I just got done watching this for the first time and it left me a little disappointed. I guess, like OP, I heard that it was supposed to be genuinely scary, and it didn't quite reach the full mile.
There were things I did enjoy. I think the movie did a great job of building an eerie atmosphere. My eyes were constantly drawn to the dark, empty hallways lingering in the background of what should have been normal family moments. I always found myself searching for something standing in the darkness when Ellison was in his office. That was unsettling for me - it was effective. The audio was creepy and definitely made me glad that I watched with some headphones. I liked the use of the 8mm films. And I didn't know if I'd like Ethan Hawke in a horror movie, but he did good.
Things that didn't work as well for me... ugh, the jumpscares. I don't mind jumpscares - I'm usually the one who practically leaps out of my seat whenever I see one - but I always knew a few seconds beforehand, by the way the shot was set up, when it was going to happen. Some of the "twists", like the one mentioned above, I had already figured out. The ending felt lackluster - I didn't expect a happy ending or anything, but it felt kind of rushed and unsatisfactory.
I think this movie might have been better for me if I had gone into it with no expectations. I've been meaning to watch it for awhile, just hadn't gotten around to it until now. I read some forum a few weeks ago where everyone was comparing this movie to other horror movies and all I saw was, "Sinister was way better than X, Y, and Z". I heard that it was going to be really good, and it wasn't bad - the things I didn't like about it just kind of pulled me out of the movie while I was watching it.
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