Sinister

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2:26

Sinister

R

Released Oct 12, 2012

1h 49m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

64%

Tomatometer

154 Reviews

62%

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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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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

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

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Hayden C

A good movie with creepy thrills and wonderful jump scares. The movie gave me a feel of maybe the Ring or VHS but mixed with demonic cult elements. The movie built up a lot of suspense to the climax which every once in a while I feel like it took to long to get to the scare but it was pretty good. The family dynamic was very believable as it didn’t feel like they were forced to love each other The one other critique i can think of was the ending as I would have wanted to see Ashley kill her Mom and Trever first before she killed her dad as the ending felt abrupt. The movie was a good watch though and creep af.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/22/25

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David A

Upon watching for the first time, this quickly became one of my favorite horror movies. Yes, it has many formulas that are concurrent to the times - the babadook-kinda monster, the phone will ring and youll die in 7 days - but this one is definetively original and scary. Won't surprise you as much the second time through, but overall holds up well for a good popcorn horror night. If you haven't seen it, then watch it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/09/25

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Gabriel W

This film is able to creates tension both visually and audibly. All in all, this movie did what it was supposed to do. It was a scary movie.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/25

Full Review

Audience Member

Great acting. Lots of good scares.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/17/25

Full Review

angela f

Él genuinamente creía que no les iba a pasar nada malo en una casa donde colgaron a una familia entera ☺️. Me gustó mucho la verdad.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/15/25

Full Review

Josh A

I decided to watch this movie a few nights ago because Jason Blum wanted to make it crossover with Insidious, a horror franchise I quite like, and because it's quite a beloved horror movie. And oh god, this is fantastic. The concept of a true crime writer solving a mystery is amazing and is done so well. The slow burn of him watching the tapes (which is an amazing concept: snuff films are something I hope horror does more as it's a concept I find scary because of how real it is) and piecing things together is amazing, and so is Officer So and So, his assistant. It's just a very well made story. However, the best part of this movie is the tapes. They feel like real snuff films would, but with a supernatural twist. They all feel dark and murky as well, which is a vibe you want to create when it comes to creepy films in movies. I can definitely see the inspiration this movie took from The Ring, to say the least. For context, by the way, this movie was inspired by a nightmare the writer, C. Robert Cargill, had after watching The Ring. And I can see the inspirations. Overall, it's an amazing horror movie with incredibly effective scares.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/11/25

Full Review

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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

2:26

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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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