Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
True-crime writer Ellison Oswalt is in a slump; he hasn't had a best seller in more than 10 years and is becoming increasingly desperate for a hit. So, when he discovers the existence of a snuff film showing the deaths of a family, he vows to solve the mystery. He moves his own family into the victims' home and gets to work. However, when old film footage and other clues hint at the presence of a supernatural force, Ellison learns that living in the house may be fatal.
Sinister is a genuinely effective horror film elevated significantly by its cinematography — the Super 8 snuff footage sequences are among the most disturbing and well-crafted imagery in modern mainstream horror, creating a visceral dread that few genre films achieve. Ethan Hawke delivers a committed, grounded performance that anchors the film's escalating paranoia, and the supporting cast is serviceable. The plot is competently structured, blending crime-thriller and supernatural horror with the desperate-writer-seeking-redemption hook, though it leans on familiar haunted-house tropes. The Bughuul mythology adds some distinctive flavor without being wholly original. The ending is the film's weakest element — it resolves in a predictable twist that many viewers see coming, and the final reveal, while visually arresting, undercuts the slow-burn tension built up throughout with a somewhat mechanical payoff.