a step in the right direction for Hollywood mainstream horror

Rating: 9/10 (31 December 2012)

Let me begin by saying I have never seen the P.A. movies that are clearly popular to many (but then again, i've never watched any of the Twilights or 5 minutes of a Harry Potter either.) Suffice to say, I like my movies twisted, escapist, and definitely on the dark side of the moon, a little/lot of gore never hurt anyone. One of the things that almost turned me off to this movie was what looked like another reductive Japanese ghost cgi stop motion with excessive Reverb and cymbal crashes during sudden creepy imagery. This movie does resort to that, but to a much more minimal extent than a lot of movies in the past decade.
Thankfully, the movie is rated "R" and while it relies on having few to little sexual proclivities; and actually keeps much of the gore that's shown to be relatively tame. (Come on, there's episodes i've seen of medical dramas that totally surpass half the solid "R' and 'Pg-13' watered down stuff that we pay primo dineros at the movie theater for. At least you guys do, so lazy people like me can summon it in a perfectly legal 'torrent' of magic.
Main character is relatively likable, and despite some questionable initial actions, for the most part makes what seem to be pretty logical decisions despite irrefutably strange and creepy plot folds. Normally found/discovered footage totally turns me of (am i the only person that wishes this years 'VHS' spectacular was a little more like 'Creepshow' from the 80's. Eh, probably. I'm probably the only person that feels that way. *Smacks head*
So give sinister a chance, it's more creative than it is reductive although i'm sure many critics are comparing it to the Amityville Horror. If you're interested in checking out a good after-companion to this film that is still in the same realm but a bit more vintage and certainly interesting: Lucio Fulci's House By the Cemetery. Pretty much the same concept of this but with much more creative gore combined with extremely demented ideas.