Sinister 2

Not as good as the original but still an okay horror movie. Maybe if it didn't involve the kids so much the scenes could have been more graphic.

Sinister 2 isn't as bad as some make it out to be. It's not a good movie either. Like most sequels, it struggles with the novelty gone and never manages to succeed in new ways or areas. It is a mediocre and forgettable film, just as the name of it's main character.

I very much enjoyed the first movie. While it's not without its faults - I actually don't think it was that scary with too heavy reliance and textbook-use of "creepy" sounds and the children were too cliché for my taste; it was a very absorbing movie, well directed with excellent music, a good sense for mystery, mood, pace, a solid twist and awesome ending. It cleverly managed to outbalance it's shortcomings.

Sinister 2 starts off promising enough - at first it looks and feels just as it is supposed to, the snuff-flicks are still here with their grainy look and new, obscure kills complimented by creepy music. We find out what has happened after the first movie and continue the investigations surrounding the murder cases involving mysterious events, now with a new family (with twins - which could've provided an interesting twist to the story) and more involvement of the deputy from the prequel which at this point pretty much has inherited the knowledge of the previous main character. Everything you could possibly want in a sequel to Sinister is here, but sadly it is meaningless as they never manage to do something as interesting or memorable with it.

The death-flicks are useless this time as they don't provide anything to resolve the puzzle or any kind of new information. Even worse: the pace of them is pretty much straight to the point giving them a very rushed, uninspired and uninvolved feeling - not enough build-up and no intensity. As opposed to some in the first movie, none of them made me wonder or left me amazed how they were filmed. Instead some of them involve CGI rats and crocodiles - don't even ask. Even the characters argue to watch them all through in one sitting almost as if just to be done with.

The movie also suffers from too much exposition provided by the ghost children. The family, the deputy and Bughuul I found to be decent, but also problematic. While the deputy continues to be the same, likable character, you'll never fear for him because he seems to be too safe from all of it. The character of the mother is another one we should fear for, but oddly enough she is almost entirely absent in any of the horror events; her struggle is only on the family-issue side which doesn't quite sit right with this kind of movie and is more or less a subplot which lacks emotional depth, partially due to the father being so over the top. There is just overall little sense of danger in this movie which is its biggest fault.

To it's credit it does try to provide new things while being true to the first movie. It has it's moments where it shows potential and ideas, but never quite manages to expand on it in suspenseful and creative ways. It does however bother to explain some things surrounding the history and what if's, just about in the right amount without ruining too much, which is always nice. It also has its fair share of plot holes and faulty logic, just like the previous one did (some are even still the same), but I found it to be forgivable as it's not something I should be too concerned about with a movie involving supernatural events.

It's not exactly trash. I wasn't really bored watching it, but it also didn't provide enough suspense either, which is something it definitely should have. With a third Sinister movie seemingly sure to be made it'll be interesting to see where he series is being headed and if it'll reach cult status as any other popular horror franchise. The first one has potential to become a classic, this one is a much weaker entry which makes me wonder how they will handle the next one. Sinister 2 had potential and could have used more polish in almost every aspect. Hopefully the makers will learn from it and allow them more time to come up with good material.

Being a huge fan of the first Sinister, I was beyond excited for this movie. After seeing the trailer, it looked like they were going to go over the top with this one and make it intense. I really wanted that to happen. I really wanted this to be even better than the first.

I didn't get what I wanted.

This is my first review, so I'll keep it short. Everything that I was hoping this film would have, wasn't there. Not really a spoiler, but I felt like it tried to be more of a family drama movie with some supernatural stuff going on in the background. There were non-genuine jump-scares and the acting was less than average. Even with the glaringly bad plot, I sat there trying to look at some positives. The positives are that some scares got me. I'm jumpy even when I know jump-scares are coming, so they got me on that. But when the movie ended, I couldn't help but reflect on how bad the overall story was and how stupid some of the scares were. I won't spoil any of them, but let's just say that you'll probably be wondering how the scares were "genuine" when you really put it into perspective.

