A one-hit writer of true crime novels moves his family into the house of a murdered family and learns you probably shouldn’t do that in the underachieving Sinister. When weathered author Ethan Hawke discovers a mysterious box of home movies in his new attic, he begins to unravel a series of brutal massacres across the decades all connected by a strange symbol and a glowering demonic figure. Early goings are delightfully creepy, with the 8mm film reels providing an unsettling ambiance to the usual first act horror movie jump scares. Sadly, that momentum goes nowhere as the film settles into the path of least resistance and most predictable endings. Sinister builds itself up so well, it’s a shame it never finds anywhere interesting to go. Still, there’s a scene with a lawnmower that’s almost worth the price of admission on its own.
This article appears in Oct 11-17, 2012.
