Sinister Review

    Without being needlessly grotesque with its violence nor exploitative as any other generic horror thriller, “Sinister” proves to be an absolute home run for director, Scott Derikson (Exorcism of Emily Rose) and screenwriter film critic, Robert C. Cargill (Ain’t it Cool News) as they have constructed a marvelous work of terror that leaves you with a sense of coldness and dread than ever feeling satisfied for watching. Very high in its concept yet, using the bare minimal of sets and the classic method of old-school horror where the horror comes not from seeing the beast, but having it linger in your mind, “Sinister” is a wake-up call to filmmakers and producers in charge of these dreadful, unapologetic horror films without any heart as “Sinister” proves to give something horror fans have always appreciated; a sense of care for the characters on screen and terror not cheap, but natural and realistic. It's been a hard road to trudge through the barren filled wilderness of unnecessary horror remakes and cheap horror thrills done unapologetically, selling exploitation in exchange for any thought given to the material or characters, "Sinister" is a an example, glimmering with all of the qualities to make a classic horror film in the traditional sense, with a few modifications.

     Taking place in a small, subdued town in wood barren Pennsylvania,  true-crime novelist, Ellison Osbourne (Ethan Hawke) relocates his family to a seemingly cute house where unbeknownst to his family, including his wife, is aware of the ghastly history of the house as the previous owners were found hung from the backyard. But Ellison is not hesitant-being desperate to write another hit and reclaiming his fame he once had ten years ago with his first book "Kentucky Blood", Ellison means well and dearly loves his family, but as a writer, he is driven by passion and dreams unexplainable except for himself. While his family is tentative about moving repetitively house to house, they trust in Ellison as his supportive wife, Tracy (Juliet Rylance) reassures their children, Trevor (Michael Hall D' Addario) and Ashley (Clare Foley) of a new life to begin.

     While moving in, Ellison finds a box of old six super-8 film canisters and a camera. As he's perplexed by the findings of these films, his curiosity gets the better of him as he decides to view them the first night. It doesn't take long for him to realize that the films are of the previous owners and makes the shocking discovery of bizarre images of a ghost-like figure plaguing the images themselves. Soon after, he starts to experience strange things happening to him at night, and soon realizes that he's delved more than what he bargained for as he is haunted by bumps and noises and horrific night terrors his son experiences, he's about to experience first-hand as what happened to the previous owners and what might happen to him and his family as well before it's too late.

                                        

Right within the first frame, the tone is perfectly set. Nothing at all is cheap about "Sinister." Sure, the jump scares are of the same format we've been witnessed to, but the build-up and tension arising underneath the floorboards as Ellison investigates odd noises in his house at night create an atmosphere almost missing in horror films in that what separates "Sinister" from anything else. The cinematography helps allude to the frightening images not seen to the human eye, yet effectively create a sense of seriousness and a state of being petrified at what is to come. All throughout, the scares and frightening jumps are earned than cheap, with the aid of the looming ambiance and tension surrounding the scenes, "Sinister" is a more classical approach to horror with a modern edge and a serious attitude that makes it more grounded in reality than amid the air of imagination.

There are perhaps two things that are the most satisfying to take away from this genuine flick. The first being the performance from Ethan Hawke and the script. Ethan Hawke outdoes himself here. While nothing to make the assumption of a career defining performance, however, he conveys a sense of careful dedication and understanding to a character like Ellison. Ellison is not a nice character, at all. In fact, it wouldn't be surprising to feel utter contempt for his decision by continuing putting his family at peril, yet, Hawke gives a sense of pathos that really gives a sympathetic quality that makes the character all the more real and engaging. Ellison is a writer and has a true passion for it, but amid all the success that had been bestowed upon him, one can't feel if his hunger for fame is his aim.It make his character so conflicted and perplexed by the situations that it really makes you more involved in the narrative.

      The writing is surprisingly clever and well crafted for the way it not only spins the whole genre of found footage and gives it a new angle, but just with the precise delicacies given to both the characters and situations at hand. There's layer upon layer that throughout, each new discovery gives the narrative more depth and meaning until the finial end where you're left with a cold disturbed feel than anything hopeful. Some of the twists in here are not random and feel natural, but totally off-putting and surprising. Surprising to find that amidst the fright-fest lies bits of real genuine comedy sprinkled throughout that never feels forced but more natural as one involving sub-plot involving Ellison enlisting the help of a somewhat naive deputy of the sheriff, who's a fan of his work but comes off being more the voice of reason with Ellison than a bumbling idiot. It walks a perfectly balanced line of fear and dread with lighter moments of humorous  comedy that it's hard to think it actually worked. The writing is very tight as to when to evoke a feeling at an appropriate time. 

                                        

   While the use of some jump scares will make audiences very weary and feel they've gone this routine route before, the scares the creators have in store for us are still realistic and have a disturbing like quality around them. It's just a matter of one's endurance for jump scares. Again, these are more earned and suspenseful instead of feeling cheap and exploitative. Just certain imagery still lingers in one's mind, especially the home footage Ellison finds that's just pure macabre reincarnated. Added to the, a luscious hair-raising soundtrack that is definitely one of the more unique and creative soundtracks for a horror film of recent memory. Yet, it never delves into outlandish over-the-top gore or special effects that just numbs the audience's sense after a while. Instead, we get a slow-burning meticulous horror show of smart writing, enthralling performances, and sheer spine-tingling terror that brings back the feeling of old-school classical horror induced with some clever deceitfulness that's missing in modern horror these days.

                                         

                                                      Rating: A- by Amritpal Rai