I give this movie a 5/10. Mostly because I just really, really wanted to like it. I kept searching for any redeeming qualities throughout the movie and they are slim to none. I recommend watching if you're bored one night and you've seen just about all the horror movies out there. It'll pass the time, but it's just a plain jump-scare fest with a nonsensical story. Don't go in having high expectations like I did.

EDIT: I gave this movie a 5/10 because I was in denial. This movie not good. 1/10.

Sinister had a good premise and twist that separated it from ordinary horror flick. This also means it was relying on the mystery aspect that was revealed at the end. The sequel loses the luxury of having the paranormal riddle. Instead of completely rehearsing the plot it utilizes different perspective and personalities, then combines it with dreadful bits to make a terrifying spectacle.

Resuming the events from previous movie, now Ex-Deputy (James Ransone) is trying to sever the haunting circle by destroying the houses it affected. Unfortunately, there's a new family of mother (Shannyn Sossamon) and two sons who occupies one particular house. They are in danger of repeating the same terrible fate as previous victims, especially the children.

James Ransone is a much different lead than Ethan Hawke was, he's more timid and less intense, but he looks very decent which should endear audience to his valiant effort. There's good chemistry with Shannyn Sossamon who is a great cast for the mother role, just like in TV series Wayward Pines. The two are not the typical family or paranormal whiz of recent horror movies, and this gives the characters a sense of urgency.

There are bits of usual investigation involved, but the main draw is the perverted twist on the children and the eerie clips they made. These short clips are like snuff movies from children's point of view and presented with old cryptic filter. It may seem a bit similar to that of first film, but they are dauntingly effective and much more diverse.

The children themselves don't look menacing and often seem like superficial apparitions. Unlike the original movie which displayed them sparsely, their appearance here is overexposed. It may have worked if viewers were introduced more to the children or the child abuse issue was treated with more polished, although unfortunately there's not much depth on the youngling characters.

For most parts the scare looks average, coupling a few jump scares and taking hints from creepypastas. It loses the steam towards latter end since it becomes a tad predictable and the ghostly kids are hardly frightening, however the characters are adequately presentable which should keep audience invested throughout the unworldly predicament.

The first SINISTER was a fairly scary & very atmospheric Horror film but this sequel definitely wasn't scary in the slightest because it felt like a Children of the Corn flick & a family drama mixed together.

James Ransone is very good again as the timid & scared Duputy from the first film & James is a very interesting actor & is a very good actor & i liked him more than Ethan Hawke in the first film. James was excellent in the brilliant "IT: Chapter 2" & is genuinely a good actor who i like to see. Ransone definitely is the best thing about this sequel. His Deputy is a funny character with a good heart & is now a private investigator working on the case of the Evil Supernatural Deaths after the horrific murders of the Oswalds family.

The Deputy meets a scared mother with her two weird sons that are on the run & hiding out in a big old farm house next to an abandoned church that was the site for a families murder. The story is fine really & the cast is decent with the super sexy Shannyn Sossamon as the boys weary mum with her own problems going with her abusive ex-husband & now Supernatural goings on at her farm house. The weird skinny young boys are the target of a bunch of evil ghost kids that wanna persuade them to kill their family but one boy is good & one is bad.

This does feel very routine for a Supernatural flick & nothing stands out as scary, unique or even creepy at all. In fact SINISTER 2 felt like a Goosebumps episode or something similar. The fact you see the ghostly kids constantly & the boys sit talking to them regularly that there is zero threat at all & no tension or fear for the audience but it's still a fun & entertaining supernatural film. Of course Sinister 2 was totally inspired by Stephen Kings Children of the Corn & that's fine. I did like the rural setting with the big old farm house & the corn fields.

The film is watchable & fun but that's completely down to James Ransone keeping it all interesting & fun because he's a good actor & Deputy is a good character full of awkward charm.

The first Sinister was definitely more creepy & atmospheric but i will say that Sinister 2 is much more fun & i love that Duputy character.