Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- dread-filled
- claustrophobic
- foreboding
- late night horror marathon
- halloween viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly found Sinister genuinely frightening and atmospherically effective, though they considered its premise implausible and reliant on familiar horror clichés.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Ellison discovers 8mm films depicting murders and uses their recurring imagery as the central investigative trail.
Ellison prioritizes researching and exploiting a crime for his next book despite moving his family into the crime scene.
The Oswalt home is both a former murder site and the location where supernatural terror intrudes on family life.
The footage and Ellison’s research suggest that the killings form a recurring, expanding pattern rather than an isolated crime.
Films like Sinister, and why
The Conjuring
supernatural investigation, domestic vulnerability, and escalating haunted-house dread
Insidious
occult horror, family endangerment, and a persistent unseen supernatural threat
The Ring
investigative horror built around disturbing recorded media and a hidden killer
8mm
crime research, grim home-video evidence, and slow-building psychological dread
Movie Details
- Director
- Scott Derrickson
- Release Date
- 2012-10-04
- Runtime
- 110 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (6244)
Cast
- Ethan Hawke
- Juliet Rylance
- Vincent D'Onofrio
- James Ransone
- Fred Thompson
- Clare Foley
- Michael Hall D'Addario
- Victoria Leigh
- Blake Mizrahi
- Cameron Ocasio
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Hulu, Peacock Premium, Peacock Premium Plus, MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Sinister about?
- A true-crime novelist’s search for a career-making murder story awakens a supernatural predator inside his own home.
- What is Sinister like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Sinister as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Sinister violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Sinister as graphic.
- What did critics think of Sinister?
- Critics broadly found Sinister genuinely frightening and atmospherically effective, though they considered its premise implausible and reliant on familiar horror clichés.
- Which films are like Sinister?
- Films with a similar feel include The Conjuring, Insidious, The Ring, and 8mm.
- How long is Sinister?
- Sinister runs 110 minutes.
- Where can I watch Sinister?
- In United States, Sinister streams on Hulu, Peacock Premium, Peacock Premium Plus, MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel.
