Synopsis
True-crime writer Ellison Oswald 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.
Your Movie Library
Cast
- Ethan HawkeEllison Oswalt
- Juliet RylanceTracy Oswalt
- Vincent D'OnofrioProfessor Jonas
- James RansoneDeputy
- Fred ThompsonSheriff
- Clare FoleyAshley Oswalt
- Michael Hall D'AddarioTrevor Oswalt
- Victoria LeighStephanie Stevenson
- Blake MizrahiChristopher Miller
- Cameron OcasioBBQ Son / Killer
Recommendations
- 80
Variety
The scares are not just intense but unyielding in this compelling horror yarn from "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" director Scott Derrickson. - 80
Village Voice
Hawke's taut performance - lightly parodying his own career doldrums while playing an egotistical hack who's a close cousin of John Cassavetes's self-loathing actor in Rosemary's Baby - is totally credible. - 75
IndieWire
The movie makes up for uneven dialogue and pacing issues through sheer horrific imagery. - 75
Entertainment Weekly
I knew perfectly well, after a while, what Sinister was going to scare me with. But I got scared anyway. - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
Occasionally stupid (stretching even fright-flick conventions) but scary nonetheless, the picture should please horror fans. - 60
Total Film
An enjoyable, if boilerplate, boo-flick that maintains an enviable rate of scares per minute by throwing everything – demons, ghosts, snakes, loud noises – at the screen. - 60
Empire
Derrickson bounces back from his insipid redo of "The Day The Earth Stood Still" with an effective chiller that's got a skeleton or two in its closet. - 40
The Guardian
The snuff-porn aesthetic might suggest a realist drama, but a supernatural dimension is brought into play, making the plot directionless. There isn't an ounce of ingenuity in the way the movie is concluded, but some generic expertise in the way it is put together.
