Marred By Its Final Act But A Chilling Experience Nonetheless

Rating: Null/10 (5 October 2013)

From the director of The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Sinister marks director Scott Derrickson's second stint with the genre of horror & is an impressive improvement over his debut chiller. It might not have reached the dizzying heights of the genre masterpieces when it comes to storytelling aspects but it nonetheless accomplishes its goal of scaring the audience in a pretty impressive manner.
Opening with an 8mm footage of a family being killed by an unseen figure, Sinister concerns a true-crime writer who along with his family moves into the very house where a disturbing crime once took place in order to help his research. The plot is set in motion when he discovers a cache of snuff films in the attic depicting families being murdered in various ways & ultimately ends up finding much more than he bargained for.
Brilliantly directed by Derrickson, the first half of the film is ingeniously structured thanks to the excellent build-up of its premise but its second half plays spoilsport here, especially the final act, although it's not that bad enough to destroy the entire picture. The atmosphere is chilling for the most part, jump cuts are smartly used, sound & music is effectively carried out, and performances by its cast isn't much of a letdown.
On an overall scale, Sinister does carry many genre-clichés throughout its runtime while also including few elements which bring the story down by a slight extent but there's less denying that it's a cinematic experience not many horror films of today are able to deliver. Arguably the scariest flick of 2012 and in my opinion the second best Hollywood horror of its year after The Cabin in the Woods, Sinister is definitely worth a shot.