Sinister opens in grainy 8mm film. There’s a family of four hooded and bound. There are nooses around their necks, the ropes of which are draped over a tree branch above. A pole saw enters frame and cuts another branch where the other ends of the nooses are tied. As that branch goes down, the family is slowly (gruelingly) strung up. It’s an effective image and by now you should already know if this is a movie you want to see.
Enter Ellison (Ethan Hawke), his wife, and two children. They’re the new family moving into the very house where that murder took place. Ellison is a true crime writer who dreams of becoming the next Capote. He got a taste of fame a few books ago, but proved to be a hack in the meantime. Ridiculously, his wife doesn’t know the history behind the house they’re moving into. Although it’s common for men to surprise their wives with a new house, doing so in real life should be automatic grounds for divorce.
Eventually Hawke’s character stumbles upon a box in the attic containing a bunch of films and a home movie projector. The canisters are labeled innocently enough: Family Hangin’ Out ’11. Pool Party ’66. Sleepy Time ’98. BBQ ’79. My personal favorite is Lawn Work ’86, which takes creative liberties with a lawnmower. I doubt Honda paid for this product placement, by the way.
Ellison calls the police, but when he’s put on hold, he catches sight of his best-selling book on a nearby shelf. Fearing a scoop is about to slip through his fingers, he convinces himself to hang up. Be assured there will be one paper-thin excuse after another to keep him and his entire family in danger. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a movie.
Things do indeed get sinister. Eventually Ellison gets in touch with an occult expert (Vincent D’Onofrio) who says the symbols seen in each of the home movies reference a child-consuming demon. Demon or not, considering the scorpions and snakes found in Ellison’s attic, I would have moved out of the house on day one. There are also creepy children in the movie. Like creepy clowns, I can’t be the only one who’s getting bored of creepy children in films like this. I’m also getting bored of writers for main characters and creepy home movies.
At the end of the day, it’s a watchable picture, just a little slow. The term the filmmakers would prefer is “suspense-building,” but I don’t think it’s good enough to hold a moviegoer’s attention between the candy bar scenes. The film is certainly sinister, but it isn’t scary. I’m not entirely disappointed I saw it, but it arrives at a predictable ending that has nothing to say.
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