In 2012, the unsettling horror film Sinister debuted in theaters. The film brought about a fresh new take on the genre, telling the story of a true crime writer who finds mysterious Super 8 reels in the attic of his new home. The reels contain footage of past murders, and as he gets more invested in discovering what happened in each. He comes across a dark revelation that a demon by the name of Bughuul has been using the children of the families murdered to commit the crimes, then join him.
Sinister 2 picks up a few months after the concluding events of Sinister. The character who carries on the story, Ex-Deputy So & So (James Ransone), has made it his life mission to destroy any links to Bughuul that still exist.
Eventually, his quest leads him to a secluded rural home inhabited by mother Courtney Collins, and her two twin sons, Dylan and Zach (Robert and Dartanian Sloan), on the run from their abusive husband and father.
Dylan has begun having dreams of Bughuul, and is urged by children Bughuul has already taken to watch the super 8 films of the murders they committed until he’s ready to do the same to his family. Dylan reluctantly watches the films, but eventually realizes that he doesn’t want to be a part of Bughuul’s plan and refuses to continue. Initially jealous of Dylan’s selection over his, his brother Zach then gladly accepts the role of being Bughuul’s next vessel instead.
Throughout the boys’ ordeal, Ex-Deputy So & So begins his attempt at ridding the home of Bughuul before it’s too late. Unfortunately, before he is able to stop anything, the boys’ father, Clint Collins (Lea Coco), arrives with a court order forcing the family to return home with him, despite his abusive tendencies. Bughuul sets his plan in motion, and it becomes a race to see if the murders can be prevented before it’s too late.
Sinister 2 still provides an eerie, unsettling atmosphere that leaves the viewer huddled under their hands, peering through the cracks at every crescendo. The lighting in the film emphasizes the presence of shadows and the possibilities of what could be lurking within.
Although the scares are still there, the plot isn’t as strong as that of the first film. The film does attempt to shed some more light on Bughuul’s origin, but the story of the Collins family gets a lost and lengthy.
Though the plot is slightly muddled and aspects of it are not as resolved as one might hope, the jump scares are plentiful and a feeling of uncertainty and unrest pervades throughout the unnerving progression of the plot.
As far as horror movies go, Sinister 2, in typical sequel fashion, is not as strong as it’s predecessor, but still provides a sizeable amount of adrenaline pumping scares that make for a fun, though not very memorable, hour and a half.
