Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily Entertainment GuideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsCannes Film FestivalStar WarsAsian Pacific American Heritage MonthSummer Watch GuideSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
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)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Sinister

  • 2012
  • R
  • 1h 50m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
300K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
960
106
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
9 Videos
99+ Photos
Supernatural HorrorTragedyWhodunnitHorrorMysteryThriller

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.

  • Director
    • Scott Derrickson
  • Writers
    • Scott Derrickson
    • C. Robert Cargill
  • Stars
    • Ethan Hawke
    • Juliet Rylance
    • James Ransone
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.8/10
    300K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    960
    106
    • Director
      • Scott Derrickson
    • Writers
      • Scott Derrickson
      • C. Robert Cargill
    • Stars
      • Ethan Hawke
      • Juliet Rylance
      • James Ransone
    • 937User reviews
    • 352Critic reviews
    • 53Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 14 nominations total

    Videos9

    Redband Version
    Trailer 2:16
    Redband Version
    No. 1
    Trailer 2:31
    No. 1
    No. 1
    Trailer 2:31
    No. 1
    Sinister: The Same Address
    Clip 0:57
    Sinister: The Same Address
    Sinister: The Same Addresses (Danish Subtitled)
    Clip 0:58
    Sinister: The Same Addresses (Danish Subtitled)
    Sinister: Ghoul In The Trees
    Clip 1:03
    Sinister: Ghoul In The Trees
    Sinister: Investigating Noises At Night
    Clip 0:38
    Sinister: Investigating Noises At Night

    Photos119

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 114
    View Poster

    Top cast19

    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 Jack Haberfield
    Ethan Jack Haberfield
    • Pool Party Boy
    • (as Ethan Haberfield)
    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)
    • Director
      • Scott Derrickson
    • Writers
      • Scott Derrickson
      • C. Robert Cargill
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews937

    6.8299.8K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    7nick121235

    brings the horror back into horror

    One of the scariest horror movies I have seen in a long time. I put off watching this one for a quite a while because when I first started it I noticed it had dim lighting which is a pet peeve of mine. Once I decided to watch it at a later date however, I realized that the cinematographer actually made very effective use of light/dark contrasts, highlighting what we need to see and using the dark spaces to create a cloistering atmosphere of dread and claustrophobia. The performances are also very good, especially the lead, although I feel as though they could have given us more background on the rest of the family. Also the ending isn't what I expected at all and I feel there could have been more action but it did fit in with the rest of this movie which can be quite slow at times, but you hardly notice because of the way this film draws you into it's world. The super 8 sequences were terrifying, they had me on the edge of my seat. In my opinion Sinister is probably one of the best horror films of this decade.
    8cookiechip_07

    Sinister- See It In Cinema

    DON'T WATCH THE TRAILER! or at least try not too. I went into this film only knowing the title and the fact i was waiting for a scary movie to actually be... yep scary. Well i was in luck, as Sinister is exactly that...quite Sinister! I say try to avoid the trailers if u can because quite a lot is shown, although having said that you will probably be so absorbed into the film that you'll forget about what you have seen and still be spooked, BOO! :)

    All the actors do a good job, Ethan Hawke is solid, not quite sure about the chemistry between him and his wife but i guess its hardly relevant in this film. The directing and editing of the film is slick with interesting angles and shots. The imagery is great and so are your jumpy moments even if it does contain a few of the horror Clichés.

    The plot is simple and follows true-crime writer Ellison (Ethan Hawke) as he discovers a box of home movies "found footage" of murders that put his family in danger. Some people may dislike the believability of the films central ethos for the evil protagonist; however i liked the original mythology created here, it adds something new to the table. Also If the film is successful (im guessing it might be) the Evil Character aka Bagoul will no doubt be a new item for Halloween stores! Although not a game changer in the genre, i would easily go and say this will be the scariest film of the year and if not, well thats just win-win for us all!! ((star ratings = 7 good, 8 represents very good. 9 superb 10 epic)
    7filipemanuelneto

    Clever and chilling

    When I watched this movie I had few expectations about it, but I ended up being satisfied with what I saw. The story revolves around a true-crime writer who, inadvertently, stumbles on a bunch of old movies with macabre scenes of murder. But if you're expecting gore and litres of blood, forget it. What is more frightening in the film is precisely what the cameras don't show but know how to suggest. The crime scenes are truly remarkable, and they were done cleverly in a long-disused (Super 8) video film that was cleverly honoured. The film is getting more and more intense, as events occur that reveal the true nature of the killer. The ending is at least unexpected. The soundtrack accompanies every moment with great discretion, managing to avoid imposing itself on the action of the film. Scott Derrickson, the director / writer, deserves the laurels, as does Ethan Hawke, who brings the lead actor to life.
    6hannette

    Ethan Hawk! For the love of god! Turn on a light!!!

    This movie is creepy and I always love to see D'Onofrio in anything, always. Cool premise, finding super8 movies in the attic, but it's sooooo dark.
    10nikdo77

    Sinister is very scary! I can't sleep now!

    Turn of your lights. Turn up your volume. Close all your curtains. And enjoy that you can't sleep that night. Sinister is a great movie. Take a blanket and when it is scary put it over your eyes :-) I don't want to tell anything about this horror movie because anything you tell will spoil the fun, you should not know anything about the story in advance I think to keep the excitement 100%. I have read some reviews and I have to say it contains too much information however they don't contain spoilers I would suggest not to read them :-) The acting was great and I really loved the horror scenes, they were amazing. Have a great horror night!

    More like this

    Sinister 2
    5.3
    Sinister 2
    Insidious
    6.8
    Insidious
    The Conjuring
    7.5
    The Conjuring
    The Conjuring 2
    7.3
    The Conjuring 2
    The Ring
    7.1
    The Ring
    It
    7.3
    It
    The Cabin in the Woods
    7.0
    The Cabin in the Woods
    Hereditary
    7.3
    Hereditary
    Annabelle: Creation
    6.5
    Annabelle: Creation
    Smile
    6.5
    Smile
    The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
    6.3
    The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
    The Babadook
    6.8
    The Babadook

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The family that was hanged on a tree were all played by stuntmen. However, when the scene was first done, the stunt coordinator botched the preparations for the scene, resulting in one of the actors coming loose from his harness, which went up around his neck. Fortunately he was not physically harmed, and the stunt coordinator was fired on set soon after.
    • 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

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ30

    • How long is Sinister?Powered by Alexa
    • Why was Vincent D'Onofrio uncredited?
    • How did the projector and films end up back at Ellison's old house after he burned them all?
    • What is "Sinister" about?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 12, 2012 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
      • Canada
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Siniestro
    • Filming locations
      • 169 Middle Neck Road, Sands Point, New York, USA(The murdered family's home the Oswalts move into - "Family Hanging Out '11")
    • Production companies
      • Summit Entertainment
      • Alliance
      • IM Global
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $3,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $48,086,903
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $18,007,634
      • Oct 14, 2012
    • Gross worldwide
      • $82,515,113
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 50 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Datasat
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Surround 7.1
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 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

    Production art
    Photos
    Hollywood Power Couples
    See the gallery
    Production art
    Photos
    The Greatest Character Actors of All Time
    See the gallery
    Production art
    List
    30+ Stand-Up Specials by Asian Comedians
    See the full gallery

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb app
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb app
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb app
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.