In 2020, a study known as the "Science of Scare Project" revealed that Scott Derrickson's 2012 movie, Sinister, is the scariest movie of all time, but what makes it so great? Fifty participants watched over 100 hours of horror films and, based on their heart rate, Sinister is the most frightening out of all the movies they watched. Nearly a decade after release, how does Sinister hold up, and does it prove the study's accuracy?
The horror movie follows true-crime writer Ellison Oswald (Ethan Hawke) as he moves his family into a new home— one where a family was murdered—hoping to use the house's history for the basis of his next book. But, when he finds a box of old films still in the house that depict even more deaths, he begins to suspect there’s more to the case than meets the eye.
Combining true crime sensibilities with paranormal and traditional cinema and also employing aspects of the found footage sub-genre, Sinister certainly has a lot going on. But, in a sea of other 2010s thrillers like The Conjuring, Insidious, and The Possession, what is it about Sinister that helped it become such a frightening and enduring horror movie?
The first aspect of Sinister that helps it be such a successful movie is the box of video tapes. The central plot driver of the movie, Ellison finds the abandoned box of snuff films in the attic of their new house when the family moves in, and he constantly replays them over and over throughout the film.
This element of cursed video tapes echoes back, of course, to The Ring. However, the separate short stories and deaths leading into one big mystery has also been quite popular in a number of other pieces of horror media. The Black Tapes podcast did something similar with Dr. Richard Strand’s collection of mysterious tapes, and became a highly successful audio drama for the same reason as Sinister.
This collection of shorter pieces that funnel into one, overarching mystery also brings in elements of creepypastas, another trend that was gaining traction during the time Sinister was released. Because of this, it’s no coincidence that Mr. Boogie bears so much resemblance to the creepypasta villain, Slenderman not only in his physical appearance, but also through his tendency to show up with children in the background of photos and videos. The enduring power of Slenderman, whatever it is, is also partially the cause of Sinister being so good.
Sinister also does some very smart things when it comes to pleasing its audience. The movie brings together true crime and the paranormal in such a way that the movie can easily satisfy and scare viewers who usually prefer one or the other. There’s enough true crime with Ellison Oswald’s books, the video tapes, the police detective, and Ellison’s murder board to engage the true crime junkie, while the demonic nature of Mr. Boogie and the strange curse he’s laid on the children of the different murdered families provides the perfect paranormal scare.
Similarly, combining the cinematography of a traditional horror movie with the realism of found footage elements gives varied audiences more to love. Sinister brings together the best of both worlds in a lot of different ways, combining a unique and interesting plot with traditional horror cinematography, found footage elements, true crime trappings, and a paranormal undercurrent.
There’s something for everyone to love, or be scared by, which is quite possibly the main reason why Sinister ranked so highly in getting everyone’s heart rate elevated in the Science of Scare Project. It’s a solid movie that juggles a lot without ever feeling jumbled or overcomplicated, and it brings a fresh story that’s still a crowd-pleaser years after release.