Due to my current, inhumanely hectic obligations to law school, it is a depressingly rare occasion for me to go out to the movies. Fortunately, such an occasion arose with a group of friends last evening to see this film: Sinister, this month's very hyped, indie-horror(?), creep-fest. It's a fun offering for serious horror fans, but only progresses so far enough as an intriguing concept to be anything but groundbreaking.
Murder-mystery novelist Ellison (Ethan Hawke) and his family move into a house, where unbeknownst to everyone in the family but him, was the site of a gruesome murder that affected the last inhabiting family. Ellison finds a box of old, super-8 home movies in the attic and discovers the footage to be that of the murders; recorded by the killer. During his research, Ellison stumbles upon the ghastly image of who he supposes is the killer. Although this discovery helps inspire him to write his newest story, he also learns after consulting with police, experts, and experiencing some
Post-viewing, I read a review for the film on blu-ray.com, where the critic stated:
“Sinister” joins a growing trend of horror movies offering characters who don’t react appropriately to unequivocal proof of their own future doom, a bewildering screenwriting concept recently explored in the last three “Paranormal Activity” pictures.
This comment basically addresses my largest criticism with the plot, being that the story is wholly negated when taking into consideration that Ellison made some poor decisions that result in the film's plot. This is common in horror films; it's a Pandora's Box archetype. Sure, by psychoanalyzing Ellison's motives, his actions are perfectly understandable. The problem is, as a contribution to narrative, it passes off as cliche, and frustrates the viewer who knows he would have done something more logical (like turning the home movies immediately in to the police!), and perhaps made for a more compelling story.
Still, Sinister is an interesting blend of a number of horror elements: The occult, ghosts, haunted houses, serial murder, and "found footage." It's a fun ride for genre lovers who enjoy getting scared; I definitely jumped a few times. And the concept, while a hybrid, is fresh enough to appreciate. Here's hoping if money talks, that it tells the studio to produce a more fleshed-out, credible sequel. I'd be interested to see where the story keeps going...
7/10
Peace,
- Jon
