It has become a routine for me. Every time I have a day off, I snuggle up in my bed with a warm cup of hot cocoa and I choose a scary movie to watch. Sometimes I like to watch old favorites or classics that have been on my list forever. But usually, like with Malevolent, I like to watch random horror films that I know nothing about.
I had been scrolling through Netflix for about 15 minutes before I finally landed on this movie. Nothing was really capturing my fancy. I like paranormal films, and one of my favorite horror tropes is a family moving into a house and discovering some dark secrets about the property. I could watch movies like that forever, even if they all have the same storyline. So, when I saw that this was the basic premise of Sinister II, I immediately clicked play, why not?
Funny Story, when I was about 20 minutes from the end of the film, I figured out that this was a sequel to another film. I guess I missed the “II” in the title. Anyway, when I went to watch the first movie, it had been taken off Netflix literal days before. So, anyway, I have only seen the second movie, and I would love to someday see the first!
Rating: 8/10
Content Warnings: Depiction of death by animal, electrocution, people burning alive, domestic and child abuse
Starting this movie off, there was a lot of mystery to it. I was kept in suspense, not understanding why the family is in the house they are, or why someone is after them. I really didn’t even know much about the family at all. Thinking back, this mystery may have been caused by my not having watched the first film but… whatever!
As the movie progressed, I did start to learn more about what happened at the church that is next to the house, and who the characters are. I slowly began to see the movie take shape, and felt a connection to the characters, which is definitely necessary for movies where we are supposed to root for the character’s survival.
From the start of the film, the jump scares were there. I have been missing this in the past couple of scary films I have been watching, like Malevolent. What is the point of a scary movie if there isn’t anything to scare you? This movie definitely had some successful jump scares, and the “evil entity” that was running the show was terrifying to look out, and definitely spooked me out, standing in dark corners. One of my favorite motifs in scary movies is the evil entity hanging out in the back of the frame, and you don’t know it is there until it slides out from the shadows and reveals itself. So spooky!
There was just something especially dark about this movie. From the evil doing to the depictions of the murders. This is a movie I won’t be able to get out of my head. I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing, but seeing certain characters and the way they acted was… unsettling. That is the point of horror movies though.
The acting, particularly from the youngest in the cast, Robert Daniel Sloan and Dartanian Sloan, who portrayed the Collins brothers, was spectacular. I truly felt that their performance in a scary movie was wonderful, and I enjoyed watching their portrayal. Not sure if enjoyed is the right word because of the dark nature of this film, but you get me.
The ending of the movie leaves room for a third installment in the series. However, based on research, it doesn’t look like it is going to happen. I’m not to mad about that, because I feel like the ending left the room without leaving me with questions. I thought the ending was perfect for this type of film, and I look forward to seeing more from these creators.
Although I watched the second movie before even thinking about the first, I did really enjoy this story. Some of my favorite aspects of horror were there, and I was spooked by the darkness of the movie along with the jump scares. I will definitely be searching out the first movie.
What is your favorite horror movie of all time? Mine is The Conjuring! Let me know in the comments below!
