Sinister

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2:26

Sinister

R

2012

1h 49m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

64%

Tomatometer

155 Reviews

62%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

True-crime writer Ellison Oswald is in a slump; he hasn't had a bestseller 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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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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Peter Howell

Toronto Star

Oct 13, 2012

2/4

More stupid than scary, Sinister can't even figure out who its real demon is.

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Kevin C. Johnson

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Oct 12, 2012

3.5/4

It comes together with a gruesome though excellent ending that some will find difficult to shake.

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Liam Lacey

Globe and Mail

Oct 12, 2012

2/4

A mixed bag of old-school and contemporary horror tricks that occasionally raises a hair prickle of intrigue.

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Bryce Hanson

Horror Movie Talk

Sep 18, 2025

6/10

I can see why people like this movie and keep bringing it up to us. It’s got a distinctive dark tone while still being very approachable for mainstream audiences. It’s like if The Crow had a baby with The Nun from The Conjuring.

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Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

Sep 22, 2023

3/5

A number of sequences are undeniably unsettling and effective, yet its narrative seems to only be a device to deliver those encounters.

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Cassondra Feltus

Black Girl Nerds

Oct 16, 2022

4.5/5

'Sinister' remains one of the most original horror movies out there.

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Robert P

@Superbad 5 days ago

Sinister = a *3 and 1/2* star movie!

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Musa A

@doodleflame Aug 19, 2026

One of the scariest horror movies I've ever seen, and I've seen tens. In my top 3 scary movies!

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Ian A

@Heber_BDA Aug 14, 2026

Sinister… even to this day (August 14, 2026), it surpasses a lot of modern cinema. The story it tells is so impactful that you feel like you’re living through it. It makes you breathe alongside the protagonist and, in a way, become Mr. Boogie himself. The sound and the atmosphere… pfff, don’t even get me started. You can feel the vibrations running through your nerves. You watch as the atmosphere penetrates your entire being. Fantastic. This movie is spectacular for a great horror movie day. It leaves you thinking and keeps its story stuck in your head. It wasn’t scary because of the "jump scares", but because you were the one witnessing the curse firsthand.

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Zach H

@zekeh Jul 28, 2026

Severely underrated horror movie

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Melissa L

@Agent99 Jul 21, 2026

Pretty scary and creepy movie...it stays with you. Kanopy has it free this month.

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Will F

@RT90502394 Jul 11, 2026

I don't understand how this movie is considered one of the top horror movies let alone one of the scariest. There were less than a handful of times I actually jumped, the rest were predictable jump scares that were only there to scare and not add to the atmosphere of terror. Ethan Hawke's character is by far one of the stupidest protagonists, he just made bad choice after bad choice. The acting overall was hampered by the bad script writing especially for Juliet Rylance's character. Why not make the main character actually try to fight back and fail; that would be way more terrifying compared to seeing an idiot get foiled by his own stupidity. The final reveal was unsatisfying and lacklustre.

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Scott Derrickson

Director

Ethan Hawke

Ellison

Vincent D'Onofrio

Prof. Jonas

James Ransone

Deputy

Fred Dalton Thompson

Sheriff

Clare Foley

Ashley

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Sinister: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

True-crime writer Ellison Oswald is in a slump; he hasn't had a bestseller 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: Automatik, Summit Entertainment, Alliance, Blumhouse, IM Global
Rating: R (Some Terror|Disturbing Violent Images)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
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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