Sinister

"Once you see him, nothing can save you."

2012 1h 50m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 6,270

HorrorThrillerMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

True-crime writer Ellison Oswalt is in a slump; he hasn't had a best seller in more than 10 years and is becoming increasingly desperate for a hit. So, when he discovers the existence of a snuff film showing the deaths of a family, he vows to solve the mystery. He moves his own family into the victims' home and gets to work. However, when old film footage and other clues hint at the presence of a supernatural force, Ellison learns that living in the house may be fatal.

“Once you see him, nothing can save you.”

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Cast

Ethan Hawke
Ellison Oswalt
Juliet Rylance
Tracy Oswalt
Vincent D'Onofrio
Professor Jonas
James Ransone
Deputy
Fred Thompson
Sheriff
Clare Foley
Ashley Oswalt
Michael Hall D'Addario
Trevor Oswalt
Victoria Leigh
Stephanie Stevenson

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Scott Derrickson
Writers: C. Robert Cargill, Scott Derrickson
Languages: English, Portuguese, French, Breton
Countries: Canada, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $83M — a 27.5× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 14 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, Portuguese, French, Breton.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Canada, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Sinister Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Scott Derrickson, shot by Christopher Norr. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Christopher Young. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Scott Derrickson directs. Christopher Norr behind the camera. Christopher Young scores. Frédéric Thoraval cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in Canada, United States of America. Dialogue in English, Portuguese, French, Breton.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Grossed $83M — a 27.5× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
3Released 14 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, Portuguese, French, Breton.
5International production across 2 countries: Canada, United States of America.
6Part of the "Sinister Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
7Directed by Scott Derrickson, shot by Christopher Norr. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
8Original score by Christopher Young. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
9Editor Frédéric Thoraval shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
10Ethan Hawke and Juliet Rylance and Vincent D'Onofrio carry the top of the cast.
11Marketing tagline: "Once you see him, nothing can save you.".
12IMDB entry: tt1922777 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
13Classified under 24 themes, including "drowning", "pennsylvania, usa", "writing", "child murder".

The technical file

Cinematography: Christopher Norr
Original score: Christopher Young
Editing: Frédéric Thoraval
Production design: David Brisbin
Costume design: Abby O'Sullivan
Makeup / hair: Arielle Toelke
VFX supervisor: David Altenau
Sound: Daniel Wehr
Stunt coordinator: Trampas Thompson
Runtime: 110 min · 1h 50m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $3,000,000
Box office: $82,515,113
Return: 2751% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Sinister (2012)

Part of

Sinister Collection

An American supernatural horror film series that begins with fictional true-crime writer Ellison Oswalt who discovers a box of home movies in his attic that puts his family in danger. A sequel follows James Ransone the Deputy and a mother whose sons are tormented by the ghostly children taken by Bughuul at their rural farmhouse.

Also by

Scott Derrickson

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

SheBlogger2012-10-17
Sinister (A Horror Movie): From a Commoner’s View NO SPOILERS – SheBlogger hates spoilers :) Okay…so here’s another horror movie review from the girl who is yet to be scared with scenes shot in the dark, gory murders and startling sound effects. HeBlogger and I went to the mall last Sunday to watch a different movie. We thought Tiktik, which is a Filipino horror movie, was already showing. Apparently, it is not scheduled until next week. Then we saw Sinister’s poster, which said, “from the producer of Paranormal and Insidious”. We have seen both movies and we both didn’t like Paranormal but both enjoyed Insidious. So we said, okay…let’s watch this instead. Didn’t know anything about this movie Sinister so as we walked inside the empty movie house, I wondered which one is it going to be like. Is it going to be a homemade movie about paranormal activities with three different endings? Oh please…I fervently hope not! I crossed my fingers because I noticed there were rolls of super 8 films on the poster. Or is it going to be about demons capturing souls and possessing the physical body with a non-happy ending? Or is it going to be a totally different story? I hoped it would be. We were the first two of the five people who came to watch this movie. The others were a group of three teenage girls, who surprisingly didn’t scream or shout at all, throughout the screening. What a joy to be watching in silence and absolute peace! Okay, on to the movie review… The movie opens with a scene shot like a home video, so I go like, uh-oh… But don’t be disheartened. It’s nothing like Paranormal and deeper into the story, you’d see that it is more like Insidious. That much I would tell you. The story is about a real crime stories writer, played by Ethan Hawke (the only actor I know in the movie), who moved his entire family to a house where a family was hung to death in the backyard tree and their little girl still missing. In the course of his research and with the help of rolls of seemingly innocent and happy family home videos that mysteriously appeared in the attic, he discovers more brutal murders of different families in different houses. So there’s the question… Are these murders in any way related, considering there’s always a little child missing? I must say that I find the premise of the story original. Well, at least for me. So I give it 4.5 gems for Story and Originality... Continue reading on: http://heblogs-sheblogs.com/2012/10/sinister-movie-review/
John Chard2015-10-14
Bughuul the Bastard! After moving himself and his family into a new house that was the scene of a horrendous crime, true-crime writer Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) finds a box of 8mm "snuff" films that suggest the murder he is currently researching is the work of a serial killer whose career dates some way back still further... It is becoming the un-reviewable genre, horror that is, there are just too many splinters of horror to choose from and so many people to cater for. There are many who stand up and proudly proclaim that they will watch any horror film and view it on its own terms, yet in this new millennium age that doesn't appear to be the case. I know I'm at fault, I hate torture porn and excessive grue type films, they just bore me, so can I review Hostel 9, Saw 27 and Wrong Turn 12 fairly? No, I don't think I can. I mean the human body can only be sliced up in so many different ways, right? Right? Vice Versa, can someone who loves Argento, Roth and the like, review fairly a boo-jump ghost story that caters for those who want to wet themselves when something jumps out of a cupboard? I really don't think so, but I digress... Sinister is a wonderfully creepy movie that deals firmly in the realm of demons who come into the real world to cause unmitigating terror and heartbreak. It has no "axe" to grind with the blood thirsty who want to see arteries sliced and diced, it just wants to put a protagonist front and centre as he gets in way above his head, have his family come under serious threat; especially the child (oh my, the children...), and throw in the odd "boo-jump" moment to keep the pant wetters happy. The video footage used to show us the previous crimes unnerves greatly and there's a strong mystery element to keep the intrigue level high, whilst the ending doesn't cop out in the slightest. Hawke is excellent, perfectly portraying a man horrified yet submerged by the need to unravel the story, but his turn is sadly balanced by Juliet Rylance as the wife who seems unable to generate believable emotion. This film really isn't for any horror fan who isn't into the "demon in the real world" type horror; like Insidious for example. While those who like this splinter of horror and still decry it brings nothing new to the table, I'll ask again, well what would you like to see brought to the table then? I love this sub-genre of horror, and I feel Sinister is one of the best films of its type in recent years. Its reputation amongst like minded adults is well founded...just don't watch the trailer first, mind! 8/10
Gimly2020-07-26
★ 6/10
Hits an absurdly high number of horror clichés, but manages to do it in a pretty successful manner. Features many more laugh out moments than you might expect from a horror of this type. Not sure if that's a pro or a con. Final rating:★★★ - I liked it. Would personally recommend you give it a go.