Movie Breakdown: Sinister

People are doing traditional-style reviews all over the web, so we decided to try something different.  In each “breakdown” we’ll take a look at what a film’s marketing led us to believe, how the movie actually played, and then what we learned from it all.  Read on!

The Impression:

Ethan Hawke stars in the latest scariest movie ever.

The Reality:

In some weird way, I think Sinister is the found footage film I’ve always been waiting for.  It’s actually about a guy that finds horrific footage, and then a bunch of terrible things happen.  There’s no series of awkward moments where a character looks into a shaking camera and says how scared they are.  Nope, Sinister is all on Ethan Hawke’s Ellison as he works his way through a mystery that he never should have tried to solve, and there isn’t a moment that isn’t interesting or suspenseful.  I actually can’t wait to revisit it, which is pretty rare for me when it comes to a horror film.

The Lesson:

The words “found footage” don’t always have to make you sad.