After the lackluster remake of “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” Derrickson rebounded with a solid horror film that has a skeleton or two in its closet.
A cynical true-crime writer and his family move into a house with a dark past and find themselves battling the supernatural.
True-crime author Ellison (Ethan Hawke) moves his family into a house where he intends to write a book about a mass hanging, neglecting to inform his wife and children that they are living at the scene of the crime. Home movies discovered in the attic suggest that a serial killer – or a supernatural force – is responsible for the atrocities. As the increasingly unhinged protagonist pieces together the puzzle, endangering himself and his family, “Sinister” walks a tightrope between detective story and ghost movie. This under-promoted scare-fest from writer-director Scott Derrickson is distinguished by excellent performances and a decent narrative pace.
A Familiar Yet Thrilling Ride
“Sinister” doesn’t break any new ground, but it delivers enough thrills to make it worth watching.