drifting through rooms that feel too quiet, and the sound design leans on hiss, distant hums, sudden power-outage silence and the clatter of reels threading through a projector. Long dark stretches are broken by jolts of image rather than constant noise. The vibe is bleak, creeping dread with a cold, claustrophobic autumn feel, best suited to a late night alone with the lights off. The pacing is slow and deliberate, building through research and mounting unease; the central arc follows a washed-up writer whose ambition gradually curdles into obsession and fear for his family. Violence is present and disturbing, including child deaths and found-footage murder scenes, but it is mostly implied or shown in brief, sharp flashes rather than prolonged gore. This is for viewers who want atmospheric, mystery-driven horror with a sinister, film-within-a-film texture and can handle dark, upsetting material.
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