Reviews

This documentary chronicles the horrific nature of Jeffrey Epstein preying not only on adolescent girls, but on everybody he came into contact with. He was the perfect predator who had a keen eye for weakness, knew how to manipulate people and was savvy enough to pull it off time after time. And of course, one can only get away with his pyramid scheme of predation when that kind of ample wealth.

The stories of the victims were generally pretty moving, if not sickening. But, like most of this documentary, it never went deep enough. They did portray many of the victims as being easy targets because of youth or circumstance, but there were some that didnt quite fit that picture, yet they still went along with the scheme. One girl, after repeatedly being raped, even introduced her younger sister to Epstein, and then acted surprised when she learned that he raped her too. There is a deeper psychological issue going on here. Whether it's Epstein's power, wealth, control, or luck. Unfortunately, they never explored this strange phenomenon deep enough.

And this flaw continued in all aspects of this series. They never quite went deep enough to show how a college drop out can land a collegiate teaching job, turn that into a Wall Street position, which lead him to his perfect job: ponzi scheme stock broker. And exactly how did he swindle so much money from Les Wexner? And lastly, how deep does this world wide pedophilia ring go?

The documentary left me with more questions than answers. But, in general, this was a pretty good introduction into the heinous and lecherous lifestyle of Epstein. As time goes by, hopefully more info will come out which will lead to a more detailed documentary on the secretive Epstein and the life he truly lived. One can only hope, because he kept very powerful company, and they have a way of protecting each other. It just feels like there is so much more to this story, as in how the hell can someone get away with this for so long. It really is sickening to see someone just flaunt morality and the law simply because of the size of their bank account. That preferential treatment is almost as sickening as his pedophilia is, because this should have been stopped long ago.

I genuinely enjoyed this Tarantino movie, as I have for all that I've seen of his. As usual, the cast was great. Samuel L Jackson and Kurt Russell were exceptional, and you have the solid performances from Tarantino mainstays such as Walton Goggins, Tim Roth and Michael Madsen. Let me give a quick shout out to Jennifer Jason Leigh as well for her performance of the despicable fugitive, Daisy Domergue. This movie has all the trademarks of Tarantino film as well: overly wordy, drawn out, slow build up, plot twists and provocative use of the "n" word. It checks all the boxes. But, this one has one big problem.

I loved the first 2 hours of the film, as I'm kind of a sucker for a well done 'who dunnit'. I enjoyed the characters, the dialogue, and the build up. The problem is the last 40 minutes or so, starting with the moment the coffee is poisoned. After O.B. and John Ruth died from the poisoning, there were just 2 guys left from that group, Major Maruquis Warren and Chris Mannix. There was still all of the original party there that were there to free Domergue, plus the guy in the crawl space. Now, when Major Warren lined up the other three along the wall to figure out what happened, why didn't the guy in the crawl space just shoot Major Warren right then, instead of letting him arm Mannix, and then ultimately kill 'Bob'? Think about it. It would have been now 4 against 1, and Mannix was unarmed. The other 3 had weapons stashed around the haberdashery, so they definitely had the advantage.

Even without this obvious plot hole, the last 40 minutes just don't measure up to the first 2 hours. I get the feeling that Tarantino never fully developed the right way to finish the story. Now, I also understand that killing Major Warren right away would basically end the movie, but I can argue that the movie was already 2 hours in, and maybe the right ending would be having the bad guys win. I think I would have enjoyed it much more if that was the way it went, but alas, it didn't.

One other issue I have with this movie is that it seems like everybody somehow knows each other. John 'the Hangman' Ruth recognizes Major Warren in the middle of nowhere. Then shortly later, he recognizes Chris Mannix. Then Mannix recognizes Warren. Keep in mind, this is all happening on a Wyoming trail, during a blizzard in a country and time that was much bigger than it is today. Then, at the haberdashery, Mannix recognizes General Smithers. Shortly later, Major Warren recognizes the General as well. It just came across as way too much of a coincidence that people from faraway somehow all know each other. It might make for some interesting dialogue, but it's a flaw with this film.

All in all, I did enjoy it. I just think there was a much better conclusion available than the one we got.

"The Good Neighbor" follows the antics of 2 teenage boys (Ethan and Sean) 'haunting' and surveilling an old man (Harold Grainey) that they dislike, all in the name of conducting a 'sociological experiment', in the hopes of generating a million views on youtube. Eventually, we learn that this just isn't some innocent experiment, and the old man isn't what they thought he was.

