Sinister

My definition of a good horror movie is one that sticks with you long after the credits roll.  A truly fantastic horror pops back up into your forebrain at random times, especially when you're all alone with nothing but your thoughts (and the strange creaking noises that you can't quite identify).  I won't call a horror truly scary until I get in bed and turn off my light only to have a scene flicker behind my eyelids, causing me to sigh, turn the light back on and read for a few more minutes.

            Sinister is a genuinely good, scary horror film.

            On to the review!

            Let's run through what you already know about Sinister.  A guy and his family are living in a house, and the guy uncovers super 8 film that shows grisly murders in each reel.  Linking them all together is a strange figure called Bughuul, a Babylonian creature of myth.  Sounds kinda creepy but a little cheesy, right?

            Surprisingly, no, it's not cheesy in the least.  The plot unfolds when true crime writer Ellison (Ethan Hawke) moves his family into a Pennsylvania house where a quadruple homicide just took place.  He wants to uncover where the 5th member of the family, young Stephanie, has gone missing to.  In doing so, he hopes to write another hit novel that will hopefully refill his dwindling bank account.

            As he is unpacking, he finds a mysterious box in the attic and is immediately captivated and horrified by the footage he uncovers.  Making a decision to not take it to the police, he instead tries to singlehandedly discover the meaning behind the films.  After all, this is his last chance as a writer.

            Much of the movie is Ellison watching these grisly films and figure out who and why.  This leads to his uncovering of the mysterious Bughuul, whose reflection or image is seen very briefly in each super 8 film. 

            Thinking he may have uncovered something really big, he enlists a local deputy (James Ransone, doing a creepily awesome impression of a young Edward Norton) to help him with a few details he cannot uncover himself.  The entire time he is doing all this research, reality slowly crumbles around him.

            This is where Sinister sets itself apart.  Yes, there are some cheap scares, such as bumps and footsteps and the like.  However, these cheap scares actually have payoff.  A loud thud in the attic leads to an investigation that becomes far scarier than it has any right to be.  Unseen figures eventually resolve themselves only to leave the viewer even more unsettled.  There are no constant bullshit fake-outs.  (Well, there is one, but it's towards the beginning, it's kinda cute, and it's the only one.)

            Sinister is an amazing example of what a horror film can do on an intelligent budget (only $3 million purportedly, compared to the rumored $27 million budget of this month's Silent Hill: Revelations).  I can't say shoestring budget, because movies like Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project put the idea of dropping $3 million to shame.  However, compared to most Hollywood films, $3 million will barely get you a competent cast, let alone an entire film.

            Most importantly, the acting is freaking great.  Ethan Hawke does most of the heavy lifting, but his wife Tracy (Juliet Rylance) is excellent when she's called upon, and the two children do just enough when needed to deliver that extra creep factor.  Trust me, the 'kid popping out of a moving box' part of the trailer not only makes sense in context, but it helps to add an extra layer of mystery to the entire proceeding.

            On a final note, the score.  THE SCORE!  I was blown away by how perfectly both the sound effects and the music perfectly pitched to every scene at hand.  I have never seen a horror film use sound so perfectly.  Yes, its music (though not its wordplay) is even better than Silent Horror.  Which is the best praise I can give.  Trust me.

            I state with all confidence that this is the best horror movie of 2012, and that anyone who even remotely considers themselves to be a fan of the genre should make time to watch it.  However, if you are a horror virgin or easily spooked, do everyone a favor and don't watch it in the theater.  I hate it when people cry during the scary parts.