Film Review - Sinister

Well, yesterday was the first part of my Vincent D'Onofrio long weekend Frightfest film fun.

The evening started with the introduction by one of the festival's organisers, Paul McEvoy, of one of the film's writers, C. Robert Cargill, whose first visit to the UK this was. He was to answer questions at the end, but it was by then gone 11pm, and it was time to get to the station for the last trains home.

The film was pretty scary - though it would have been less so without the impressive sound system, which was used to great effect to help every sudden loud noise make you jump out of your seat. At the start, you can't help thinking that Ethan Hawke's character Ellison Oswald is bonkers to take his family to a house where another family had been killed and a daughter gone missing, when he has a daughter himself and a disturbed son. Then, when strange things start to happen, you can't understand why he doesn't get the hell out, financial problems or not. When things finally get so serious that he moves them out in the middle of the night, you're sure they will not be allowed to go. But they get back to their own home, where Ellison eventually takes a call that turns everything on its head, and leads to the final shocking denouement.

The acting was very good, especially Michael Hall D'Addario as the disturbed son. Vincent's role as Professor Jonas, to whom Ellison turns for advice on the symbology from the crime scenes, is small, and takes place only in a window on a computer scree - not much chance to shine, though of course, being Vincent he makes his cameo count. He sounded as if he was suffering from a bit of a cold.

All in all, worth seeing, especially in a big cinema with a good sound system, but enjoyable enough to give you a good fright on your TV at home.