Sinister

THE GIST: A true crime writer, who hasn't published a successful book in years, moves with his family into a home whose previous owners were murdered. He's researching their deaths for his new book, and a box of old home movies found in the attic hints at a possible connection to other murders, suggesting a serial killer on the loose. Or is there something more sinister going on?

Sinister tells a fairly interesting story with a well-positioned twist that very slowly becomes apparent, until it's fully revealed at the end.

It's not a great horror movie simply because there are a few things that are hard to accept as a viewer, starting with what would convince a man to move his family, with two young kids in tow, into a house where an entire family was brutally murdered.

Still, if you can overlook that and a couple other things, it's fairly enjoyable. Ethan Hawke does a pretty good job, flanked by Juliet Rylance and James Ransone.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Not a great horror movie, but not bad either. I'm not sure whether there will be sequels, but the story certainly lends itself to more chapters, thanks to that twist I mentioned earlier.

Grade: 6.5