fraeon
Films
BrowseTop 250
Series
TV ShowsAnimeTop 250 TVTop 100 Anime
Games
BrowseTop 100
Books
BooksMangaComics & GNTop 125 BooksTop 100 Manga
For youCommunityHot takesAwardsTier ListsThe ArchiveLeaderboardFind peopleCompare libraries
Trending
Log inSign up free
fraeon

Everything you watch, play and read — tracked, rated and remembered in one library.

Explore

  • Films
  • TV
  • Anime
  • Games
  • Books
  • Manga

Discover

  • Trending
  • Leaderboard
  • Find people
  • Lists
  • Tier lists

Company

  • Tour
  • About
  • Community guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Contact

© 2026 fraeon. All rights reserved. ·

Metadata from TMDB, RAWG, Jikan & Open Library. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.

Questions or ideas? mehmet@avortas.com

HomeFeedProfile
Sinister

Sinister

Once you see him, nothing can save you.

2012 1h 50mHorrorThrillerMystery

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.

3.4/5

TMDB score· 6,116 votes

3.0/5

Fraeon

Trailer

Synopsis

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.

The vibe

drowningpennsylvania, usawritingchild murdersnufftapehome movie footagemurdermassacrepower outage

Behind it

Scott DerricksonScott DerricksonDirectorC. Robert CargillC. Robert CargillScreenplayChristopher YoungChristopher YoungComposerChristopher NorrCinematography

Cast

Ethan HawkeEthan HawkeEllison Oswalt
Juliet RylanceJuliet RylanceTracy Oswalt
Vincent D'OnofrioVincent D'OnofrioProfessor Jonas
James RansoneJames RansoneDeputy
Fred ThompsonFred ThompsonSheriff
Clare FoleyClare FoleyAshley Oswalt
Michael Hall D'AddarioMichael Hall D'AddarioTrevor Oswalt
Victoria LeighVictoria LeighStephanie Stevenson
Blake MizrahiBlake MizrahiChristopher Miller
Cameron OcasioCameron OcasioBBQ Son / Killer
Danielle KotchDanielle KotchLawn Girl
Ethan HaberfieldEthan HaberfieldPool Party Boy
Nicholas KingNicholas KingBughuul / Mr. Boogie
Tavis SmileyTavis SmileyAnchor
Rachel KonstantinRachel KonstantinMrs. Stevenson (uncredited)
Chester the ChihuahuaChester the ChihuahuaBarking Dog (uncredited)

Director

Scott Derrickson

Writers

C. Robert Cargill, Scott Derrickson

Release date

4 Oct 2012

Runtime

1h 50m

Budget

$3.0M

Box office

$82.5M · 27.5× its budget

Studio

Automatik Entertainment, Blumhouse Productions, Alliance Films

Language

English, Portuguese, French

Countries

Canada,United States of America

Where to watch · US

YouTube TVMovieSphere+ Amazon ChannelAmazon VideoApple TV StoreGoogle Play MoviesYouTubeFandango At HomeMore

Streaming data by JustWatch via TMDB.

Sinister Collection

An American supernatural horror film series that begins with fictional true-crime writer Ellison Oswalt who discovers a box of home movies in his attic that puts his family in danger. A sequel follows James Ransone the Deputy and a mother whose sons are tormented by the ghostly children taken by Bughuul at their rural farmhouse.

Sinister

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.

3.4

Sinister

2012

Sinister 2

A young mother and her twin sons move into a rural house that's marked for death.

2.9

Sinister 2

2015

Reviews

No reviews yet — be the first to write one from the Log screen.

Quotes

No quotes yet.

Discussions

Similar films

The Awakening

In post–War England, a writer and sometime-ghost hunter investigates a reported haunting at a boys boarding school.

3.2

The Awakening

2011

The Taking of Deborah Logan

What starts as a poignant medical documentary about Deborah Logan's descent into Alzheimer's disease and her daughter's struggles as caregiver degenerates into a maddening portrayal of dementia at its most frightening, as hair-raising events begin to plague the family and crew and an unspeakable malevolence threatens to tear the very fabric of sanity from them all.

