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[DVD Review] ‘Sinister’ Is Flawed
Upon first inspection, Sinister appears to be a scary, complex film. After mulling about it in one’s mind, it can easily be torn apart quite quickly. The plot revolves around Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke), a true crime writer, who continuously hauls his family across the United States in order to write his next best seller. This time he has moved his own family into a house where the murder of another happened. The family were hanged from the tree in the backyard, with a daughter never being found. The twist in this film comes when Oswalt finds a box of 8mm films in the attic – each detailing a sickening murder of a family.
While this set up would prove quite unnerving, and yes, the films are disturbing if one thinks too deeply about them, the addition of a possibly supernatural subplot emerges and confuses details. Actually, there are quite a few subplots that never fully are explained or come to fruition. Oswalt apparently gets so involved in his work that he ends up with a whisky bottle constantly in his possession. This adds detail initially to is he/isn’t he seeing things or are the supernatural aspects part of his drunken imagination, but we never move beyond that. His son has night terrors which causes the boy to be found in awkward places – such as a moving box, or the bushes outside the house. Apparently, these night terrors have been going on for years and they’ve never been as bad as they apparently now are since the Oswalt’s have moved into the hanging family’s house. Do we learn more about this? No, it falls away.
The largest hole in Sinister is the idea that this child soul eating entity, Bughuul or Mr. Boogie, is mentioned, half ass explained, and we never get anything else. The image of this creature is quite disturbing, and yet we only get glimpses. Yes, this could be a scare tactic, but if this guy is truly the point of the film, then why do we have to leave it fully up to our imagination as to why or how he is doing what he is doing? There is a lack of substance that turns this film ultimately into a huge disappointment where it could have been given at least an ounce more.
That being said, Sinister is amazing in one aspect: the sound. From the click of the projector in Oswalt’s office adding a sense of dread, to the parallel of the score, the sounds of the film instill a gut felt terror. There are little moments throughout that give a jolt here and there – mostly all pertaining to Mr. Boogie which, in turn, makes it that much more disappointing. The DVD definitely delivers on exploitation of this superb element, however, with the audio feature.
The DVD is a great clean transfer – looking almost Blu-ray quality in many scenes. Pores and wrinkles can be seen on Hawke’s face, however, the movie appears to be dark at times. It is on purpose and part of the atmosphere, however it can be distracting.
A deleted scene is included which adds more background to the hanging family murders. This deleted scene stars Angela Bettis as a next door neighbor giving her interpretation of the family up to and after their murder. It is available with or without commentary. The commentary reveals that the role was written specifically for her. The scenes were cut due to pacing. However, they could’ve added information, though the writers say are unnecessary.
The DVD is packaged with both a Digital Copy and an Ultraviolet copy, making it seem fancier than it is. The average person will grab a copy and think they’re getting something extra special, when really, they’re not. Other features include commentary with director Scott Derrickson alone and commentary with Derrikson and cowriter C. Robert Cargill. Two featurettes which pertain to the film, True Crime Authors and Living in a House of Death, are included on the DVD as well. The 9 minute feature on true crime writers gives a bit of substance as it helps explain Oswalt’s dire need to finish his book to perhaps get justice for the murder victimes. The house feature, however, is entertaining because it revolves around our repulsion and, at the same time, intrigue with homes associated with murders. And, of course, a trailer is included.
In the end, for the $3,000,000 budget, Sinister is pretty entertaining despite its flaws, which are almost a bit too heavy to overlook.
DVD Score: 7/10
Scream Factory brought Frank LaLoggia’s 1988 Halloween movie Lady in White to Blu-ray several years back, and now Vinegar Syndrome gives the film a 4K Ultra HD upgrade.
Vinegar Syndrome’s Lady in White 4K release is available now and shipping now!
Watch the trailer below and grab your copy from Vinegar Syndrome today.
This limited edition 4-disc 4K UHD/Blu-ray x 3 set comes with a spot gloss hard slipcase + slipcover combo (designed by Dylan Haley), includes a 40-page perfect bound book and is limited to 8,000 units. It is only available on their website and at select indie retailers.
