MOVIE OF THE WEEK #2 (10/12/12): SINISTER
"I swear – why is it so hard to get rid of old VCR and cassette tapes?!" Ellison Oswald (Ethan Hawke) burns what he hopes will end his personal hell in a scene from Summit Entertainment's new horror tale SINISTER. Credit: Phil Caruso © 2011 Summit Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Ethan Hawke, Juliet Rylance, James Ransone, Michael Hall D'Addario, Fred Dalton Thompson, Clare Foley and Vincent D'Onofrio
WRITER(S): Scott Derrickson and C'Robert Carghill (screenplay)
WRITER(S): Scott Derrickson and C'Robert Carghill (screenplay)
DIRECTOR: Scott Derrickson
THE PLOT: Sinister stars Ethan Hawke as Ellison Oswald, a failed novelist turned true crime writer whose book "Kentucky Blood" was a massive success ... Ten years ago. Now unable to afford the bills at the home he shares with his wife (Juliet Rylance), night terror-suffering 12 year-old son Trevor (Mark Hall D'Addario) and artistic daughter (Clare Foley), Ellison has moved the family rural Pennsylvania. Why? Because that's where he plans to investigate the horrible tragedy that will serve as the subject of his next book.
He plans to really dig deep into the tragedy, so much so that he has to keep a secret from his wife ... But as far as the local sheriff (Senator Fred Dalton Thompson) is concerned, the quicker Ellison leaves town, the better. (Ellison does have a fan in a local deputy, however, played with comedic charm by James Ransone.)
What Ellison doesn't expect, however, is the mysterious box he finds in the attic of his new home containing Super 8 footage that at first seems to be nothing more than a series of home movies left by the home's previous owners. But once his curiosity gets the best of him, Ellison quickly discovers the true horrifying nature of the contents inside. And instead of contacting the proper authorities, Ellison decides to dive deeper into the films and the people in them as he believes they have the makings of a surefire blockbuster book.
But once he starts hearing things go bump in the night, Ellison slowly begins to realize he might need to start worrying about whether or not he and his family will be alive long enough for his book to even be published ...
He plans to really dig deep into the tragedy, so much so that he has to keep a secret from his wife ... But as far as the local sheriff (Senator Fred Dalton Thompson) is concerned, the quicker Ellison leaves town, the better. (Ellison does have a fan in a local deputy, however, played with comedic charm by James Ransone.)
What Ellison doesn't expect, however, is the mysterious box he finds in the attic of his new home containing Super 8 footage that at first seems to be nothing more than a series of home movies left by the home's previous owners. But once his curiosity gets the best of him, Ellison quickly discovers the true horrifying nature of the contents inside. And instead of contacting the proper authorities, Ellison decides to dive deeper into the films and the people in them as he believes they have the makings of a surefire blockbuster book.
But once he starts hearing things go bump in the night, Ellison slowly begins to realize he might need to start worrying about whether or not he and his family will be alive long enough for his book to even be published ...
THE TAKE: OK, before I get into reviewing Sinister, you might want to take a gander at this NSFW (which stands for "not safe for work" for the uninitiated) classic Eddie Murphy stand-up clip on YouTube. Why? Because although the force behind the crimes in Sinister doesn't exactly do what Murphy describes in the clip, it does so for all intents and purposes that if you are paying any attention, it makes it hard to not laugh at the laughable decisions Hawke's character makes. Everyone knows that characters in horror movies lack common sense, but if you go to a horror movie expecting its characters to act like they have any, you might be lacking in that department, too.
That being said, the main thing most people will want to know about Sinister is it scary/entertaining? In a word, "no."
Sinister has a storyline that you can figure out LONG before Hawke's character does, so if you're paying any attention at all, the near 2 hour experience is going to feel more arduous than anything else. ("Get to it already, seesh!" went through my mind more than a few times.) Likewise, save for maybe - MAYBE - one to two moments at best, Sinister isn't scary at all. Brought to you by the producer behind Paranormal Activity and the writer-director of The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Sinister is nowhere near as well thought out or acted – save for the convincing performance of Juliet Rylance and the comedic one by Ransone – as either of those two films.
Sure, Sinister's story is an interesting one, but the key of making an interesting story an entertaining one lies in the details – and the finished product is sorely lacking in attention to them. But with enough clues that the Pink Panther could solve the case in less time, "jump" scenes which are telegraphed well before they happen coupled with a lack of overall scares, Sinister is sinister only in the way its commercials will dupe the people that of out cash should they choose to see it. (And let's not even get into some of the other flaws/questions the plot about the origin of the villain, their methodology, etc. ...)
That being said, the main thing most people will want to know about Sinister is it scary/entertaining? In a word, "no."
Sinister has a storyline that you can figure out LONG before Hawke's character does, so if you're paying any attention at all, the near 2 hour experience is going to feel more arduous than anything else. ("Get to it already, seesh!" went through my mind more than a few times.) Likewise, save for maybe - MAYBE - one to two moments at best, Sinister isn't scary at all. Brought to you by the producer behind Paranormal Activity and the writer-director of The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Sinister is nowhere near as well thought out or acted – save for the convincing performance of Juliet Rylance and the comedic one by Ransone – as either of those two films.
Sure, Sinister's story is an interesting one, but the key of making an interesting story an entertaining one lies in the details – and the finished product is sorely lacking in attention to them. But with enough clues that the Pink Panther could solve the case in less time, "jump" scenes which are telegraphed well before they happen coupled with a lack of overall scares, Sinister is sinister only in the way its commercials will dupe the people that of out cash should they choose to see it. (And let's not even get into some of the other flaws/questions the plot about the origin of the villain, their methodology, etc. ...)
PARTING SHOT: A film for the most hardcore of horror movie watchers only, Sinister fails to deliver any true scares other than watching poor Ethan Hawke be involved in a mess like this.
RATING (OUT OF FOUR BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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