Maybe it’s just me, but if there was shit going down in my house in the middle of the night, I’d be cracking on all the overhead lights, and rounding up the family to make sure they’re safe, letting all the dogs out, punching the panic buttons and calling the cops. In Sinister, however, obsessive and probably alcoholic writer Ethan Hawke has never met a light switch he like to flick. When things go bump in his night, he’d rather crash about aimlessly in the pitch black with a baseball bat and a flashlight – which he seems to manage to do without ever waking his wife and kids.
And that’s just so disappointing because it is all just unbelievable and stupid – it’s like the movie’s entire premise jumps the shark because he can’t switch on a damn light. Which is a great, great shame, because Sinister has all the potential to be a stand-out little horror, including some great performances, creepily atmospheric “found footage” and a skittery soundtrack. Sinister filmed on Long Island. There’s a link to a news interview where the cast talk about filming in one spooky location here.