Sinister

Play trailer

2:26

Sinister

R

2012

1h 49m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

64%

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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream 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

10/13/2012

2/4

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

Go to Full Review

Kevin C. Johnson

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

10/12/2012

3.5/4

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

Go to Full Review

Liam Lacey

Globe and Mail

10/12/2012

2/4

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

Go to Full Review

Bryce Hanson

Horror Movie Talk

Sep 18

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.

Go to Full Review

Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

09/22/2023

3/5

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

Go to Full Review

Cassondra Feltus

Black Girl Nerds

10/16/2022

4.5/5

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

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Camilo S.

@camyado 4d

Okay. It’s not the best movie. It is a low budget horror. I was going in expecting to see another bad horror that never works on me. I’m not going to say I was scared or it was good. But way better than I thought. And if you like horror movies like this. Watch it.

See more

Chris H.

@thicckyris Nov 30

Horrifying genuinely this movie made me nearly rethink having kids yet still if a movie can get that reaction it deserves 5 starts good job movie you gave me night mare's

See more

Jennifer H.

@Jenny8675309 Nov 10

REALLY bad, do not understand why anyone would like any aspect of this movie. From the typical blonde attractive wife (not a good actress either) to the implausibly of virtually every scene, to the utter pointlessness of the whole sad affair, to the incredibly dark cinematography constantly straining the eyes...honestly one of the worst horror movies I've ever seen.

See more

Sloth ..

@Slothhhhh Nov 10

Just watch The Poughkeepsie Tapes instead. This movie was pretty boring and stupid until the final 10 minutes or so. It mostly consists of Ethan Hawke watching hardly effective Murder Reels while sippin whiskey. There are very corny jumpscares and the typical “Mr. ____” name for the demon. Didn’t care for any of the acting, especially from the daughter. Very overhyped movie in my opinion. Also not sure how or why this movie is rated R.

See more

Darcy J

Nov 8

solid movie, however it also include one of the BEST JUMPSCARES EVER

See more

Jim D.

@JimXDodge Nov 7

Atmospheric and creepy as hell.

See more

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