New in Theaters: "Sinister" - Starring Ethan Hawke

Photo Credit: Summit Entertainment

A murder scene, the dark of night, terrifying home movies and an overabundance of alcohol do not mix well. Just ask writer Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke), who has moved his family into a house where several murders recently took place, in the new film Sinister. No wonder the property was priced to sell. Ellison, who has written successful true crime novels in the past, is hoping to revitalize his career with a new one, based on the murders of a family, by hanging, that occurred in the back yard of his new home. Of course, he failed to mention the murder scene to his wife, Tracy (Juliet Rylance), which is particularly troubling considering the couple have two young children, Ashley (Clare Foley) and Trevor (Michael Hall D'Addario).

 

Hoping to be inspired by the grisly surroundings, Ellison begins writing his book, keeping the secret of his surroundings to himself. His research is aided by the discovery of a box of home movies that he promptly begins viewing. However, Ellison in unprepared for the graphic nature of the movies, which contain murder scenes from various locations, always involving a family. While he is disturbed by the images, he believes that they will enable him to write a masterpiece. To help cope with what he has discovered, Ellison begins to drink heavily, which is one thing that does not go unnoticed by his wife.

Ellison's determination and greed cloud his judgement. Since he is already acquainted with the local authorities, he could alert them to the videos, but decides not to. Ellison does most of his research/writing in the dead of night and his neighborhood must have rolling blackouts, since he almost always investigates strange nosies and events without the aid of electricity. I understand that this helps to set the mood, but it seems ridiculous. Despite repeated warning signs, Ellison remains steadfast in his goal and refuses to budge, in part, because of the discovery that the video tapes are all connected and the murders all appear to have been perpetrated by children. Eventually, he reaches out to a deputy (James Ransome) and a college professor (Vincent D'Onofrio), who he hopes can shed light on the mysterious drawings/images that appear in the film, for help. But it may already be too late.

Sinister is different from many other contemporary horror films because it is actually scary. Even if you take away the "gotcha" moments, there are still many scenes that are truly frightening, even for experienced horror aficionados. The chilling score helps to set the mood, as does the typically dark setting. Ethan Hawke delivers an impressive performance as a man who appears to be losing his sanity, but that may be a best case scenario for what he has stumbled onto. Even when he knows he should forget about writing the book and take his family away from the house, he feels compelled to stay, almost like something will not let him leave. Perhaps the most unnerving aspect of Sinister is whether or not the threat that Ellison faces is physical or supernatural. That plot point will leave viewers guessing throughout much of the film, which is to the credit of director Scott Dickinson and screenwriter C. Robert Cargill, who have crafted a film that may cause nightmares for some viewers.