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Sinister

Play trailer 2:26 Poster for Sinister R Released Oct 12, 2012 1h 49m Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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63% Tomatometer 155 Reviews 62% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
True-crime writer Ellison Oswald (Ethan Hawke) 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.
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Sinister

Sinister

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Critics Consensus

Its plot hinges on typically implausible horror-movie behavior and recycles countless genre cliches, but Sinister delivers a surprising number of fresh, diabolical twists.

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Critics Reviews

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Peter Howell Toronto Star More stupid than scary, Sinister can't even figure out who its real demon is. Rated: 2/4 Oct 13, 2012 Full Review Kevin C. Johnson St. Louis Post-Dispatch It comes together with a gruesome though excellent ending that some will find difficult to shake. Rated: 3.5/4 Oct 12, 2012 Full Review Liam Lacey Globe and Mail A mixed bag of old-school and contemporary horror tricks that occasionally raises a hair prickle of intrigue. Rated: 2/4 Oct 12, 2012 Full Review Patrick Cavanaugh The Wolfman Cometh A number of sequences are undeniably unsettling and effective, yet its narrative seems to only be a device to deliver those encounters. Rated: 3/5 Sep 22, 2023 Full Review Cassondra Feltus Black Girl Nerds 'Sinister' remains one of the most original horror movies out there. Rated: 4.5/5 Oct 16, 2022 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review The protagonist, played by Ethan Hawke, spends too much time bumbling around in the dark to discover the origin of mysterious sounds, and not enough time heeding the obvious warning signs that foretell his doom. Rated: 2/4 Sep 23, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Logan S This movie is sick unlike Hereditary. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/19/24 Full Review Megan K This had me pretty freaked out. Those videos are the stuff of nightmares. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/16/24 Full Review Muhammed a I didn't like the movie, I was bored and it wasn't a scary movie at all, it just had a bit of a mysterious side to it, other than that I didn't understand why they exaggerated the movie so much so that I didn't understand what was scary about the movie anyway, even though it didn't have an ending, it wasn't a good movie at all and it wasn't a scary movie at all. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 11/15/24 Full Review SAMUEL ISAAC R It's amazing film 🗿 Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/09/24 Full Review James E Shockingly spooky, very little unnecessary gore or violence, with the gore being tasteful and additive to the story. The story and lore are simple enough to follow along and interesting enough to keep an audience’s attention. A very fun movie for horror fans. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/04/24 Full Review Sams K Not bad, Ethan Hawk is a great actor. Too much jumpscares but the story is interesting. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 11/01/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Sinister

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Cast & Crew

Sinister 2 14% 31% Sinister 2 Watchlist The Purge 41% 36% The Purge Watchlist Paranormal Activity 4 23% 34% Paranormal Activity 4 Watchlist Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones 40% 34% Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones Watchlist TRAILER for Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones Afflicted 83% 56% Afflicted Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis True-crime writer Ellison Oswald (Ethan Hawke) 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.
Director
Scott Derrickson
Producer
Jason Blum, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones
Screenwriter
Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill
Distributor
Summit Entertainment
Production Co
Alliance, Blumhouse, Summit Entertainment, Automatik, IM Global
Rating
R (Some Terror|Disturbing Violent Images)
Genre
Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 12, 2012, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 21, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$48.1M
Runtime
1h 49m
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