The movie opens with a narration of how perception isn't always reality, and that people see only what they want to see. And this is really what this movie is about. The old man that everybody views as despicable and hateful is really just an old man that's hurting from the loss of his wife and wants to be left alone. While the old man's strange behavior may seem psychotic to others, especially to the two voyeur teenagers, in reality it's just the actions of an old man trying to deal with pain and reacting to the paranormal activity, in his own self-destructive way of course. It's an interesting lesson of how outside influences, regardless of how innocent, can have an enormously unpredictable outcome.

However, the antics of these kids isn't so innocent, most especially are the motives of Ethan. He keeps trying to push the old man, even when confronted and challenged by his partner in crime. We soon learn that this 'experiment' has as much to do with revenge as it does a study in human behavior. We learn that there is a history between Ethan's family and Mr. Grainey (very appropriately named I might add), and Ethan's bias toward the old man only fuels his speculation that he is up to no good. Ultimately, Mr. Grainey pays the ultimate price as a result of the actions of the two juvenile delinquents.

I generally found this movie kind of hard to watch because the characters were so unlikable. Ethan, the true villain in this movie, I found to be truly despicable. His cohort Sean has a conscience but isn't able to think on his own and is compelled to be around Ethan because of his own insecurities and social awkwardness. Ethan's mother is so wrapped up in her own world that she basically lets Ethan do whatever he wants. And Mr. Grainey, for better or worse, was made out to be so horrible by the narrative that even when we learn that he's a lonely, albeit mean, old man that garners sympathy, it's hard to put aside the initial feelings about him and his overall bad traits.

However, the climax with Ethan hiding in the house with his gun drawn and Mr. Grainey standing in the same room with his gun drawn is truly a gripping scene, and basically saves the movie from being a total disaster. And it serves as a reminder to us all that we all live in our own perceptions of reality.

'The Forest' is a fictional supernatural horror film based on an actual location and on an actual urban legend. The urban legend is one that Aokigahara Forest in Japan is a popular place to commit suicide, thus populating the forest with 'yurei', the angry ghosts of the dead.

In this film, the premise is that a young woman, Jess, living in Japan goes into the Forest and ends up going missing and presumed dead. Her twin sister, Sara, living in America, becomes concerned for her well being yet believes she is still alive. So, she heads to Japan to find her. This 'twin bond' becomes a very crucial theme throughout the story, as this strong connection between the twin sisters motivates Sara to make unsound decisions and to do things most would consider to be foolish, all in the hopes of finding her sister alive.

As she traces her sister's steps, she's ultimately lead to the 'Suicide Forest'. She is warned that the Forest uses the sadness of those who enter it against them, showing them images that aren't real yet very believable to those who see them. She is chaperoned into the Forest by a guide and a male journalist (Aiden) whom she just met, who seems as interested in getting into her pants as he is writing about her story as she searches for her twin sister. Obviously, things start to get weird in the Forest.

While the movie is far from perfect, one of it's strongest components is that the viewer becomes more and more unsure of the reality of what they're watching, based on the warning that the Forest plays mind tricks on it's inhabitants. So, the audience is always in doubt as to what's really happening and the motives of those around Sara (namely Aiden), just as Sara becomes more and more confused of her own reality.

One thing I've found surprising is the number of reviews on here that found this movie confusing, and some of the outlandish theories some people have come up with. Conversely, I found this movie to be pretty straight forward, once you piece everything together. Without giving too much away, one of the most important pieces of information to remember is that it's revealed that there is one big difference between the twins. Jess saw her dead parents. Sara did not. Thus, Jess knew how they died and never told Sara the truth, as she was led to believe that her parents were killed by a drunk driver. Sara has to ultimately confront this reality, and it leads to a really strange twist near the end of the movie.

While I found this movie to be quite slow at times and to resemble a B movie at others, I generally enjoyed it. There were a few good jump scares, a couple of creepy moments and a well done twist at the end that made the movie a worthwhile watch. I doubt 'The Forest' will make anybody's Horror Top Ten list, but it will at least make you think. And for that, it deserves some props.

What a disappointment this was. I really liked the original Sinister. Unfortunately, this second installment contained nothing that the first one offered. And Im not exaggerating when I say 'nothing'. This Sinister didn't contain any of the drama, the scares, the macabre, the dread, etc...that the first one had. Even the snuff films seemed forced and watered down in this one. And that's a shame.

