Nothing too original, but succeeds in fulfilling the premise of a clever "Horror" movie

Rating: 7/10 (17 October 2012)

Sinister is written and directed by Scott Derrickson, who judging by his resume, this guy loves his horror movies; that I don't have a problem with! I was really looking forward to this flick for two reasons; Insidious was one of my favourite horror movies of the last ten years, so my anticipation grew with the production of Sinister carrying the same producer. And B, prior to seeing Sinister, I watched "House at the End of the street" which left me desperate for something fresh.
Ellison (Ethan Hawke) is an accomplished writer who brews his career through the premise of true-crime stories. His obsession is based around the majority of murders and mysteries surrounding them, with a weight of controversy surrounding his Journalistic morals.
Ellison is hell bent on reaching a peak he is yet to discover in his career while trying to convince himself of the stories he covers are for the people, and not for fame. It is no convenience when he moves his family into their new home, a suburban crime scene; a freakish killing spree that resulted in the hanging of an entire family. Desperate for his big break, Ellison has to manage the Ora surrounding the town and its unspoken crime, and his wife Tracy (Juliet Rylance) who is convinced of a refreshing start to a troubled past.
Although the Sheriff (Fred Dalton Thompson) voiced his own opinion about Ellison's reputation, it doesn't stop the willingness behind Ellison's personality as he stumbles across a box of horrific surprises that hold a motive behind his current investigation.
Without hesitation, Ellison puts the mysterious reel of tapes together as he is disturbed but yet satisfied to witness a plethora of found-footage images that take him on a journey through a nightmare worse than he could have imagined.
Desperate to fulfil is unwanted duties, Ellison discovers a dark figure within the murders, a supernatural spirit that haunts those who discover the tapes.
Ellison's insight into the murders reveal an origin of secrets that is sure to shock the town as he believes, in cliché journalistic fashion, "the people must to know". Although Ellison is not prepared for the danger he could place on his wife and kids as a demon lurks behind his projector of evidence.
Judging a book by its cover is not my thing, but by its introduction, that is how I roll!. On the off, Sinister invites you down a dark and twisted path, most likely a journey that you will have never witnessed before. The first scene reveals a taste of refreshing initiative. Originality is not the main key to Sinister because to be blunt, it ain't original, but it is really scary.
The main premise is the constant suspense that is revealed within the tapes. It is not graphically gory, just down right disturbing with each video backed up with a frightening tune. Just like Paranormal Activity, the majority of scares are within the backing of found-footage. But apart from the mundane routine events in 21st century horror movies, Sinister succeeds in disturbing the mind of the viewer without actual "Jump-Scares" scenes.
The plot is fascinating in it's own sick way, following a puzzle that I had no idea how it would come together, but it did, and it did so in original fashion.
Looking at the majority of Horrors this year, it is obvious to label Sinister as the best, and certainly the scariest movie of 2012 thus far. I adore my horror movies so I was quite satisfied with a concept that is not entirely fresh, but revealed scenes with simple ideas and found a way of visually implanting an image into the viewers head. It is not always about the full on graphic that disturbs the mind, it is the motive behind it that really gets the viewers asking questions, and better yet, remembering something that almost feels a supernatural reality.
Overall/rating; Not entirely original with the folks behind the scenes nit-picking at Insidious and Paranormal Activity. However, the overall creation of horror is really frightening, with scenes that some viewers may find disturbing. Sinister is a successful result of a genre that has unfortunately been the subject of poor and effortless movies lately. Halloween is approaching, don't hesitate with this one! 7/10 Did you enjoy this review? Visit my blog where you will find a plethora of reviews based on the latest movies. http://gerrysreviewsforthosecurious.blogspot.ie/