Sinister 2

While Sinister 2 is still quite well… sinister, it certainly lacks any of the originality and constant vibe of fear that made its predecessor such a memorable and competent horror film that found both success at the box office and on home release.

Directed by soon to be Dr. Strange deliverer Scott Derrickson, Sinister was a competently made horror that featured scarily good sound designs, an assured lead turn from Ethan Hawke and a somewhat unique premise that introduced us all to one of horror's most eerie creations of recent times in the form of the child hungry Bughuul.

Where the first film's use of home footage horrors and sudden appearances of Bughuul and his tribe were used to horrific effect, new director Ciarán Foy struggles to utilise the murderous footage to chilling affects here (even though a rat centric set piece is a dastardly delight) and an overuse of Bughuul undoes many of the films wannabe scares. It also doesn't help that an uninteresting story that's been co-created by Derrickson fails to engage like Ethan Hawke's struggling writer plot line of the first film.

Trying to keep things tied together by the return of James Ransone's one time sheriff's deputy So & So (seriously we never get to hear his name) and his quest to stop Bughuul's evil dominance, the plot that also includes Shannyn (yes I'm still acting) Sossamon's mother of two increasingly doomed boys just fails to fire and with a mere handful at best of genuine frightening or terrifying moments, Sinister 2 fails to recreate the ominous mood of the first film and where the first film culminated in a shocking finale, Sinister 2 try's but fails to shock us with a fiery and scythe laden crescendo.

The first Sinister offered up so much opportunity for a new franchise to take hold and while Bughuul still remains and interesting and scary creation, Sinister 2 seems to mark an early drop off in form that will likely see the Sinister franchise relegated to bargain bins before long, which is a sad proposition for a storyline that if done right, could be all types of horror filled greatness.

1 ½ late night basement movie screenings out of 5

The first film was good, I enjoyed it, but not scary. So a sequel was expected and it failed to live up to the standards of the original. I would say, it was a decent horror film, with more story and drama than the creepy atmosphere. One character retained from the previous and the core theme remained, but tried a different method of narration. Something like 'Goodnight Mommy' with two brothers and mystery events surrounding them.

It definitely lacks what a horror film required the most, and predictable too. But the story wise, it was decent, because the actors did a good job. So it is an average film. I expected a better ending and it did not conclude at its best leaving me disappointing. The way it ended might have been the suitable for the story, but I wasn't impressed. Again, another sequel is most certain, so I think this tale is not over yet and chances are very high that the story would follow with the same cast.

It was not a bad flick, but not a follow-up you would have wanted. If you're looking for a genuine horror film, then you should skip it. There's nothing brilliance to appreciate at any level. Overall, I too felt it should have been better in some places. So my advise is if you forget its genre and try to enjoy that you're watching some movie that you don't know its category then surely would have a decent time with it.

4/10

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.

SINISTER 2 is an unwanted sequel that carries on the below-par outcome of the first film. As I recall it, the first half of the original SINISTER was an exemplary little thriller, about a guy uncovering the antics of a historical serial killer and the creepy home movies he left behind. Then it all went supernatural and turned into a dumb INSIDIOUS clone.

Unfortunately for the viewer, SINISTER 2 carries on in this same supernatural category, although for some odd reason the filmmakers seem to be more inspired by CHILDREN OF THE CORN here than the original movie. It's unfortunate that nobody in Hollywood tries to be truly creative these days instead of copying what has come previously.

Anyway, this is a typical ghostly B-flick little different from a hundred others. The film is saddled with annoying kid characters for the leads, while the adults fail to act or do much. The sense of dread from the first half of SINISTER, with the creepy music and home movies, is gone here. There are still home movies but they lack the novelty shock value and have been too planned out. SINISTER 2 is a dud, and let's hope they don't bother with a third.

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.