Scary and creepy, 'Sinister' is a fine horror, but nothing too terrifying.

Rating: 7/10 (21 December 2012)

Certainly creepy on a regular basis, 'Sinister' is able to sustain a chilling atmospheric feel throughout however you won't be requiring a new pair of pants.
Ethan Hawke is outstanding and believable as a man who's insanity is tested to the limit. Ellison Oswalt is a wannabe author who moves he and his family into a new house in search of an interesting non-fiction tale to tell. Keeping the house's gruesome past to himself, Ellison attempts to figure out answers to the investigation, only to come across forces even he thought unimaginable.
Yes, the narrative and the scenes are clichéd. However, its the clichés which are so scary. 'Sinister' is certainly scary occasionally and without crying out with fear or whimpering in the corner, it certainly leaves its mark - if you're a timid person in search of scares, 'Sinister' should tick the boxes. Perhaps if you are more relaxed with the horror genre, you may be a little disappointed.
The actual story is rather intriguing and the whole investigation had me hooked. The story may not be pact full of terrifying moments, but their is certainly a shivery ambiance throughout - this certainly compelled me into the film further.
Critics have described 'Sinister' as 'the scariest movie in decades' and others say that Scott Derrickson the films's writer and director did 'absolutely nothing right'. Certainly the latter is not true and extremely harsh however the former is perhaps a little to generous. Definitely 'Sinister' does many things right - enough to warrant seven marks out of ten - however it is far from the scariest movie in decades.