Stream & Scream: A Look at the 2012 Movie “Sinister”
For this week’s Stream & Scream review, I took a recent look at a 2012 horror movie that has been generally well-liked during its initial release and has since cemented its reputation as a massive fan favorite within the horror community. While initial responses were somewhat split between casual viewers and fans of the horror genre, it has developed a cult following. The horror movie I’m talking about this week is the 2012 movie “Sinister.”
True-crime writer Ellison Oswald is in a slump - he hasn’t had a major best-seller in a little over a decade and is becoming increasingly desperate for a hit. To solve his latest mystery for his new novel, he moves his own family into the victims’ home and gets to work. However, when old mysterious footage and other clues hint at the presence of a supernatural force, Ellison learns that living in the house may be fatal.
The 2012 horror flick “Sinister” delivers an eerie, terrifying atmosphere, unsettling Super 8 home video reels that helps give the movie a very chilling vibe and a compelling performance from Ethan Hawke.
The disturbing 8mm family home movie footage that Ellison (Hawke) discovers in the attic is easily the movie’s best feature. Set to very eerie music, these segments felt grainy, realistic, and deeply unsettling (especially with the lawnmower - if you’ve seen the movie, you know the moment I’m talking about), grounding the horror in a more aesthetic way.
The musical score of the movie, mixed in with various industrial, ambient tracks, does an awesome job generating an intense amount of dread that really helps the movie feel even scarier. The soundtrack uses unnatural mechanical whirs, quiet hums, and low distortion to keep the viewer visually and aurally uncomfortable.
While jump scares in horror movies can be generally cheap and predictable, “Sinister” features numerous well-executed jump scares that will easily catch you off-guard - even if you have seen it many times. The infamous “lawnmower scene” that was mentioned earlier is frequently singled out as one of the most heart-pounding scenes in modern horror cinema.
Rather than relying purely on monsters, the movie spends a good amount of time in the dark with a single character, a flickering projector, and the occasional glass of whiskey. This movie definitely has a slow-burn feel, yet it really works as we see Ellison’s isolation and obsession creep up gradually as more of the mystery unfolds. The movie’s investigative, true-crime structure keeps the viewer engaged like a procedural thriller before fully pivoting into supernatural horror.
While the Super 8 scenes really stand out, “Sinister” provides more stand out moments, such as scene where an intoxicated Ellison wanders through the dark house and we see the ghosts of the children quietly slide into the frame behind him and the moment when Ellison isn’t looking at the screen, a frozen image of the supernatural entity turns its head and looks like he’s looking directly at Ellison and the viewer.
The overall response to “Sinister” was generally positive among horror fans, though it received a more moderate, lukewarm reception from mainstream critics. Despite its initial mixed critical reception, it ended up being a box office success and has since built a reputation as a modern horror classic and a cult favorite. The movie also spawned a sequel a few years later, “Sinister 2”, that hasn’t been as well-received and haven’t had the chance to check it out as of yet!
Also, get ready for plenty of more Stream & Scream reviews starting with the first edition of October where I plan on having a few reviews for the spooky season per edition!
MPA: Rated R for disturbing violent images and some terror (running time 110 minutes)
Initial release date: October 12, 2012
Streaming services: Hulu/Peacock/various PVOD services (as of working on this review)
Writer C. Robert Cargill got the idea for the script from a nightmare he had after watching The Ring (2002).
(at around 27 mins) The 'Pool Party '66' snuff film in Sinister was extremely difficult to film according to C. Robert Cargill. The actors/actresses who played the doomed family were tied down to lawn chairs and pulled underwater in reality, and the filmmakers had to be extremely careful that nobody was harmed while filming the scene took place. Further complications occurred while filming the killer underwater; Nicholas King (Bughuul) had to wear weights and stay underwater for several seconds while he was filmed. Since the scene was filmed entirely on Super 8 film, care had to be taken to ensure that the camera was properly rolling and that the cartridge and light meter were working, otherwise the scene would have to be re-shot numerous times.
There is very little blood, almost no cursing, and no sex in this movie because the filmmakers were hoping for a PG-13 rating. However, they still got an R based on content alone.
The scenes showing the Super 8 home videos were filmed on a real Super 8 film camera to capture the grainy, nostalgic effect of old movies, according to C. Robert Cargill.
Ethan Hawke had never seen the Super 8 snuff films prior to the date of recording Sinister. When the scene where his character watches the snuff films was ready to be recorded, the soundtrack was matched up with the films and Hawke played out his role. His reactions to the films were recorded for Sinister and used in the final film.
In 2020, Forbes Magazine conducted a study, Science of Scare Project, where the heart rate of the viewers were monitored while they watched a number of horror films. Out of 35 films, this movie won, having the highest average heart rate at 86, spiking at 131BPM, thus it often being deemed the scariest movie ever made.
Comments