Sinister (2012)

Sinister parents guide

Of what we could confirm, nothing runs past an R: intense fear and lots of jump scares.

Scare

Terrifying

Our top level for fear.

Jump scares

Lots

Jump scares are a main device.

Gore

Graphic gore

Blood and wounds shown clearly.

Violence

Strong violence

Violence is frequent or intense.

Sex and nudity

None flagged

It is rated R, so treat our zero as unconfirmed.

Language

Moderate

Some strong profanity, a few f-words.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

Is Sinister scary?

Yes. Sinister is one of the scariest titles in the CouchRot catalog.

How gory is Sinister?

Graphic gore and strong violence. If graphic gore is a dealbreaker, skip it.

What is Sinister rated, and is it OK for kids?

Intense fear, lots of jump scares and strong violence. The R is earned, so not for kids.

What is Sinister about?

True-crime writer Ellison Oswalt is in a slump; he hasn't had a best seller in more than 10 years and is becoming increasingly desperate for a hit. So, when he discovers the existence of a snuff film showing the deaths of a family, he vows to solve the mystery. He moves his own family into the victims' home and gets to work. However, when old film footage and other clues hint at the presence of a supernatural force, Ellison learns that living in the house may be fatal.

Cast and crew

More like Sinister

• Psycho (1960)Properly scary · light gore · strong violence · emotionally heavyA woman on the run finds a chilling, atmospheric motel where dread steadily builds to a shocking twist.
• Get Out (2017)Properly scary · light gore · strong violence · emotionally devastatingA weekend getaway to meet the parents escalates into chilling discoveries and satirical racial horror.
• Ghostland (2018)Terrifying · graphic gore · brutal violence · emotionally devastatingA mother's desperate fight for her daughters' lives echoes years later in a chilling, gritty house.
• The Thing (1982)Terrifying · extreme gore · strong violence · emotionally heavyAn Antarctic research team faces a shape-shifting alien, creating a chilling atmosphere of paranoia and suspense.
• Se7en (1995)Properly scary · extreme gore · brutal violence · emotionally devastatingTwo detectives hunt a serial killer whose gruesome crimes are meticulously based on the seven deadly sins.
• The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)Properly scary · light gore · strong violence · emotionally heavyParanormal investigators confront a chilling murder defense rooted in demonic possession, pushing them into uncharted, gritty territory.
• Hereditary (2018)Terrifying · graphic gore · strong violence · emotionally devastatingA family's grief slowly unravels into a bleak, chilling nightmare as disturbing secrets consume them.
• The Shining (1980)Terrifying · graphic gore · brutal violence · emotionally devastatingA family's isolated winter retreat becomes a slow-burn descent into chilling, surreal madness.

Sinister is on our Scariest, Found footage, Horror on Hulu, Thriller on Hulu and Mystery on Hulu lists.

More like this feeling

Prompts we typed into CouchRot, and the lists that share its tags.

• “a horror movie that's actually scary”
• “scary but not gory”
• “a thriller with a twist, no spoilers”