Sinister: A Look Back

Saturday, October 13th, 2012, it was about 9:30pm that I decided I would head on out to the small theater near my apartment to checkout the late showing of the newest horror flick. I really had no clue what the film was about, other than the fact that Ethan Hawke was in it. I for whatever reason at the time had not paid any attention to the advertising, which turned out to be a great thing (as it usually is) because I was going in with zero expectations, that film as you probably guessed by clicking on this article was Sinister. I still remember sitting in the theater and being stunned by that opening scene of the family hanging from the tree. Accentuated by the accompanying score it was downright chilling. I was all in after that minute long opening. What followed ended up living up to that grim opening and Sinister has since gone on to become one of my favorite modern horror films. A film I recommend to anyone I think can handle it and more importantly...appreciate it.

On the surface Sinister might look like any of the number of haunted house/ghost films that so many horror fans seem to hate and write off immediately. I personally enjoy all types of horror films and feel when done right, a haunted house/ghost film can be the creepiest kind of horror film. Still there are plenty of duds out there and I have known many people to write off Sinister as just another ghost movie. Still to those that look deeper into films,what goes into making them, and what themes and ideas they bring forth, Sinister is full of questions about morality, mortality and sacrifices one makes to achieve their goals. Oh yeah it's also extremely creepy when it wants to be.

Directed by Scott Derrickson (Exorcism of Emily Rose, Deliver Us From Evil) and co-written with C. Robert Cargill, Sinister tells the story of struggling true crime writer Ellison Oswalt played by Ethan Hawke, who hit it big with a best selling novel entitled Kentucky Blood. Ellison has had trouble duplicating that success since and in a desperate moment, moves his family into the house where the previously mentioned family was hung in order to attempt to write a book that will help him recapture the fame he once had. The hook of the film is that Ellison discovers a box of super 8 films in the attic that each feature footage of families being murdered. Things obviously get worse from there. With that basic recap out of the way I want to talk about why I found Sinister to be so well done and why I am also looking forward to the sequel which is fast approaching.

The main character Ellison Oswalt is a character I would imagine many people can relate to in some way. His ambition drives him to make a bad decision and it costs him dearly. He claims to his wife he was doing it for the family, but she knows he was doing it for himself. He was afraid of not mattering, he was afraid of what his legacy would ultimately be. I for one can relate to that fear, it is one that has crossed my mind more than once lately and I can be honest and say this entire site was built for many reasons but one big one was so that I could have something to show for all my interests and passions. I wanted to matter and be able to show people what I do and hopefully have somone say "hey man, thats pretty cool!" Egotistical? perhaps, but just like Ellison, even when it involves ones ego, that doesnt mean it is any less of a real fear. So while you may watch the film and initially say "This guy is an idiot, or an asshole" his fear of failure and anonimity is genuine and real, and it makes you understand why the character takes such risks. One's mortality and legacy is a very important thing and this helped me relate and root for the character (who is played to perfection by Ethan Hawke by the way), even when he was doing things that were selfish and dangerous. It is my understanding that this was a fear of the filmmakers as well, that Ellison is the person they were afraid of becoming, so in that regard it is a very personal project as well and not some "product" spat out by a studio for a quick cash in. Whats also interesting is you could say the villain of the film has a parallel desire for fame, the pagan deity known as "Bughuul" or "Mr. Boogie" also seeks to keep his legacy going and feels a need to be seen in the 8mm films to carry on his own story.

Now while it is ultimately personal and intimate fears driving the protaganist's ambition that cause him to go down the proverbial rabbit hole, it is in fact the supernatural element that Sinister derives it's real moments of horror from. The whole film plays out like a nightmare and there is good reason for that. The concept of the 8mm murder films found in the attic was drawn directly from a nightmare Cargill had and is what he pitched to Derrickson when trying to get the idea turned into a film. It is those nightmarish 8mm films that truly give Sinister it's edge on other horror films. Directed with a grim perfection, each one gets creepier and more disturbing than the next. Watching those murders unfold on the screen puts you directly into the shoes of Ellison who is doing the same, he can barely watch as well. Whether its the brutal "BBQ" footage or the pool party scene that houses the initial chilling underwater reveal of Bughuul, each one is filmed to macabre perfection. They stay with you long after the credits roll. Part of that is due to the superb sound design of those home movies. The terrifying imagery is masterfully paired up with an equally creepy soundscape. If the footage is what a nightmare looks like, the scoring for those scenes is certainly what a nightmare would sound like.

While Christopher Young handles the scoring duties for the film with aplomb, the real musical star of the film are the sounds cultivated from the likes of Ulver, Aghast and Judgehydrogen. The use of their respective music elevated those 8mm scenes to an entirely new level of creepy. These scenes melding of sight and sound illustrate just how integral sound design is to film, especially horror. I listen to horror scores often while writing or editing photos, but the music used in this film I cannot listen to on it's own. The track "Silence Teaches You To Sing" by Ulver that is used throughout the film has one particular portion is used in the "BBQ" scene that is simply haunting. I remember when I first tracked it down and attempted to listen to it while trying to go to sleep one morning after a late night (it was in the ipod along with other more suitable music) and I got chills and immediately turned it off. That music accompanied with the imagery in the film left and impact and stayed with me long after the film had ended. You can hear that track below and see how you feel about it, the portion im referring to comes in at about 2:20,  for maximum effect listen to it alone in the dark.



There is much more I could say about Sinister but that would bring this closer to full blown review which is not what I wanted this to be. Sure I don't find it to be a perfect movie, but the things I don't love are more aesthetic choices like the makeup on the ghost children. But that is more a personal preference than a major gripe. Sinister is a film made with the utmost love and care for the project, this really shows throughout. So many horror films released today are just churned out by hired gun directors who do not have any attachment to the material. So when something comes along that is created from start to finish by the same team it deserves a bit more attention. Sinister is a very adult oriented, disturbing horror film that not only plays on your fears of the supernatural, but also those fears that you face in your mind on a day to day basis as you get older and there are lessons to be learned if you look deep enough. It ends on a perfectly grim note that sews up this story in the most horrific and surprising way possible. Which now brings us to Sinister 2...

Sinister 2 is something I never expected but probably should have. The succes of the original yielded a worldwide gross of 77 million dollars off of a relatively cheap 3 million dollar budget. So why not go back to the well to see if you can capture some more magic. Generally I have concerns about sequels to films that seem to have been all wrapped up and told the story they needed to tell to completion. However the original filmmakers are involved in the production as writers so that is something that piqued my interest. The second was the fact Shannyn Sossamon was cast, if ask anyone that really knows me, they will tell you she always been one of my favorite actresses. Of course last but not least, I was interested to see what else they could do with the character of Bughuul, and thought it would be fun to see if they can help cement his status as one of cinemas modern era boogeymen. I really don't know what to expect, as I have made it a point to not watch the trailer as I did with the first and that worked out pretty well. I am hoping for another creepy affair that leaves me equally disturbed and pleasantly surprised. You can expect an in depth review of the film upon it's release from us and it will be the first horror movie to begin to get us ready for the Halloween season, so we hope it delivers. In case you WANT to see the trailer we have that for you as right below!



In addition to the trailer we also have something Focus Features created to help promote the film and "Spread the Fear". It is a fun web app that you can take 10 second video  and "Sinisterize" it while uploading it to instagram, it is a neat idea and I imagine you would be able to creep out at least one person on your followers list. Just visit the link here to try it out!