Nothing in this film worked for me. I hated the lead character. I hated the story. I hated how they presented the snuff films. I hated the dead children. There was no drama nor was it the least bit scary. If you saw the first one, you had this feeling of dread from the moment it starts. It permeated the entire movie, building toward it's climax. That doesn't happen in this one. And the story is just awful and goes nowhere. It's convoluted, contrived and pointless. And so when you factor in the bad acting, the horrible plot and lack of mood or scares, you're left with this atrocious disaster of a movie and the latest example of a Hollywood cash grab.

The other thing that gets me in this movie is how they didn't go into how the children are seduced by Bughuul, even though that's kinda what this was about. All they did was show the kids a few snuff films. That's it. There was no reasoning as to why Bughuul is able to convince these kids and seduce these kids into killing their families. It all just felt contrived and superficial.

Im going to forget about this movie. I've read that there isn't going to be a Sinister 3 (even though they left the ending open for one), and with how bad the second one went, Im totally fine with it. Im just going to remember the first Sinister. That's the Bughuul I want to remember. At least we have that. And Im fine with it.

Ugh. This was bad. Horrifically bad. I'm not even sure where to start, except to say it is so pathetic that this is what block busters have become nowadays. It's such a shame that most of Hollywood has absolutely no idea what a good movie is anymore, as they keep churning out this pathetic crap.

There were so many clichés in this movie that I lost count. First, you had brothers that have that certain age difference that they have grown apart, only to become closer before our very eyes as they fight to survive the chaos. Their Aunt (Claire), who manages the park and is supposed to look after them, is so self-consumed in her work that she has almost no value for life and has none of her own. The only available helicopter pilot just so happens to be an inexperienced one. Owen, the Raptors' trainer and movie bad-ass, is also romantically linked to Claire. I could go and on. And unfortunately with so many clichés, the movie became just one silly and predictable hot mess.

At over 2 hours in length, the movie really drags on and became sillier and sillier as time passed. There were only 4 Raptors, but they were EVERYWHERE, in every scene, all over the island. It was ridiculous. Oh, and how does one kill a Raptor/Rex hybrid named Indominus Rex? Find a T-Rex and release it so they can fight it out of course!! Makes perfect sense, doesn't it? And of course the T-Rex, after defeating the Indominus with the help of a Mesosaurus (ugh) and a few Raptors, is intelligent enough to leave everyone else alone and just walk away into the sunset. LOL Yeah, that really happened in this movie. Is that silly enough for you?

My favorite part of the movie had nothing to do with dinosaurs or lead characters, and it lasted less than 30 seconds. Near the end of the movie when they started evacuating the control room, a guy 'courageously' declared that he was going to stay back because 'somebody has too'. He then went in to kiss his co-worker and right before he planted his lips, she stopped him and said she has a boyfriend! LOL Now, if only the writers could have approached this script with that kind of creativity. And don't blame me if I thought this was the movie's best scene, I'm not the one that produced this garbage.

I truly don't think that Hollywood could lower the bar any further with releases like this and Mad Max. But, I guess if you lower the bar far enough, it makes the mediocre crap look good. Maybe that's their plan. Because the opposite, where they actually think this is worthwhile entertainment, would be more troubling.

I rented this based on some very promising reviews (and some spectacular ones too!), but without knowing really anything about it. Let's just say, it wasn't anything near what I expected.

Now, that's not saying it was terrible, because it wasn't. I just wasn't expecting a kid movie. But, thank god for the kids, because without them, this movie would have been a complete train wreck (no pun intended ;)).

The kids were the movie. They all were great, with some great subtle lines and moments that reminded me of being a kid. They were the lifeblood of this movie, and were about the only reason to watch it. Some of the scenes between Joe and Alice were pretty good, as you could tell they liked each other. And it didn't hurt that the setting was 1979 either. The music sure was good! LOL

As with all Spielberg movies, there is a moral to the story here. Despite everything that happens in this movie: a train wreck, a military cover-up, an escaped monster, etc...., there's a theme of being able to let go and move on. And it took the Alien to meet Joe to realize that he could build a 'model' and go home and leave the pain behind. And in return, Joe learned to move on from his mother's death, as he let his amulet go and become part of the Alien's spaceship. Of course, this also brought Joe and his father closer, as well as Alice and her father. It was all a little corny, typical of Spielberg, but there's at least something of value to take away from it.

