Film4 Frightfest the 13th – Day 4

#18 - Sinister

rating: 3.5

Sinister is perhaps the Frightfest film most likely to become a mainstream success when it is released on October 5th. Coming from the producers of Paranormal Activity and Insidious, Scott Derrickson's (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) latest makes a strong attempt to find wiggle room within the confines of the cramped found footage subgenre, moving lithely between film reels discovered in an attic and a conventionally cinematic narrative. Ellison Oswald (Ethan Hawke) is a true crime author who has recently moved into a new home with his family, yet unbeknownst to them, their new abode is the home of his latest authorial subject - a family who was murdered there. When Ellison discovers a box of film reels in the attic which depict a series of grisly murders, he investigates only to discover that something even more, ahem, insidious, is at work than he expected; an apparent "eater of children". One of the more stylish horror pics to come down the pipe in some time, Sinister begins with a haunting opening clip; a grim film reel of a family being hanged by a seemingly invisible force. From here, it branches off to become a more stylistically familiar narrative film, introducing us to frustrated, slightly egotistical writer Ellison, played with firm reliability by Ethan Hawke. At 110 minutes, it is a slow-burn of a film, and one absolutely too invested in springing jump scares on its audience - as these soon become rather predictable - but it is also one that is constantly building in intrigue towards what is unquestionably a deeply unsettling, chilling finale. That said, the script from C. Robert Scargill (aka Massawrym from Aint It Cool News) is also smartly layered with a wealth of unexpected humour, coming mostly from James Ransome's overly eager police deputy, keen to help Ellison finish his book with the hope that he might land on the acknowledgements page. What truly most pleases about Derrickson's film, however, is its eagerness to push against convention despite its deceptively familiar premise. From the sparing use of found footage - inter-spliced between Ellison's increasingly obsessive attachment to both these cases and his long-gestating book - to a bait-and-switch climax which toys with audience expectation, this is efficient, intelligent horror that stays with you. Check back tomorrow when we'll have reviews for a selection of films from the fifth and final day of the festival, including The Soska Sisters' American Mary, Jennifer Lynch's Chained, new Sam Raimi-produced chiller The Possession and the Brit thriller Tower Block. Sinister is in cinemas October 5th.