Sinister

Blumhouse has continued to release subpar movies, plenty being complete lacklustre. But, as there always has been and always will be, there are exceptions.
Is there anything at all unappealing about a writer moving into a murder house to better work on his book on the subject, only to find that this choice has put himself and his family in the greatest danger they'd ever face?
This sort of story has always had such a strong appeal.

The suspense of Sinister is unlike any Blumhouse film to date, while most BH films are focused heavily on jump-scares and become increasingly boring, Sinister rises above that, while still struggling with its own flaws.

It seems like a Blumhouse signature move to give away too much, to ruin the idea of the antagonist, or the main characters "dramatic need" from being something as simple as a killer or ghost, BH always has to strive for so much more (see Insidious). Sometimes, less is better and less is more. This isn't a cliche phrase for no reason.

Despite BH always having to ruin their movies in one small way or another, and despite this film not being anything close to a masterpiece, it is above everything BH has done, and should be regarded as their greatest film to date.

Slight spoilers:
(in response to the previous review by Sir_Luke, the sequel is nowhere close to Sinister, however it was a nice touch to see exactly what the children involved are going through during this time, while it is definitely one of BHs worst movies, it isn't quite at the bottom, but fans of Sinister should definitely steer away from it if they're expecting a great film like its predecessor)

Honestly, rather bland and forgettable. Takes an interesting premise with an interesting character trope, but devolves into cheap jumpscare and gore territory without building up a sense of tension or real terror. It has some effective and unsettling imagery in spots, but not enough to save the movie or its crumbling narrative.

Not only ineffective, but boasts one of the lamest and most juvenile antagonists in any horror film ever; Bagul, a rejected member of the band, Slipknot had a lovechild with the wrestler Sting. After Bagul is revealed in the most hamfisted way possible, no steps are taken to thwart him. In a movie like this, we need stakes and investment, but there's none of that to be found.

I do think that horror fans aren't really into the genre for its capabilities and breadth, but rather for sudden bursts of loud noises and wanton amounts of violence and bloodshed. It's a shame that this film is looked at as one of the genre's recent 'masterworks'.

This film masterfully weaves a unique plot with terrifying found footage. I don't generally enjoy big stars to be in horror movies, but Ethan Hawke does a good job. This film is incredibly disturbing, with vivid images of suicide and murder. I do recommend this film, but DO NOT watch the sequel.