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    Sinister 2

    Reviewed by
    adamwatchesmovies@

    WARNING: This review is hidden because it reveals the content of the film.
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    I can’t remember the last time I saw a sequel that dropped the ball as badly as “Sinister 2”. Maybe back in 2002 with “Men in Black 2”? What a huge disappointment. It’s an even bigger letdown when you consider that the film is actually a true sequel and not just a re-hash of the first. If you remember the first “Sinister”, you will be familiar with James Ransone as a deputy (credited as “Deputy So & So” because he was never actually named) who was aiding Ethan Hawke’s character in his investigation. As we begin this film, we learn that he has been trying to stop the pattern of murders linked to the home movies by destroying the houses involved in them and preventing new families from moving in. When he discovers that a woman on the run from her abusive husband (Shannyn Sossamon as Courtney Collins) is living in a house where horrific murders that follow Bughuul’s pattern have taken place (Bughuul played by Nicholas King) He desperately tries to find out more about the ritualistic murders in order to save her, and her two sons Dylan (Robert Daniel Sloan) and Zach (Dartanian Sloan) Little does he know that the children have already become involved.

    There are mistakes everywhere here. So many that it feels like the people involved wrote this hastily and didn’t even review the story to make sure it fit neatly with the previously established mythology. Even as a horror movie it makes basic missteps that I can’t believe everyone missed. The first is that several times throughout we see Dylan and Zach’s nightmares… and they give away what the big ending is going to be! Talk about a way to suck the energy out of your money shot. Other mistakes include the over-exposure of Bughuul, too many jump scares, an overall lack of imagination in the nightmarish home movies, an unnecessary villain, behavior that make no sense, an over-use of special effects, an ending that comes out of nowhere and a final shot that will leave you wondering what happened. I guess I should warn you that there will be some minor, unavoidable spoilers about the first film in this review, so if you haven’t seen it, skip the next paragraph.

    I’m a big fan of the original because it really spoke to me and I thought it captured a dilemma of horror buffs. The first film is about a man who, in a time of desperation, stumbles upon a box of snuff films and decides to watch them anyways. They’re horrific. You see entire families get murdered, but only after seeing them in happy situations and they way they are killed are not only needlessly cruel, but they have a sick twist to them. More than that, as you find out more about the murders, you realize that they are even more disturbing because it’s more than some twisted serial killer doing his thing, there’s a ritualistic element to them. What also disturbed me about that first film is that the deaths captured on video were simple, but effective. I don’t want to give anything away from that first movie, but it’s the same principle as in “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre”. You know what a chainsaw is meant for. You also know what kind of damage it could do if used improperly so the buildup of seeing someone with that tool deliberately using it to cause pain to another human being, it’s really unpleasant to think about. Even more so because you know it’s not some hard-to-obtain tool. A lot of people own a chain saw. Out of the different films we see here, only three of them capture this fear but the other ones completely miss the boat. It’s so different from that first movie that they make you question everything you knew about how these movies work to the point where it doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense, particularly with the way the film ends.

    I have a lot of issues with the film, but the biggest one besides the failure to capture the spirit of the original is the unnecessary villain that is introduced. I couldn’t believe it. To me, this franchise is somewhat in the spirits of an H. P. Lovecraft story. The danger is human curiosity. You sit there and you see a movie and you’re mortified, but compelled to keep your eyes open. You want to know the details because of human curiosity. The further you get into it the more you begin to understand what’s going on. Unfortunately, the closer you get to a real answer, the closer you are to your doom. In a way, we already have not one, but two villains. The first is Bughuul himself, but the second is the protagonist (s), who don’t even realize what kind of ride they’re on until it’s too late. There is nothing about this story that required the addition of Lea Coco’s character Clint. In fact the way his part plays out it’s absolutely cartoonish.

    What frustrates me even more is that when the movie started, I was scared. I’m a really big fan of the first “Sinister”, to the point where I probably see things in it that nobody else would. I’m the kind of person that has to watch a movie all the way to the end, even if it disturbs, offends or frightens me. When it comes to my art (or pride I suppose), I’ve said in the past that I’d rather die than give it up. There are some things here I did like. I liked that we saw a real continuation of the story, with Ethan Hawke’s character nowhere to be seen (except in reference) and instead the unfortunately titled Deputy So & So taking the center stage, along with the new family. I like that the film assumes that you’re up to speed and just dives right in. I thought some of the film reels where genuinely disturbing and I did get scared here and there. Unfortunately this is one of these horror movies where they explain way too much, and there is no confidence on-screen because every moment where something creepy appears it’s accompanied by a musical sting to make you jump. Seeing this picture, I’m not even sure a sequel could have worked in the first place, not like this anyway. The first movie was so much about shock horror, and I mean that in a good way. Seeing these murders on Super 8 a second time (even though we’re seeing new movies), it’s just not the same. Finally, with the way the climax plays out, it just made me feel like the movie was breaking its own rules, and that’s an unforgivable sin.

    I ignored the people that told me that “Sinister 2” was not good because I figured I would be able to see something there that nobody else would. I would be a champion for the fans of the first film, because I “got it” when nobody else did. No way. “Sinister 2” feels like it was put together quickly, with no regard for keeping the material tight and in continuity with the first one. There are missed opportunities and mistakes made everywhere. The year’s not over yet, but “Sinister 2” is already shaping up to be one of my biggest disappointments of 2015. (Theatrical version on the big screen, August 25, 2015)

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    adamwatchesmovies@  2.9.2015 age: 26-35 2,866 reviews

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