This wasn't a terrible movie, but it's far from the blockbuster that many think it is.

You ever have that feeling before you watch something that it's just going to be bad? I mean, sometimes you're pleasantly surprised, but more times than not you called it right. This was how I felt before watching 'The Marked Ones'. I just had this feeling of dread before renting this one, but I also felt obligated because I've seen the entire PA franchise. You know what I mean. And unfortunately, I was right. This one stunk. And while leaving on a bad note may leave one unsatisfied, I think it's time to just walk away from this franchise. I mean, once you jump the shark, there's no going back. Unfortunately, they didn't get that memo, as I hear there's a sixth installment coming out soon. Ugh.

I'll start with a little bit of praise. At least the PA team tried to do something different. The first 4 were basically cookie cutters, and while 4 wasn't awful, you got the feeling that they kind of exhausted their formula of cameras positioned around a house while filming paranormal activity (usually at night), yet somehow the protagonists stick around much longer than any sane person would. And different is usually a good thing, right? Except when it isn't. And this different sucked.

I actually bought into the characters at the beginning, as the PA franchise does a pretty job of character development. That made it all the more frustrating as the movie went south, which made me care less what happened to them and I found myself actually looking forward for the movie to end.

Basically, we find out that certain newborn males are 'marked' to become possessed. Jesse is one of those, and at 18 years old the witches are coming for him. Without giving up to much info, this all ties back to Katie in the original PA, as we find her screaming Micah's name, just as she did at the end of PA1. Don't ask me how we ended up back to that point, but we did. At least we get to see how she killed him, I guess.

The story basically makes no sense, and it just seems like the writers either made things up as they went, or they got completely hammered one night and wrote this atrocious script. Oh, and did I tell you that there isn't one scary moment in the whole movie? Yeah, that makes this even worse. It's hardly suspenseful, let alone the least bit scary.

The more I think about this movie, the more it pisses me off. It was just that stupid. And I only have myself to blame, since I knew this was going to be bad before I watched it. I should learn to just trust my instincts. Though, I guess Im a glutton for punishment.

'The Creepshow' is a 50's retro-styled horror comic book come to life. Think "Tales From the Crypt", and you've got the idea. It's a very well packaged, fun collection of stories with a great cast.

The movie opens with a scene of a little boy being punished for reading a Creepshow comic book, which probably wasn't all that uncommon back in the '50s. As the kid pouts up in his room, a ghastly figure appears at the window beckoning the child to join him, and thus becoming our host for the evening's entertainment.

The naysayers will say it comes across as campy and corny, or that it's not scary, etc....Look, Stephen King and George Romero wanted it to be silly and corny, that's what comic book's were/are. In this regard, they nailed it. In classic comic book fashion, a lot of scenes are framed in retro comic book style graphics, with even the occasional caption thrown in for good measure, as they cut away from a scene. And the acting is superb throughout, as professionals like Ed Harris, Leslie Nielsen, Ted Danson, E.G. Marshall, Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Fritz Weaver and even Steven King all make appearances. I always laugh when I see the young Ed Harris in the first story, already sporting a receding hair line as a young man.

While I agree that this movie isn't really that scary, I found the fourth story, 'The Crate', to have it's fair share of suspense and is easily the scariest story of the bunch. The third story, 'Something to Tide You Over', which features Nielsen and Danson, I found to be particularly creepy as Nielsen lures two lovers, one which happens to be his wife, to a secluded beach which he ironically calls 'Comfort Point' and buries them up to their necks in the sand. Waiting for the tide to come in. And that's not even the worst part. He sets up cameras and monitors in front of each lover so they can watch each other drown. Of course, he's also able to watch the action from the 'comfort' of his beach house, where he doesn't lack for enthusiasm.

One last thing. For short stories, there is genuinely really good character development which lends itself to some pretty funny scenes and lines, albeit some can be somewhat subtle. Watching Ed Harris dance always makes me laugh. And Leslie Nielsen is, well, Leslie Nielsen, and really portrays his demented character to perfection. And some of the scenes when Hal Holbrook fantasizes about killing his wife, Adrienne Barbeau, are just flat out hilarious. As is she as she constantly belittles him in front of everybody.

