Sinister

One of the scariest horror movies I have seen in a long time. I put off watching this one for a quite a while because when I first started it I noticed it had dim lighting which is a pet peeve of mine. Once I decided to watch it at a later date however, I realized that the cinematographer actually made very effective use of light/dark contrasts, highlighting what we need to see and using the dark spaces to create a cloistering atmosphere of dread and claustrophobia. The performances are also very good, especially the lead, although I feel as though they could have given us more background on the rest of the family. Also the ending isn't what I expected at all and I feel there could have been more action but it did fit in with the rest of this movie which can be quite slow at times, but you hardly notice because of the way this film draws you into it's world. The super 8 sequences were terrifying, they had me on the edge of my seat. In my opinion Sinister is probably one of the best horror films of this decade.

Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) is a true crime writer that was successful in his debut with the book "Blood in Kentucky", but also has failed on his next works. He moves with his wife Tracy (Juliet Rylance), his son Trevor (Michael Hall D'Addario) and his daughter Ashley (Clare Foley) to a house in King Count that belonged to the Stevenson family expecting to write a best-seller. Ellison does not tell to Tracy that the place was a crime-scene, where four members of the Stevenson family were hanged on the backyard and the girl Stephanie had gone missing.

Ellison begins his research about the murder and soon he finds a box with super 8 home videos in the attic. He watches the movies and discovers other murder cases that might be connected to other crimes. He befriends the local Deputy (James Ransone), who is his fan, and gets additional information about the cases. He also sees a creepy man in the footages and symbols painted on the wall. He contacts the specialist Professor Jonas that tells him about the cult to the legendary Bughuul. Meanwhile, Ellison and his family are frightened by spooky events in the house. Ellison decides to quit his research and return to his house, but soon he receives a phone call from the Deputy telling what are in common in the crimes.

"Sinister" is a dark and spooky horror movie with a creepy ghost story. The plot is developed in slow pace but I startled many times with the weird situations. This is the first time that I see Ethan Hawke working in this genre and he has a convincing performance. The scary and gore conclusion offers a chance for a sequel that I hope that it does not happen. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Entidade" ("The Entity")

Controversial crime writer Ellison Oswalt is willing to put his family life on the line when he begins researching his next book, several deaths that occured at their new home.

A very well made, very well acted, with a good storyline, Sinister is a quality production. If I'm honest, I find it a little frustrating, I love the opening sequences, and the elderly premise of the movie, the idea of that serial killer still out there is great. What I didn't care for, was the ending, once it switches into supernatural mode, it isn't as good.

I w always thought there are too many cutaway scenes, too much filler, which pads the movie out unnecessarily, but there are plenty of jump scares, plenty of scenes to keep you entertained.

Ethan Hawke is fantastic, there's nothing more I can say, and dare I say it, his acting skills probably elevate the film somewhat.

It's definitely a decent movie, it should have been a classic.

6/10.

This film is probably the scariest film I have ever seen. It bring everything that a good horror film should bring to the table. Jump scares, disturbing imagery, haunting music, etc. The use of the recorded murders is especially terrifying. The story never has a dull moment and provides many good twists along the way. The lack of music during the filmed murders is especially chilling. Ethan Hawke stands out as the protagonist and plays the role very well. The film is not perfect though. There are a few scenes that can come off as silly but still add to the progression of the story. I highly recommend this film and hope you enjoy as much as I did. I recommend watching it with friends and good luck sleeping.

When I watched this movie I had few expectations about it, but I ended up being satisfied with what I saw. The story revolves around a true-crime writer who, inadvertently, stumbles on a bunch of old movies with macabre scenes of murder. But if you're expecting gore and litres of blood, forget it. What is more frightening in the film is precisely what the cameras don't show but know how to suggest. The crime scenes are truly remarkable, and they were done cleverly in a long-disused (Super 8) video film that was cleverly honoured. The film is getting more and more intense, as events occur that reveal the true nature of the killer. The ending is at least unexpected. The soundtrack accompanies every moment with great discretion, managing to avoid imposing itself on the action of the film. Scott Derrickson, the director / writer, deserves the laurels, as does Ethan Hawke, who brings the lead actor to life.