Delayed Reaction: Sinister

Premise: A man investigating a gruesome crime at the house he moved into uncovers a supernatural explanation.

It's really hard to find good horror. There's plenty of great horror out there. It's just damn hard to distinguish a lot of the bad from the good going in. The genre is highly subject to personal taste. Since some people just don't care for being scared or get triggered by different things, pretty much any horror movie you'll find will have mixed reviews. I probably watch more mediocre horror than any other genre just because I can't tell going in if I'm at all likely to like it.

I didn't have any reason to expect much from Sinister. It didn't do that well when it came out. Reviews for it were mixed. Director and co-writer Scott Derrickson's history directing/writing/producing horror is pretty mixed. The only reasoning for it I had was "I might as well". Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the results.

Ethan Hawke is a big name, but this is the kind of role he disappears into easily. It's the frustrated academic role that he plays in half his movies these days. I like that the movie sneaks the supernatural aspects in as a trojan horse. It's there from the beginning, but when the movie starts it just seems to be about gruesome murders. The super 8 footage makes it feel tactile. Mr. Boogey is added in fits and spurts. They actually never fully explain what's going on with him. They could nearly write a version of the movie that never actually shows him if they wanted. I've never been a big fan of horror movie bad guys - my favorite one is a stationary mirror (Oculus) - so it's nice that Mr. Boogey didn't get the Freddy Kruger treatment.

After watching this, I found out that it was inspired by a dream that co-writer C. Robert Cargill had after watching The Ring. I'm glad to find that out, because I got a lot of Ring vibes from this with the super 8 footage and the chain letter logic of the murders.

It falls a little short of me really loving it though for a pretty simple reason: It didn't scare me. I like to carry a haunting idea or dreary mood with me afterwards. Mr. Boogey just didn't get under my skin. I appreciate that the movie didn't push hard for jump scares, but even the big payoff scare at the end didn't work. Maybe I'm forever chasing the high of Samara coming out TV screen. I almost wish the movie just ended with the daughter holding an axe behind Ethan Hawke or something.

Falling short on scares is a pretty big mark against a horror movie, but at least it did everything else well enough that it didn't get boring. It has some distinctive images. The cast is solid. The premise is intriguing. It doesn't over rely on people making the kind of stupid decisions that only people in horror movies make. It's a good time. Not sure I need to see that sequel though.

Verdict: Weakly Recommend