I've given this movie an 8 because it's entertaining and fun. It's not the scariest movie. It was never meant to be. Yes, it's kinda of campy and corny. Which is exactly what it's supposed to be. If you can just enjoy 'The Creepshow' for what it is and not what it isn't, most likely you'll like it.

I knew nothing about this movie until I happened to catch it one day on TV years ago. I couldn't believe how good it was, and how I've never heard anything about a movie of this caliber. I truly felt like I stumbled upon a hidden gem.

The acting is superb, as many of the lead characters were accomplished Broadway actors. It's refreshing to actually see a movie that relies on a good script with actors capable of performing it at a high level, instead of the crappy movies of today that rely on CGI, explosions and breasts. Hollywood should probably take some notes from this movie.

The star of the show is Andy Griffith, who plays Will Stockdale, a simple, naive, unsophisticated rube from the South that gets drafted into the military. He's absolutely brilliant in this role, and you really see just how talented he was as a lead comedic actor. The movie basically revolves around Pvt Stockdale, his new friend and bunk mate, Pvt Whitledge (who dreams of being an infantry soldier), and their barracks sergeant, Sgt King. Stockdale's goofiness and unsophistication continually cause havoc for those around him, especially for Sgt King, a lifer that does everything possible to keep things calm but always finds himself in compromising situations thanks to the antics of Stockdale. There is memorable scene after memorable scene, such as Stockdale being named the P.L.O. (Permanent Latrine Orderly), which he thinks is a promotion, and makes all the commodes salute during inspections. There's the night he out drank everybody at the Enlisted Club and walked away unscathed during a fight that gets everybody else in trouble. How he somehow turned the tables on the Doctor during his psychological exam. The airplane scene where everybody thought him and Whitledge were dead. I can go on and on. This movie is just flat-out hilarious from start to finish.

Stockdale being such a likable character only helps this movie, as you genuinely find yourself rooting for him when he gets into trouble, and cheering for him as he always seems to muddle his way through them. The acting is tight, the pace is crisp and there is memorable scene after memorable scene in this riot of a movie. If you like comedies, this is a must see.

I really enjoyed the first PA, and have generally enjoyed, though not as much, the next 2 installments. Which brings me to number 4. Despite how good the original was, if you keep doing it over and over, it starts to get watered down. Unfortunately, that's where we are with this series. If you liked the previous ones, like I did, then you'll probably at least enjoy this one, like I did. But, it's starting to lose it's luster.

As with the previous PAs, to get any enjoyment out of this one you first have to suspend your belief that most normal families are getting the hell out of there after numerous paranormal activities. After a chandelier comes crashing down, followed by a knife dropping from the ceiling that narrowly misses someone, all the while there are other various noises and weird things happening, etc....this family, for their own convenient reasons, cant seem to put it together that something odd is going on. Keep in mind, all this is being recorded as we're watching the footage after the fact. So, if you can suspend that belief and enjoy the movie for what it is, you'll enjoy it that much more. If you're one of those that harps on petty things like that, not understanding that this is just a movie for entertainment purposes only, then you're just wasting your time watching these.

PA4 picks up 5 years after the second one. It follows the same formula as the previous ones, as were watching recordings of what's happening. Isn't it so convenient that these families are able to get such great footage? LOL The scares are generally similar. The acting's decent, and this series does a pretty good job of character development, as we always see the main characters in various activities throughout the house. Even the house cat gets his fair share of air time in this one. And Robbie, the kid that moves in next door and spends time with the family, is really odd and makes some really strange comments that would have made me very uncomfortable to be around.

And, unfortunately, like the previous PAs, the ending was anticlimactic to me. Personally, Katie walking around like a zombie and wasting people isn't really that scary to me. There just isn't that much suspense. It's like they spent all this time building up to the finish, and then they just rush through it.

While the first one is by far the best of the lot so far, if you've like the PA series, then you'll most likely see enough in this one to like it. However, I just don't know how many more times they can keep running the same movie out there.

This movie caught my attention based on it's reviews. Not every review was great, but there were a lot of really favorable ones so, being a fan of the genre, I thought I'd give it a shot. I was a little disappointed.

Let me start off by saying I didn't hate it. The movie does make you think, and does leave a lot up to the viewer to form his own interpretation. For that, it gets it's due. But, for me the movie kinda dragged on, it generally really wasn't that scary, it seemed to contradict itself at times and the climax was very anticlimactic to me. That's why I gave it just 5 stars.