The full Special Features package includes…
- 4-disc Set: 1x 4K Ultra HD (High Bitrate BD100) / 3x Region A Blu-ray
- 4K UHD presented in Dolby Vision High-Dynamic-Range
- Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative
- Presented in three versions: 126-min Pre-Release Director’s Cut (UHD+BD), the 118-min Extended Home Video Cut (BD), and the 113-min Theatrical Cut (BD)
- New group commentary track with writer/director Frank LaLoggia, alongside actors Lukas Haas, Joelle Jacobi, and Len Cariou for the Pre-Release Director’s Cut
- New commentary track with Frank LaLoggia, moderated by Scott Neumyer for the Extended Home Video Cut
- New commentary track with authors Emma Westwood and Stephen A. Russell for the Extended Home Video Cut
- Archival commentary track with Frank LaLoggia for the Extended Home Video Cut
- “Learning How to Fly” (10 min) – an interview with actress Karen Powell
- “A Snapshot in Time” (9 min) – an interview with actress Lisa Taylor
- “Human Touches” (6 min) – an interview with actress Lucy Lee Flippin
- “Still Relevant” (16 min) – an interview with actress Rose Weaver
- “75% Listening, 25% Editing” (9 min) – an interview with editor Steve Mann
- “Welcome to Willowpoint Falls” (6 min) – a location featurette hosted by Benjamin Scrivens, founder of Fright-Rags
- “Dream Talking: Looking Back” – a visual group commentary for the Pre-Release Director’s Cut with Frank LaLoggia, and actors Lukas Haas, Joelle Jacobi, and Len Cariou (103 min)
- Deleted Scenes with introduction and optional commentary by writer/director Frank LaLoggia (36 min)
- Behind-the-scenes footage with introduction and optional commentary by writer/director Frank LaLoggia (16 min)
- Extended behind-the-scenes footage (73 min)
- Introduction from the 20th anniversary dvd release
- Promotional ‘industry sales’ trailer (7 min)
- 40-page perfect bound book with essays by film historians Molly Henery, Mark H. Harris, and Heidi Honeycutt (limited edition only)
- Multiple radio spots
- Theatrical trailer
- Multiple TV spots
- Workprint trailers (7 min)
- Still gallery
- Reversible sleeve artwork
- English SDH subtitles
1962. Nine-year-old Frankie Scarlatti enjoys a homespun childhood in a rustic Western New York town. The entire community gets into the spirit of Halloween, but then two bullies prank Frankie by locking him in his school cloakroom, leaving him trapped for the night. Alone and afraid, his slumber is interrupted when the ghost of a little girl appears, and Frankie witnesses the specter of her murder by an unseen assailant. Later, while recovering at home, the girl’s ghost appears to him again. With help from his older brother, Frankie begins investigating the circumstances of her death. He soon discovers that her murder was one of several unsolved crimes connected to a local child-killer. As the town’s bucolic veneer fades and long-buried secrets and tensions bubble to the surface, all of the clues to the mystery seem to point towards a huge mansion inhabited by a reclusive woman known as “The Lady in White.”
A nostalgia-driven ghost story wrapped within an intricate murder mystery and coming-of-age drama, writer-director-composer Frank LaLoggia’s passion project Lady in White remains one of the most beautiful and original American horror films of the 1980s. Featuring acclaimed actors Alex Rocco (The Godfather), Len Cariou (Executive Decision), and Sydney Lassick (Carrie, The Unseen), it boasts the first starring role by Lukas Haas (Mars Attacks, Inception) as well as breathtaking photography by Academy Award® winner Russell Carpenter (True Lies, The Lawnmower Man). Vinegar Syndrome is honored to bring this genre masterpiece to 4K UHD, newly restored from its original 35mm camera negative and presented in three versions: its pre-release director’s cut, its extended home-video version, and its original theatrical version, along with an abundance of both new and archival extras.
Paul Lê wrote here on Bloody Disgusting back in 2023, “Over the years, fans have described this film as gateway horror, but they liken it more to The Watcher in the Woods than, say, Hocus Pocus or Casper. There are chilling moments that warrant its PG-13 rating.”
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