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A controversial true-crime writer finds a box of Super 8 home movies in his new home, revealing that the murder case he is currently researching could be the work of an unknown serial killer whose legacy dates back to the 1960s.
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- rg9400July 7, 2026This was the last movie I had to watch from the Science of Scare list which ranks horror moves based on viewer heart rates and heart rate variance. This movie was ranked first, above every other entry in the list. This is actually my second time watching the movie. I don't remember much from my first watch outside of hating the ending, and I had rated it 5/10. This time, I went in with an open mind and let it wash over me, watching it in the dark and fully paying attention. This is a scary movie. A very scary movie. There are a lot of jump scares, some of which really made my heart pound. However, the real scares come from the quieter moments. The sequences where the audio isn't building up to a crescendo like the traditional horror movie trope. In fact, there is one sequence where he is just walking around his house in silence, brilliantly filmed and really effective at creating atmosphere. I was literally jumping at shadows, thinking there where things in wide shots that did not exist. There is this muted soundtrack with garbled children voices that plays during certain scenes that by itself is super creepy and distinctive. It also just has some really unsettling and upsetting subject matter. I can confirm that my heart rate was much higher than when I had watched a lot of the other movies on the list. I also just have to admire the technical craft of the movie. The imagery is memorable, and it doesn't rely on shaky cameras. Even if there is home footage, it isn't overly aged and instead moves slowly, deliberately, smoothly. There isn't an over-reliance on gore, yet it still feels a lot more violent than some of the bloodier movies. With effective jump scares, a heightened atmosphere, and a lingering impact, it really hits multiple checkboxes in terms of horror. Look, I still hate the ending. It is abrupt and jarring. While I get what it is doing thematically, it also feels like it doesn't land the message. Outside of Ethan Hawke's character, everyone else is basically a cardboard cutout, and had we gotten more time with the characters, maybe the ending would have worked better. The plot isn't super dynamic. These are all valid complaints, and I am sure that was my focus in my initial watch. However, if you are looking for a fright fest, this is about as good as it gets.
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Sinister was released on October 5, 2012.
Sinister was directed by Scott Derrickson.
Sinister has a runtime of 1h 50m.
Sinister was produced by Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Jason Blum.
A controversial true-crime writer finds a box of Super 8 home movies in his new home, revealing that the murder case he is currently researching could be the work of an unknown serial killer whose legacy dates back to the 1960s.
The key characters in Sinister are Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke), Tracy Oswalt (Juliet Rylance), Professor Jonas (Vincent D'Onofrio).
Sinister is rated R.
Sinister is a Horror, Thriller, Mystery film.
Sinister has an audience rating of 6.2 out of 10.
Sinister had a budget of $3M.
Sinister has made $82.5M at the box office.