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JT (287 KP) rated Sinister (2012) in Movies

Mar 10, 2020  
Sinister (2012)
Sinister (2012)
2012 | Horror
6
7.1 (24 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Has the found footage genre been done to death? Some would very much say it has, yet they keep on churning the films out. One thing to note with many of these is the budget, films like Paranormal Activity and Insidious were made for a pittance yet generated millions at the box office.

This is the same for Sinister, made for $3m it grossed almost $80m and was one of the surprise hits of last year, of course films like this are not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but I love a good scare now and again and here I wasn’t disappointed.

Ethan Hawke is the clear standout in this one, here he plays true crime writer Ellison Oswalt who is looking for his next big thing to thrust him into the limelight. He and his family move into a house which he tells them is only a few doors down from a gruesome murder of a family who were all hung from a tree in their back garden.

When he finds a box in his attic containing reels of super 8 film and a camera he soon discovers more grisly murders and that somehow they are all linked to each other. Add to that a mysterious figure who appears in all the films and you have a character who goes a little stir crazy in trying to uncover the truth.

His family are desperate to leave, not happy with the current surroundings they are thrown into even more turmoil when its revealed that the house Oswalt said was two doors down is actually the house they are living in at the moment, don’t you just hate when that happens?

Director Scott Derrickson builds solid amounts of tension throughout, most disturbing are the super 8 films that show a number of families being killed off (you’ll never look at a lawn mower in the same light again). But then you have the same old horror cliché’s slipping back into it, things going bump in the night which leave you waiting for that revealing moment which comes with a consistent bang.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that this might not actually be classed as found footage, certainly not in the same vein as maybe Paranormal Activity or The Blair Witch Project. We’re not viewing anything from the point of view that the characters in this are dead….yet, and the resulting film is their story. But it is ‘found footage’, in that Oswalt has uncovered these films in his attic.

What makes Sinister that bit more unnerving is the somber mood, lighting and camera angles. Not quite giving us the full picture we have to let our imagination stay a few steps ahead of us. The musical score then connects everything together to give us a real horror treat.

Hawke gives a solid performance, he’s a man very much on the edge and that fame is the answer to his future. He’ll succeed at whatever the cost, and the cost is ultimately a big one. The end reveal some might have seen coming a mile off, personally I wasn’t expecting it so it was a good finish to a film that had rattled the nerves a few times.

Produced by the same team that brought us Paranormal Activity and Insidious, it’s a low budget success that shows big budget horrors how it should be done.
  
    Build With Grandpa

    Build With Grandpa

    Education and Games

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    Demolish an old building with a wrecking ball, clear the lot with a bulldozer - then design, build,...

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Sonofdel (6291 KP) rated the Xbox One version of Layers of Fear in Video Games

May 31, 2019  
Layers of Fear
Layers of Fear
2016 | Action/Adventure
8
7.6 (7 Ratings)
Video Game Rating
atmospheric, very innovative, creepy (0 more)
nothing (0 more)
Messes with you
Contains spoilers, click to show
Well i saw that this was one of the games down for the monthly game pass challenge and so i thought i would give it a go. I loved it. Its a strange mind blowing game that is more point and click than anything else. It took a few screens to get going and after opening drawers and cupboards i was beginning to get a little bored. This all changed once i had started the game properly and both me and my wife (who was watching me play it) were mesmerized by how complicated and ingenious the game is. At the end of playing it i discovered that i had finished the game, but definitely not completed it. In the game you have to find lots of items, evidence and photographs that ultimately tell the story of the descent into madness of an artist and the horrors that befell both him and his family. Each chapter you complete sees him descend deeper into his mind and makes the game that much more interesting and warped. I would give it an 8 as its one of the best of this genre i have played. I would not recommend it to people who suffer with light sensitive disorders or epilepsy as its very disorientating in places and seriously messes with your mind. Nothing is as it seems and rooms change just as easy as you turning round in them. Doors appear, images appear and its basically a cross between American Magees Alice and Silent Hill in atmosphere and game play. Definitely worth playing.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2204 KP) rated Lost Light (Harry Bosch #9) in Books

Jan 26, 2019  
Lost Light (Harry Bosch #9)
Lost Light (Harry Bosch #9)
Michael Connelly | 2003 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry
10
8.8 (6 Ratings)
Book Rating
Bosch Shines Light on a Cold Case
It's been several months since Harry Bosch retired from his job as a homicide detective in Los Angeles. He's attempting to adjust to life as a civilian, but he can't resist when another former cop mentions a cold case they'd both worked on. Angella Benton was strangled in the entrance to her apartment building. Just as Bosch was beginning to investigate, the heist of two million dollars from a movie set gave the case a bigger profile, and the robbery homicide division took it over. Four years later, the murder remains unsolved and the money has not been found. But Bosch has barely begun poking into it again before he is warned off. Is someone still interested in this case? Can Bosch solve it without his badge to open doors for him?

I enjoyed seeing Bosch working without his badge, overcoming the added obstacle of not having any official business looking into this case. While he may not be a cop, we still did get cameos by many of the series regulars, and it was great to check in with them. The characters are strong as always, with Bosch leading the pack. I was surprised to find that this book was narrated first person, something I always enjoy. I hadn't run across that in a Harry Bosch book yet. The case itself was gripping with plenty of twists and turns to keep us engaged up until the end. I listened to the audio version narrated by Len Cariou, who does a great job except for one character. Fortunately, that character isn't a major player in the action of the book.
  
    Social Skills Pro

    Social Skills Pro

    Education and Lifestyle

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    Social Skills Pro teaches you advanced communication skills. Learn and practice the complete...