Sinister has a context in which it's horror elements can add to each other and thus accelerate you into terror

Rating: 7/10 (27 August 2016)

I still remember seeing Sinister four years later after it hit the cinema. And I don't think I'm ever going to forget that day I went to see it. This is the first and only movie I almost quit watching half-way through (if you ignore Sinister 2 which is second worse horror movie I've ever seen, right behind Deliver Us From Evil).
Let me immediately emphasize what exactly made Sinister such a frightening experience for me. It is soundtrack. Sinister has the scariest soundtrack I've ever heard. It blends so well and so naturally with the movie in a way that it makes all the scary moments even more scary and horrible. Take a look at, for example, Sleepy Time '98. Don't tell me this music alone doesn't make you nervous.
If you combine really creepy soundtrack with disturbing and mysterious snuff videotapes, which permeate the entire movie and go one by one not even allowing you to recover from the previous, then you have a movie which accelerates you into horror. I remember thus reaching a tipping point where I wanted to exit the cinema because tension seemed to grow exponentially. It does and it doesn't stop until the very end. If you've seen the original Paranormal Activity (2007) then you sort of know what awaits you.
So, I've asked myself how come Sinister utilizes this simple concept so well and it's sequel, while using the same strategy, fails miserably? Yes, original Sinister has far better soundtrack and a little better snuff movies, but that's not enough to make such a big difference. The explanation lies in utilizing different sub-genre: original Sinister is a mystery horror; sequel doesn't have a strong mystery side but replaces it with a romantic side story. Sinister is so scary because it has a certain framework in which his horror elements make sense and can fully develop. Sinister 2 just tosses snuff videotapes into us as if they alone are enough to make you uncomfortable.
Chemistry between family members is far, far more convincing in original sinister then the sequel. Ethan Hawk has been nominated for two more Oscars after playing Ellison Oswalt in Sinister. James Ransone played deputy in the original, but became the main star in the sequel! Some critics blabbered about Ethan Hawk's performance not being convincing. He was solid; nothing more and nothing else.
To conclude: There is nothing original about Sinister horror fans hadn't seen before. There are some clichés as well. But Sinister manages to create an ambient in which it's horror elements can add to each other and so accelerate you into terror. So don't buy it from critics: Sinister is not about story or actor's performance. It's about making you more nervous and agitated with each one of it's flicks. That is if you don't find the main premise repulsive. If you can bare it to the end, not quitting like I almost did, you'll be in for an interesting ending.