The Horror Show
Sinister 2
by Ciarán Foy
It’s been three years since Scott Derrickson’s paranormal hit Sinister, and its highly anticipated sequel was recently released, but disappointingly not to us fans’ benefit.
The story of Bughuul, the boogeyman-like demon that recruits children to murder their families, returned to the big screen but this time his malevolent plan failed to satisfy to the same degree.
Even though we didn’t get to see Ethan Hawke trying to fight the demon, we got to see another familiar face in the horror genre, Shannyn Sossamon, with her portrayal as a mother of two trying to escape Bughuul’s gruesome ploy that will lead only to their brutal deaths.
One should not expect anything but unoriginality from Sinister 2. Scott Derrickson handed over his seat as director to Citadel’s Ciarán Foy and, in the end, that doesn’t seem to have been a very wise decision.
But first things first, let’s take a look at the plot of Sinister 2 - not that there’s anything extraordinary to mention. It’s all about the story of a mother, Courtney Collins, and her 9-year-old twin sons, who move into a house - somewhere deep in rural Illinois - soaked in the blood of Bughuul’s past victims.
Do you remember the supporting role of James Ransone in Sinister? If your answer is yes, then you’re quite special! If your answer is no, don’t worry! You’ll get to see him again portraying (former) Deputy “So and So”, now working solo to track down and stop the demon’s murderous plans.
The creators were quite generous with showing graphic scenes of gore and violence, but the formulaic use of jump scares that reeks of clichéd horror is doing more damage than good. Sinister 2 tries really hard to make good use of the chilling ambience in the haunted house, mustering child ghosts and evil apparitions, but ultimately the tense build-up leads to an unimaginative climax.
If anything, you’d better stick to the first part and leave Sinister 2 in your perhaps-I’ll-watch-this-movie drawer.
Maria Kriva, HMS
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