Grab some Ibuprofen and Prepare for Satisfyingly Terrifying Head-spinning; Sinister is a Real Shocker to the Senses

Rating: 8/10 (3 January 2016)

Very rarely in today's day in age is there a truly original concept for a movie, especially in the already-crowded field of horror films. Now, this doesn't mean that movie themes we've already seen before, like vampires, witches, poltergeists or whatever, aren't any good, because there are some excellent films that have those themes. However, Sinister deserves major props for originality; combining typical horror film elements like creepy kids, possessions, and mysterious demon-like creatures sets this film apart from and way ahead of a lot of other frightening films.
Before diving into what's so great about Sinister, there are a few things about it that aren't so great. Despite its cohesion with the events of the film, the soundtrack was just plain annoying at times. During a particular scene in the movie and again throughout the end credits, this bongo-type beat was so loud it was uncomfortable. I know one of the main purposes of horror films is to make the audience as uncomfortable as possible, which is part of the reason I love them so much, but this background noise was so loud and out of place compared to the rest of the non-diagetic audio of the movie. Along with the irritating bongo beat, the use of the poorly-timed, oh-so-inconvenient phone call that could have prevented numerous issues from transpiring. I won't go into details, but this part of the movie genuinely irked me, to say the least.
I'm a huge fan of horror. Huge. That being said, I have relatively high standards when it comes to films of this genre and can be very nitpicky about details that would otherwise not matter to most people. So, some bothering bongos and one irritating phone call isn't a lot of negative things to say about a 110-minute movie that's chock-full of chills and thrills.
Sadly, because there are only 24 hours in a day and I should probably designate some of them to grabbing a shower, I'm going to limit myself to giving Sinister my two main praises: the non-diegetic audio (surprisingly) throughout the movie and all the mysterious, spine- tingling, psychotic and breathtakingly "sinister" elements all wrapped up in a terrifying package that is "Bughuul," the film's main antagonist.
In short, I thought every chilling moment throughout Sinister was beautifully matched with an equally-chilling audio background to accompany it. Despite my above-mentioned distaste for the bongos used in some parts of this movie, they are actually one of my favorite things about Sinister. If they were at a reasonable volume and didn't distract me from the events occurring, that is. They add to the film's originality, in my opinion. I could be anywhere and hear that insane bongo score, like being in the middle of watching the Super Bowl in my living room in February, months after viewing the movie, and immediately connect it to Sinister.
Writer C. Robert Cargill has truly created something so unique and brilliant yet so frightening with Bughuul. It can be difficult for a writer to keep a character in a horror film shrouded in mystery and intriguing to the audience at the same time without revealing too much about them. Because Bughuul is never clearly identified as dead or a ghost, it can be left up to the viewer to decide on their own what they think he is. By the way Cargill includes home movies that are dated all the way back to the '60s, he beautifully sets up the possibility for a sequel (which was released on August 21, 2015), and the idea that Bughuul and the heinous acts of the children he "seduces" into performing could go on forever without ceasing, which is the most sinister part of the entire feature.