Reviews: Sinister (2012) Movie Review
Subgenres: Demons, Featured Supernatural, Supernatural, Cursed Images, Haunted House - Cursed, Killer Kids, Blumhouse
Our honest review of Sinister (2012) breaks down its scares, pacing, and whether this horror movie truly stands the test of time.
Sinister (2012) is directed by Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) (Writer/Director), Deliver Us from Evil (2014) (Writer/Director), Sinister 2 (2015) (Writer)) with an estimated budget of $3 million dollars. Sinister had an opening box office weekend of $18 million and a gross of $48 million. Derrickson tried a take a slightly different spin on the found-footage scares made popular by Paranormal Activity (2007).
Sinister stars Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke - Daybreakers (2009), The Purge (2013), Predestination (2014)) as a true crime author trying to pen the next successful book after his last success ten years prior. Oswalt’s wife (Juliet Rylance) along with his young daughter and teenage son. The family fights against the corrupting demon Bughuul (Baghul, Bagul) that likes to corrupt the minds of the innocent, children. The evil entity persuades the child to kill its entire family before joining the damned followers prior.
Oswalt moves his family to the home that previously had the entire family murdered, making the home a murder house. Oswalt starts to experience weird things, but the promise of an amazing story is too thrilling, so he sticks it out in hopes of unraveling the story and perhaps even thwarting the evil within. The majority of the film is focused on Oswalt and the mystery of the house and demon. The real thrills come when the demon is ready to unveil its twisted agenda. Film pacing was moderate with some slow portions but the ending delivered at a better pacing with frights. This film tried to create a new horror icon, but the elements of this character did not deliver to leave the viewer with the needed after effect.
Similar films like Sinister can be found in demon movies sub-genre(s), check them out for more movies like Sinister.
Sources Used to Shape This Review
Insights in this review are drawn from director interviews, fan commentary, production notes, and long-form breakdowns across genre-specific platforms. Content is written uniquely and reviewed for accuracy.
- Sinister Rating Scores
- Our Score: 6/10
- Overall Score: 6.11/10
- IMDB: 6.8/10
- MetaCritic: 5.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 6.4/10
Look here for more movies starting with S and here you can find 2012 movies to watch on your favorite streaming service.
Browse: Must See Best Demon Movies / Demon Movies List & Demon Movies List