The movie really centers around a widowed mother, Amelia, and her son, Samuel. Amelia is living a pretty menial life, who is still grieving the loss of her husband due to a car accident. You could probably describe her as even being depressed. Her son, however, is a bundle of uncontrolled, mischievous energy who cant seem to stay out of trouble. This fuels her isolation even further as most others cant stand to be around her son. Frankly, I wouldn't want to be around him either, as I couldn't stand him at first. And this made you feel for Amelia, and what she's dealing with and giving up to raise this child alone. The movie does have a very somber and sad tone to it.

Anyways, the boy picks this book for Amelia to read to him one night called "The Babadook". It's an eerie, pop-up picture book that depicts a character similar to Jack the Ripper looking in on a child at night. This scares Samuel, and then things start to get weird.

The interesting thing about this movie is that you soon realize Samuel has a better understanding of what's going on than his mother does, as she seems to really start losing it. And why she's losing it is really up to the viewer's interpretation, like is she really going insane or is there an entity in their house affecting them. I think it's a little of both, and her ability to handle this 'entity' correlates to her ability to pull out her long battle with depression.

As she becomes more withdrawn and odd, you suddenly really start feeling for Samuel, as he's bearing the brunt of her anger. I mean, she's pretty mean to him, and a fight erupts at one point. This is probably the most chilling part of the movie, and it may even be somewhat shocking to some viewers, as Amelia appears ready to kill Samuel, and Samuel is in pure survival mode, but does not want to hurt his mother. He's trying to help her and live at the same time. Again, it's pretty chilling to watch, and you really start to see Samuel differently at this point, that there's more to this kid than just being a whiny brat. Eventually, Amelia realizes she must confront her sickness/entity to save her own life and Samuel's.

'The Babadook' is more psycho-thriller than horror, as it's really not that scary, but it does have it's chilling moments and really makes you think. I can see how some viewers really liked it, but I was left somewhat disappointed. At times I thought I was watching a poorly done parody sketch, and I wasn't always that engaged in the movie or it's characters. The ending was too long as well, like they didn't seem to know how to end it. I'm kinda in the middle on this one, neither hated it nor loved it. The sadness and the oddity of this movie will turn some viewers off. But if you like to think and like ambiguous movies that's open to interpretation, then 'The Babadook' may be right up your alley.

If one was looking for a good example of how great acting can carry a so-so script, 48 hrs would be a good choice.

Nick Nolte is perfectly cast as 'Jack Cates', a rumpled, gruff cop on the hunt for an escaped killer. He elicits the help of a smooth talking, jailed convict who is connected to the killer, 'Reggie Hammond', who again is perfectly played by Eddie Murphy. Over the next 48 hours, the two polar opposites not only fight their way to the killer, but fight each other as well, making for some very memorable scenes. Yet, by the end of the movie, the two learn to respect each other and become friends.

While the script isn't all that special, the movie is dominated by the performances of Nolte and Murhpy. The chemistry between the two is off the charts, and it's a pleasure watching these two banter back and forth between each other scene after scene.

48 Hrs is edgy, quickly paced and refreshingly politically incorrect. But most of all, it's fun. The plot of the movie may have Nolte and Murphy chasing Ganz, the escaped killer (played well by James Remar) and his accomplice, the real show is Nolte and Murphy. They alone are worth the price of admission and make this a must see comedy/thriller.

This third installment of the PA franchise pretty much follows the script of the first two, and while the first one is by far the best, this one is a solid addition to the series.

First, let me start off with the one glaring problem with this movie. For the movie to work, you have to suspend belief that in no way most families would endure such trauma. In other words, most normal families, after reviewing footage of the night before and seeing footage of their daughter being lifted off the ground by her hair, or watching their daughter having a one-way conversation with some unseen entity, etc...would have run for the hills much earlier. Of course, that doesn't make a particularly good movie, so if you can suspend that belief and watch this movie for what it is, it's not bad and will provide some chilling moments.

This movie is based on the perspective of the viewer watching old, home-made footage. One interesting aspect of this is how this comes about. In the beginning, someone breaks into Kristi's house and steals the box of old VHS tapes, and then suddenly we start watching them. It's not disclosed who this person is that steals them, but I wonder if that becomes an important piece of information for later in the series. Anyways, the old footage shows the sisters as young girls, living with their mom and her boyfriend. The young girls are cute and innocent, and that kind of makes it the more disturbing when you witness what happens to them, especially to the younger one as she generally thinks it's just fun and games, yet we know differently. And what really impressed me was just how good the acting was when it came to the girls, especially the younger one, Kristi. They were believable, engaging, and likable.

