Movie Review--Sinister 2

"There are fragments, references to Bughuul . . . the bogeyman, across all cultures over the centuries."
--Dr. Stomberg, Sinister 2


Sinister 2 had the opportunity to build upon a very strong foundation set by its predecessor, but it falls short compared to the original in almost every way.  Where Sinister showed restraint in scenes that many other films would have used to assault audiences with cheap, clearly telegraphed jumpscares, Sinister 2 replaces macabre imagery with macabre (but now less unfamiliar) imagery with loud musical cues and sound jolts.  While Sinister was pushed forward by a primary performance from Ethan Hawke, Sinister 2 offers multiple main protagonists that fail to match Hawke's screen presence and intensity even combined.


Production Values

The first scene honors the original film by opening with the same style (viewers of the first Sinister may recall its own starting scene), but the writing, execution, and even the acting are all weaker.  This is not to say that the acting is poor, only that it lacks the same sincerity as, say, Ethan Hawke's from the first film.  Shannon Sossamon plays Courtney Collins, a single mother, who becomes one of the new leads.  A returning character, the deputy from the first film, is played by James Ransone, and he is possibly the strongest character here.  Secondary characters include Courtney's abusive former husband, who is also played fairly well.  Yes, adding human antagonists was a natural way to avoid retreading the singular focus on Bughuul, and the kills on the film reels are more inventive this time, but these are perhaps the only aspects of Sinister 2 that in any way improve on or evolve the elements of the former movie.


Story

Some spoilers are below.

Single mother Courtney Collins is aware that her current property is connected to graphic murders, but she has intentionally chosen her home for its remoteness: she wants to stay away from an abusive former partner.  However, the area is far from safe.  Mysterious children appear to her son Dylan each night and encourage or threaten him to privately watch tapes showing the murder of other families.  Eventually, Dylan's abusive brother becomes even more blatantly egoistic, pitting the family members against each other as they endure the presence of Bughuul.


Intellectual Content

There is little to say about the intellectual aspects of Sinister 2 that cannot be said about the first Sinister, but it does at least acknowledge that children can be just as selfish and cruel as adults.  Dylan's brother exemplifies this, contradicting the popular notion that children are naturally selfless, kind, or empathetic.  Of course, it is also not true that children are naturally selfish or that they will abuse others (of their own age or older) once they have the opportunity.  Only an individual's particular worldview, personality, and reactions to circumstances will confirm what kinds of actions they will take, and only an individual can decide if he or she will act on various desires.  This is as true of children as it is of everyone else.


Conclusion

Unlike the best horror sequels, Sinister 2 does almost nothing to make the most of the worldbuilding and themes set up at the beginning of the series.  The replacement of Scott Derickson as a director has noticeably affected the quality of how even basic aspects of the movie are handled.  There are far worse contemporary and older horror movies, but that does not change the fact that Sinister 2 is not a competent film.  Other than the heightened complexity and creativity of the kills shown in the iconic videos, it is mediocre at its best.


Content:
 1.  Violence:  One video shows an alligator attack a family hanging upside down over a river.  In another video, rats placed on immobile victims claw their way through human torsos when heated objects are put on metal bowls trapping them against the human bodies.
 2.  Profanity:  "Fuck" or variations of is uttered multiple times.