SinisterMovie Reviews


So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 53 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
16 Iffy for 16+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 75
    ReelViews | James Berardinelli

    Even though the ending is inescapable (and therefore predictable), that does little to diminish its effectiveness. Read full review

  • 75
    St. Louis Post-Dispatch | Kevin C. Johnson

    It comes together with a gruesome though excellent ending that some will find difficult to shake. Read full review

  • 75
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    I knew perfectly well, after a while, what Sinister was going to scare me with. But I got scared anyway. Read full review

  • 75
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    And then there is Vincent D'Onofrio, as a university professor of the occult and mythological, who opens up a line of possibility that eventually saves the ending from being a red herring. Yes, the ending is horrifying, but I don't believe in that stuff. I'm pretty sure I don't. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter | John DeFore

    Occasionally stupid (stretching even fright-flick conventions) but scary nonetheless, the picture should please horror fans. Read full review

  • 63
    Boston Globe | Wesley Morris

    The clichés are still clichés. They've just been renovated. Read full review

  • 50
    The Globe and Mail (Toronto) | Liam Lacey

    A mixed bag of old-school and contemporary horror tricks that occasionally raises a hair prickle of intrigue. Read full review

  • 50
    New York Post | Sara Stewart

    Here's the thing: Found footage is scary when - because - it leaves you to fill in a lot of the blanks yourself. But actually watching whole families have terrible things done to them - well, hard-core horror fans may dig it, I guess. I'd call it forced voyeurism of the worst sort. Read full review

  • 50
    USA Today | Scott Bowles

    Despite the hype, this horror story can't shake its run-of-the-mill storytelling. Read full review

  • 40
    New York Daily News |

    Ridiculous, and never scary, and with the worst ghost makeup in the history of the horror genre, Sinister is enjoyable, even funny at times. Most amusing might be watching Hawke play a character willing to do anything to regain his fame. Read full review

View more reviews for Sinister on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+ Scary, intense horror film involves kids and murder.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that Sinister -- a horror movie from the director of The Exorcism of Emily Rose -- is about a potentially supernatural killer and the disappearance of several children. It has some genuinely scary, tense, and shocking moments, including images of gruesome murders shown on Super 8 film footage. There's also a scene of blood spattered all over several walls. Language is a minor issue ("s--t" is used a couple of times), but the main character gulps whisky during tense moments and also smokes a cigarette.
  • Families can talk about Sinister's violence, which occurs mostly in the Super 8 films the main character watches. How did it affect you? How did it compare to other horror movies you've seen?
  • Is Sinister scary? What were the scariest parts? Were they sudden jumps, or did it feel slower and creepier?
  • What's the appeal of horror movies like Sinister?
  • How does the movie depict drinking? Are there realistic consequences?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Perhaps the biggest message here is "curiosity killed the cat," though the main character does eventually learn to put his family before his work.
  • rolemodels true0 Positive role models: The main character is a troubled writer who claims to be helping others but really seems more concerned with his own fame, fortune, and legacy. He does eventually learn to place his family's safety before these things, but it may be too late.
What to watch for
  • violence false4 Violence: Genuinely scary/shocking moments. The main character watches Super 8 films with grisly scenes of murder, such as a group hanging, a family burned alive inside a car, a family drowned in a swimming pool, and people cut up by a power lawnmower. There are suggestions of slaughter and images of walls decorated with blood.
  • sex false1 Sexy stuff: A married couple shares a couple of kisses and are shown sleeping in the same bed.
  • language false3 Language: Language is infrequent but includes a few uses of "s--t." In one scene, a character says the word "f--king" but drops a couple of letters so that it's not quite clear. Characters also say "damn it," "goddamn," "Christ" (as an exclamation), and "oh my God."
  • consumerism false2 Consumerism: The main character regularly uses an Apple computer and iPhone. The computer's screen and its various functions, commands, and applications -- such as Google, iChat, Safari, and QuickTime -- are shown often.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: The main character is shown gulping down whisky during tense moments, though he's never shown drunk, and it's not established that he has a drinking problem. He's also seen drinking a beer at dinner, and he lights up a cigarette during one especially tense scene.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Cast Interviews Exclusive Cast Interview Ethan Hawke talks about what got him to finally tackle a horror movie and how long who he stick around if things got spooky?