Sinister

Play trailer

2:26

Sinister

R

Released Oct 12, 2012

1h 49m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

64%

Tomatometer

154 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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Rent Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

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

Spike D

Anybody who ranks this among the scariest horror films of all time hasn't seen enough horror films.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

07/07/25

Full Review

Haze b

This movie was not worth the watch..... I have had recommendations to watch this on TikTok, saying it will leave you sleepless. However, it was a snooze-fest, if you are a horror fan, do not watch this its disappointing. The idea is original and creative, but the execution was not great...... Can't recommend!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

07/01/25

Full Review

Shantal O

Estaba en mi lista de espera para ver y la he amado. No hay un final donde todos sobreviven o el mal se va de la nada. Increíble película, totalmente recomendada. El soundtrack fue lo mejor

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/19/25

Full Review

Pedro Henrique C

Sinister has a rather uninteresting premise and narrative, the film doesn't present anything scary or suspenseful to catch the audience's attention.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

06/18/25

Full Review

Peter F

One of the movies that keep you properly scared while watching but are kinda spoilt by a weak ending that makes you go 'meh, was that all?' and realize it was [SPOILER] basically the concept of The Ring. So 10 minutes after watching it's already forgottten.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/14/25

Full Review

Diet Dr. Paul .

What a joke of a movie… if you can even call this fever dream of tom-fuckery. I’ve seen better film on teeth. There was less than zero logic used in the creation of this film and I will not waste another moment of my time pondering its existence. Don’t waste your time, you can throw a handful of rocks at the kids section of YouTube and come up with better content.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

06/13/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Scott Derrickson

Director

Ethan Hawke

Ellison

Vincent D'Onofrio

Prof. Jonas

James Ransone

Deputy

Fred Dalton Thompson

Sheriff

Clare Foley

Ashley

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%

57%

Afflicted

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

The 10 Scariest Horror Movies Ever

It Follows, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and More Available on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and FandangoNOW

Digital Multiplex: Argo, Life of Pi, and Much More

Sinister: Trailer 1

2:26

View more videos

View more photos

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: Automatik, Summit Entertainment, Alliance, Blumhouse, 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

Most Popular at Home Now