One different and interesting thing about this installment is the usage of a panning camera which pans back and forth between the kitchen and living room. This adds a level of suspense as it's sweeping back and forth as things are happening. You get the feeling that there's always something dire going on in the other room that you cant see. The scares are pretty similar to the earlier movies in that you really don't see the entity, you just witness the activity going on around the family, though we do see Kristi conversing with it, whom she calls Toby.

If you liked the earlier Paranormals, then you'll most likely enjoy this one. Personally, I think the fist one is by far the best so far, and Im getting the feeling that the rest of the franchise wont come close to that one, but this one isn't bad. It follows the similar formula, which isn't a bad idea, and yet it's just different enough that you feel like you're watching a part of a franchise and not the exact same movie. However, it's just not quite as scary or creepy as the first one, nor does it stay with you nearly as long.

My reviews aren't scene by scene accounts of the movie, but they may reveal some small spoilers.

First of all, I think this movie gets a bad rap from a lot of reviewers because it was hyped as the scariest movie of all time. It isn't. But, movies shouldn't be rated compared to it's hype. Taken alone, this movie is pretty solid, and it's scares rely on the viewers imagination, as there is no scary entity to be seen. The unique thing about this movie is it's voyeuristic aspect. We, as the audience, are actually watching most of the scenes play out through closed circuit cameras. And it's easy to imagine the horror the young couple must be going through as we're witnessing the paranormal activity happening first hand, almost like it's directly happening to the viewers themselves. All in all, I think the concept works pretty well, as this was an interesting and scary movie.

One of the common complaints of this movie is the fact that they show time elapsing at night, leading up to the different paranormal activities taking place. The complaint is that this eliminates the suspense. Personally, I think it has the opposite affect. As voyeurs, we feel the tension build as the camera's clock winds forward. Sometimes the activity wakes the couple up, sometimes it doesn't. It's especially creepy the times we see Katie get up out of bed and stand over her sleeping boyfriend for a few hours.

Like any movie, there is some flaws. I know personally if I watched the video from the night before and saw my girlfriend creepily standing over me for hours on end, I'd do something about it. Secondly, Katie's boyfriend is pretty annoying, and reminds me of college frat boy punk. And the ending was a little anticlimactic to me, though it didn't take away from my enjoyment of this film. But, I digress, as there is and never will be a movie void of flaws.

The movie worked for me. The mood is generally creepy. The pace is good, and the tension builds throughout as the activity increases. The characters are generally likable, sans Micah (the boyfriend), and the story is solid. I found it to be generally scary, which is exactly what a scary movie is supposed to be.

You can nitpick the horror movie genre to death, since basically everything that could be done has been done. So, I don't know why some bother. Yet, with every horror release we see hundreds of so-called horror fans that do just that. It makes you wonder if they're really fans of the genre at all. To me, it's simple. It has to be scary. If it does that, it did it's job. And with 'Sinister', you get that. It delivers big time.

There's a few things that made Sinister so disturbing to me. First of all, the musical score is brilliant. It may be the creepiest background music I've ever heard. The entire movie has this sense of dread and doom permeating through it. Secondly, the home movies/snuff films are brilliantly done as well, and are some of the most disturbing footage I've ever seen in a film. They are integral to the plot of the movie as they reveal hidden and subtle clues as to what is going on. Yet, they harbor a much more sinister agenda as well. Then there is Bughuul. You don't see much of him, nor do you know much about him, and that just adds to the creepiness when you do see him. And if you've bought into the movie like I did, I guarantee you'll love the ending. It's chilling and macabre. And without giving too much away, the good guys don't always win in the end. Which is unusual in films.

Now, I'm not saying the movie is perfect, because it's not. I didn't think there was much chemistry between the husband and wife. Also, there were some campy scenes centered around their son sleepwalking and having night tremors. You also have the town sheriff that doesn't want the family there. And then there's the young, bumbling deputy that's eager to help. You get the picture.

In the end though, despite it's flaws, this movie does what it's supposed to do. I recommend watching this movie at night with the lights out. And afterwards, don't be surprised if you leave an extra light or two on when you go to bed. Sweet dreams.