Top 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsMost Popular Video GamesMost Popular Music VideosMost Popular Podcasts
    Release CalendarBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersSundance Film FestivalIndependent Spirit AwardsBlack History MonthSXSWSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Sinister

  • 20122012
  • RR
  • 1h 50m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
258K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,341
107
Clare Foley in Sinister (2012)
Found footage helps a true-crime novelist realize how and why a family was murdered in his new home, though his discoveries put his entire family in the path of a supernatural entity.
Play trailer2:16
2 Videos
99+ Photos
HorrorMysteryThriller
A controversial true crime writer finds a box of super 8 home movies in his new home, revealing that the murder case he is currently researching could be the work of an unknown serial killer... Read allA controversial true crime writer finds a box of super 8 home movies in his new home, revealing that the murder case he is currently researching could be the work of an unknown serial killer whose legacy dates back to the 1960s.A controversial true crime writer finds a box of super 8 home movies in his new home, revealing that the murder case he is currently researching could be the work of an unknown serial killer whose legacy dates back to the 1960s.
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
258K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,341
107
    • Scott Derrickson
    • Scott Derrickson
    • C. Robert Cargill
  • Stars
    • Ethan Hawke
    • Juliet Rylance
    • James Ransone
    • Scott Derrickson
    • Scott Derrickson
    • C. Robert Cargill
  • Stars
    • Ethan Hawke
    • Juliet Rylance
    • James Ransone
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 844User reviews
    • 342Critic reviews
    • 53Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos2

    Redband Version
    Trailer 2:16
    Watch Redband Version
    No. 1
    Trailer 2:31
    Watch No. 1

    Photos117

    Juliet Rylance in Sinister (2012)
    Ethan Hawke in Sinister (2012)
    Ethan Hawke in Sinister (2012)
    Michael Hall D'Addario in Sinister (2012)
    Clare Foley in Sinister (2012)
    Ethan Hawke and James Ransone in Sinister (2012)
    Scott Derrickson and Christopher Norr in Sinister (2012)
    Ethan Hawke, Scott Derrickson, and Christopher Norr in Sinister (2012)
    Ethan Hawke in Sinister (2012)
    Ethan Hawke in Sinister (2012)
    Fred Thompson in Sinister (2012)
    Ethan Hawke in Sinister (2012)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ethan Hawke
    Ethan Hawke
    • Ellison Oswalt
    Juliet Rylance
    Juliet Rylance
    • Tracy
    James Ransone
    James Ransone
    • Deputy
    Fred Thompson
    Fred Thompson
    • Sheriff
    • (as Fred Dalton Thompson)
    Michael Hall D'Addario
    Michael Hall D'Addario
    • Trevor
    Clare Foley
    Clare Foley
    • Ashley
    Rob Riley
    • E.M.T.
    Tavis Smiley
    Tavis Smiley
    • Anchor
    Janet Zappala
    • Reporter
    Victoria Leigh
    Victoria Leigh
    • Stephanie
    Cameron Ocasio
    Cameron Ocasio
    • BBQ Boy
    Ethan Haberfield
    Ethan Haberfield
    • Pool Party Boy
    Danielle Kotch
    Danielle Kotch
    • Lawn Girl
    Blake Mizrahi
    Blake Mizrahi
    • Sleepy Time Boy
    Nicholas King
    Nicholas King
    • Bughuul
    • (as Nick King)
    • …
    Chester the Chihuahua
    Chester the Chihuahua
    • Barking Dog
    • (uncredited)
    Vincent D'Onofrio
    Vincent D'Onofrio
    • Professor Jonas
    • (uncredited)
    Emma Jonnz
    • Flavian
    • (uncredited)
      • Scott Derrickson
      • Scott Derrickson
      • C. Robert Cargill
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Insidious
    6.8
    Insidious
    Sinister 2
    5.3
    Sinister 2
    The Conjuring
    7.5
    The Conjuring
    The Conjuring 2
    7.3
    The Conjuring 2
    The Ring
    7.1
    The Ring
    Insidious: Chapter 2
    6.5
    Insidious: Chapter 2
    The Babadook
    6.8
    The Babadook
    It
    7.3
    It
    It Follows
    6.8
    It Follows
    Annabelle: Creation
    6.5
    Annabelle: Creation
    It Chapter Two
    6.5
    It Chapter Two
    Hush
    6.6
    Hush

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Writer C. Robert Cargill got the idea for the script from a nightmare he had after watching The Ring (2002).
    • Goofs
      (at around 4 mins) Near the beginning of the film, we see Ashley painting a girl in red on the wall. We see that Ashley has painted the girl fully in red, however, in the next shot we see that the girl has a white space where the red paint was before.
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Ashley: Don't worry, Daddy. I'll make you famous again.

    • Connections
      Edited into 5 Second Movies: Sinister (2012)
    • Soundtracks
      Silence Teaches You How to Sing
      Written by Kristoffer Rygg, Joern Henrik Sværen, Tore Ylvisaker

      Performed by Ulver

      Courtesy of Jester Records, Oslo, Norway

    User reviews844

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    One of the Strongest Horror Films In Years
    Sinister (2012)

    *** 1/2 (out of 4)

    True-crime writer Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) moves his wife and two young children into a home where four people were murdered years earlier. A young girl also went missing so the writer digs in to try and solve the case but before long he finds some 8mm footage that shows other horrendous death scenes. SINISTER certainly lives up to its title as this here is one of the most disturbing horror films to come across in a very long time. I think what makes the film work so well is that it doesn't fall into many horror trappings, which is either a bunch of loud noises to try and scare you or going for a gory, exploitation style filmmaking. SINSITER does the opposite as it really tells a wonderful mystery story and just slowly builds up all the evil and this leads to an incredibly chilling finale. The mystery of the 8mm footage is something that is so perfectly written that you can't help get caught up in everything going on and you're completely glued to the film trying to find the next clue so that the killings can be solved. The screenplay also makes a right decision in letting us really get to know the writing, his personal problems and the issues that he's having with the family. The more you can connect with this writer and his family the more you begin to care for them and want to see them survive this entire ordeal. Director Scott Derrickson really does a remarkable job at slowly building up the tension but he also manages to make for a very dark and sinister atmosphere. The 8mm footage is beautifully shot and it's quit haunting as is the sound of the projector each time it comes on. I'm not going to ruin the ending but kudos to him for having the guts to end it the way he did. Hawke turns in an incredibly strong performance as you believe every aspect of what his character is going through. It helps to have such a strong actor and especially as the film moves along and the tension starts to wear on the character. Juliet Rylance is good as the wife and we get strong support from James Ransone and Fred Dalton Thompson. The film doesn't resort to gory violence or cheap scares but instead it really builds up a feeling of true evilness and by the end of the picture you're really going to be wrap up in the terror going on and everything that's about to happen to conclude the picture.
    helpful•24
    11
    • Michael_Elliott
    • Oct 15, 2012

    FAQ13

    • Why was Vincent D'Onofrio uncredited?
    • What is "Sinister" about?
    • Is "Sinister" based on a book?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 12, 2012 (United States)
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
      • Canada
      • Official Facebook
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Long Island, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • Summit Entertainment
      • Alliance
      • IM Global
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 50 minutes
      • Color
      • Datasat
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Surround 7.1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.