All Rise...

You don't want to look inside the soul of Judge Gordon Sullivan.

The Charge

"Marked for death."

The Case

The first Sinister was an effective little shocker for its first 45 minutes. The whole "spooky film canisters" and "living in a murder house" vibe actually worked. Ethan Hawke's lived-in performance as a down-on-his-luck writer looking to earn back his good name helped tremendously. But then it was revealed that the problem was a literal Boogeyman (or Bagul, as the film calls him), things deteriorated quickly into jump scares before the final (decent) twist at the end. As with other Blumhouse productions, Sinister was hugely profitable, making a sequel inevitable, even if the film itself didn't leave a lot of clues to where more films in the franchise might go. We have the answer now with Sinister 2, a worthy sequel that was unjustly ignored upon release. Thanks to this excellent Blu-ray, viewers can get a second shot at a spooky sequel.

Returning from the first film, Deputy So & So (James Ransone, The Wire) is now an ex-deputy after the events of the first film. But he's figured out the pattern and how to stop Bagul—if the houses where children have murdered their families are currently unoccupied, he can burn them down to stop the curse. His next target is an isolated farmhouse that's been empty for years after the church on the property was the site of a grisly murder in the Bagul tradition. When the ex-deputy arrives with his arson kit, however, he finds Courtney Collins (Shannyn Sossamon, The Rules of Attraction) and her twin sons. They're hiding out from Courtney's abusive husband, basically squatting at the house. Now the ex-deputy has to figure out how to save the family (if they leave the curse goes active), even as children are appearing to one of Courtney's sons, making him watch grisly films of other murders.

The cat is out of the bag for Sinister 2—we know that it's the kids who are doing the killing, and that they're being encouraged by Bagul the boogeyman. Whatever tension and atmosphere the first film thrived on is largely spent before Sinister 2 even starts to roll. And that's the root of many of the negative reviews of the film. Sinister 2 is definitely not Sinister, but it can't be since we already know how and why the bad stuff is happening. So Sinister 2 has to work with a completely different set of expectations to solve the problems it inherits from the first film.

The first solution to the problem of the audience already knowing what's happening is to make the story as much about the kids as it is about the adults. The twin sons are immediately put in the thick of it, with one of them basically forced to watch the home movies of the other, murderous children. The fact that it's twins, rather than an only child (or even siblings separated by a greater age difference) makes for some interesting tension as the brothers come into conflict over the appearance of the phantom kids.

The second solution is to take the simmering tension of the first film has to be brought to a boil. We get the sense in the first film that the Oswalt marriage has weathered a couple of storms (both Ellison's fame/crash-and-burn and also his drinking), but that's not the real focus of the film. Sinister 2 ups the ante a bit, making Courtney and her sons the victim of domestic abuse. This drives the sons to welcome Bagul in some ways, and it gives the family a reason not to just leave the farmhouse (which is a sticking point of a lot of haunted-house stories). It also lets Courtney and the ex-deputy bond over shared trauma. The overall effect is that it has a lot of pots on the stove when everything comes to a boil, and the film's final act does a great job of resolving all the major plots in a satisfying way.

Initially I was unhappy with the fact that the film goes out of its way to offer us a number of murderous home movies. The opening shots of a hanging were probably the most effective in all of Sinister, and I was afraid of their over-use in the sequel. But after watching the film a second time, I think they're handled pretty well. The scenarios—from an electrocution to a late-night visit to gator territory—are cringe-worthy and memorable.

Sinister 2 benefits from an excellent Blu-ray release. The film's 2.40:1/1080p AVC-encoded transfer is strong. Detail from the digital source is great, including wonderful shots of the crops surrounding the farmhouse. Colors are a bit autumnal, but properly saturated. Much of the movie takes place in the darker corners of the farmhouse, but black levels are consistent and deep. No serious noise or other problems are visible. The film's DTS-HD 5.1 track is just as strong. Dialogue is always clean and clear. Dynamic range is impressive, as is directionality. When jump scares occur they're loud enough to be shocking without hurting your ears.

Extras start with a commentary by director Ciaran Foy, who talks extensively throughout the track about the production, story, and the larger Sinister franchise. It's probably worth a listen for fans of the first film even if they didn't enjoy this outing. Next up are a set of extended versions of the "home movies" from the film, as well as a set of deleted scenes (about 10 minutes worth). Finally, the disc includes 10 minute making-of featurette that's fine. An Ultraviolet download code is also included.

It took me a while to warm up to Sinister 2. I don't usually like kid-centric horror films, I was worried that all the home movies would destroy the mystique, and I wasn't a huge fan of Deputy So & So in the first film. But by the end I was won over. Thinking about the film, and reading all the negative reviews it earned, I can say that not everything about Sinister 2 works. It's a little too reliant on jump scares, and it doesn't have the freshness of the first flick. In Sinister 2's defense, I will say that it's a more even-keeled film than its predecessor. It doesn't have nearly as many truly-spooky moments, but it never descends into the humdrum tedium that plagues the second half of Sinister.

Sinister 2 is not a great film, but as a horror sequel it holds its own. Fans looking for a retread of Sinister will probably be disappointed by the departures of this film. In either case, the film is worth a second look, and this Blu-ray makes that an attractive option.

The Verdict

Spooky but not guilty.

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