Scary, therefore good.

Rating: 9/10 (3 February 2013)

I thought this was a great horror movie. The way I judge horror movies is by how much they frighten me. I personally don't understand why people get hung up on the fact that characters sometimes don't act as a normal, rational person would. I suppose, for some people, the fact that a character might not take steps that we would - for example, alert the authorities about the strange occurrences going on - means that the film is frustrating or unrealistic and consequently given to jocular remarks and reviews. For me, the so-called "realistic-ness" (not realism) of any kind of movie, not just horror movies, is completely irrelevant to anything.
In an era where genuinely scary movies are few and far between, Sinister was surprisingly unique. If not original, then effective. I came into the movie not knowing what to expect and the subtle, well thought-out transition from crime/thriller to horror/supernatural was quite distinctive. It is true that a few horror movie clichés were included - but genuine originality is a myth. I think Sinister did enough to effectively differentiate itself from other films, and it certainly scared me, which is the only criterion that I will judge it against.
On a side note, I notice that many people seem to watch these sorts of movies in groups or social settings. Though I enjoy this too, I usually make a point when watching a horror movie to watch it late at night, in complete darkness - which I highly recommend doing if you want to get the most out of a movie like Sinister.