It's a shame that SINISTER suffers from the same problems as INSIDIOUS, namely a Hollywood fixation with making the subtle explicit and making the barely-seen over-obvious and in your face. For the first half of the production, this is a highly effective and old-fashioned horror opus, filled with a growing sense of unease and punctuated by some of the creepiest moments I've recently witnessed in a movie, from Hollywood or elsewhere. Then, as if the scriptwriters realise they've written themselves into a corner, it all falls apart and becomes hackneyed, predictable and rather silly.

It starts off great, though. Ethan Hawke, not the type of actor you usually see in this sort of movie, gives a decent portrayal of a writer drawn into some sinister events of the past, in the type of story much beloved by Stephen King. Hawke discovers some old home movies in the attic and in playing them discovers some genuinely frightening footage which had my hair standing on end. Accompanied by some ultra-frightening chanting on the soundtrack, these glimpses of what is essentially snuff movies are the horror highlights of the movie, and they certainly live up to the title.

Sad, then, that as Hawke digs for explanations, the truth that dawns on him is as unbelievable as it is silly. By the time we get to the presence of actual ghosts (who look like kids dressed up in Halloween makeup),the realism that SINISTER once had has long dissipated and the ending, when it finally comes, is equally out of it. It's not as ridiculous as INSIDIOUS became, but it's still a disappointment given the excellent scenes in the first half. I would have much preferred for this to develop into a serial killer story, because it would have been much more frightening come the end. Oh, and Juliet Rylance's acting is terrible, too.

Ethan Hawke is crime writer Ellison Oswalt. It's been 10 years since his breakout hit. He has moved his whole family into a murder house intending to write his new book on. The old family had all been hung in the old tree in the backyard, but the family's young daughter went missing. Strange things keep happening in the house. For example, he finds some 8mm snuff films in the attic, and discover there may be other related murders.

Ethan Hawke is rock solid in driving this movie. This is all his movie. The atmosphere is amazing. If there's anything they desperately needed, it's some better supporting characters. The wife, the kids, the bumpkin young cop, they are all stock characters done by unknown actors. There're no standouts in those areas. The movie works from the creepy atmosphere that builds and builds.

Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) is a true crime writer that was successful in his debut with the book "Blood in Kentucky", but also has failed on his next works. He moves with his wife Tracy (Juliet Rylance),his son Trevor (Michael Hall D'Addario) and his daughter Ashley (Clare Foley) to a house in King Count that belonged to the Stevenson family expecting to write a best-seller. Ellison does not tell to Tracy that the place was a crime-scene, where four members of the Stevenson family were hanged on the backyard and the girl Stephanie had gone missing.

Ellison begins his research about the murder and soon he finds a box with super 8 home videos in the attic. He watches the movies and discovers other murder cases that might be connected to other crimes. He befriends the local Deputy (James Ransone),who is his fan, and gets additional information about the cases. He also sees a creepy man in the footages and symbols painted on the wall. He contacts the specialist Professor Jonas that tells him about the cult to the legendary Bughuul. Meanwhile, Ellison and his family are frightened by spooky events in the house. Ellison decides to quit his research and return to his house, but soon he receives a phone call from the Deputy telling what are in common in the crimes.

"Sinister" is a dark and spooky horror movie with a creepy ghost story. The plot is developed in slow pace but I startled many times with the weird situations. This is the first time that I see Ethan Hawke working in this genre and he has a convincing performance. The scary and gore conclusion offers a chance for a sequel that I hope that it does not happen. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Entidade" ("The Entity")