Sinister (2/19/2013)

Rated R for disturbing violent images and some terror.

Starring Ethan Hawke and Vincent D’Onofrio

Directed by Scott Derrickson (Day The Earth Stood Still, and The Exorcism of Emily Rose)

Another scary film from Scott Derrickson.

A true crime novelist struggling to find his next big story discovers a box of home videos showing other families being brutally murdered, but his investigation soon leads him to a supernatural entity that may be placing his own family in harm’s way.

Several years ago Jonathan interviewed Scott Derrickson, (you can read that interview here: https://thesource4ym.com/interviews/ScottDerrickson.aspx). So when I saw the trailer for his latest movie…I knew I had to go check it out.

Sinister offers an interesting twist on the recent wave of “found footage” movies. Instead of the movie being the found footage (Blair Witch and Cloverfield), the main character finds the home movies and that launches the story…and provides a series of disturbing images.

One of my biggest complaints about horror films has got to be the ridiculous clichés and the ease of predicting what’s coming next. Sometimes you can even have a decent stab at the plot from just the opening shot.

When you see a close-up of a cardboard box which is about to be lifted out of the back of a moving van and into an empty house, it’s not really a stretch to guess this isn’t going to be a happy move. And no, I don’t need a SPOILER ALERT there.

There were plenty of “bumps in the night,” glimpses of the ghostly faces and some ill-advised trips to the attic. What is surprising is that these old tricks can still be pretty effective. And somehow Derrickson uses them to make one of the creepiest horror films of the year.

The one cliché he cleverly addresses is the “why would they stay in that house one more second instead of running out the front door screaming like a middle school girl at a lock-in?” Well, because Ellison is actually looking for trouble. As a desperate true-crime writer, he intentionally moves his young family into a house where the previous occupants were murdered – smart move. Ellison thinks he can write a best seller by solving the crime. And Hawke is completely convincing as the driven but sketchy writer. And the rest of the cast plays their roles just as well.

As expected, it becomes a lot less scary once the “bumps” step out of the shadows. Not that I’m complaining. I’m not sure my heart could have taken too much more. I’m going with a score of “Rental” – although my wife gave it a “Theater Worthy.”

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
The easy answer is no. The movie is really scary and deals with a demonic character. Scott Derrickson has a way of making these horror films very realistic.
The profanity is mild for a PG-13 film with 1 A-word?and?several uses of the D-word and S-word.

This movie is not appropriate for children. We see many families with children killed and we see children kill their own families. There are many dark scenes, violent scenes, and jump scares. The murder tapes look very real and are disturbing.

CONVERSATION STARTER

1. What did you think of Ellison’s decision to stay in the house for the sake of his career?


2. Have you ever been accused of making a selfish decision? What was it?


3. Read Philippians 2:3-4
   
   Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
   
   Take a moment to identify some areas that you tend to be selfish?


4. What are three things that Paul tells us will help us be less selfish? (Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests)


5. What is one thing you can do this week to be less selfish?