3.3

The Taking of Deborah Logan

2014

Chinatown

Private eye Jake Gittes lives off of the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-World War II Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite to investigate her husband's extra-marital affair, Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double dealings and deadly deceits, uncovering a web of personal and political scandals that come crashing together.

4.0

Chinatown

1974

The Dogs

After fleeing his psychotic father, a young teen and his mom seek refuge in a remote farmhouse, only to face a pack of ferocious dogs and the sinister spirits that haunt the property.

3.3

The Dogs

2025

Creep

Looking for work, Aaron comes across a cryptic online ad: “$1,000 for the day. Filming service. Discretion is appreciated.” Low on cash and full of naiveté, he decides to go for it. He drives to a cabin in a remote mountain town where he meets Josef, his cinematic subject for the day. Josef is sincere and the project seems heartfelt, so Aaron begins to film. But as the day goes on, it becomes clear that Josef is not who he says, and his intentions are not at all pure.

3.2

Creep

2014

Night of the Living Dead

A ragtag group barricade themselves in an old Pennsylvania farmhouse to remain safe from a horde of flesh-eating ghouls ravaging the Northeast.

3.8

Night of the Living Dead

1968

Blow Out

While recording sound effects for a slasher flick, Jack Terry stumbles upon a real-life horror: a car careening off a bridge and into a river. Jack jumps into the water and fishes out Sally from the car, but the other passenger is already dead — a governor intending to run for president. As Jack does some investigating of his tapes, and starts a perilous romance with Sally, he enters a tangled web of conspiracy that might leave him dead.

3.7

Blow Out

1981

The Ring

Journalist Rachel Keller investigates a strange videotape that may be behind the untimely deaths of four teenagers. There is an urban legend about this tape: the viewer will die seven days after watching it. Rachel tracks down the video... and watches it. Now she has just seven days to unravel the mystery of the Ring in order to save herself and her son.

3.4

The Ring

2002

Lee Cronin's The Mummy

The young daughter of a journalist disappears into the desert without a trace—eight years later, the broken family is shocked when she is returned to them, as what should be a joyful reunion turns into a living nightmare.

4.0

Lee Cronin's The Mummy

2026

The Dry

Aaron Falk returns to his drought-stricken hometown to attend a tragic funeral. But his return opens a decades-old wound - the unsolved death of a teenage girl.

3.4

The Dry

2021

Lake Mungo

After 16-year-old Alice Palmer drowns at a local dam, her family experiences a series of strange, inexplicable events centered in and around their home. Unsettled, the Palmers seek the help of a psychic and parapsychologist, who discovers that Alice led a secret, double life. At Lake Mungo, Alice's secret past emerges.

3.1

Lake Mungo

2009

The Prodigy

A mother concerned about her young son's disturbing behavior thinks something supernatural may be affecting him.

3.1

The Prodigy

2019

Werewolves

A year after a supermoon’s light activated a dormant gene, transforming humans into bloodthirsty werewolves and causing nearly a billion deaths, the nightmare resurfaces as the supermoon rises again. Two scientists attempt to stop the mutation but fail and must now struggle to reach one of their family homes.

2.9

Werewolves

2024

The Night House

Reeling from the unexpected death of her husband, Beth is left alone in the lakeside home he built for her. Soon she begins to uncover her recently deceased husband's disturbing secrets.

3.3

The Night House

2021

Paranormal Activity

After a young, middle-class couple moves into what seems like a typical suburban house, they become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be demonic but is certainly the most active in the middle of the night.

3.0

Paranormal Activity

2007

The Autopsy of Jane Doe

Father and son coroners receive a mysterious unidentified corpse with no apparent cause of death. As they attempt to examine the "Jane Doe," they discover increasingly bizarre clues that hold the key to her terrifying secrets.

3.4

The Autopsy of Jane Doe

2016

The Haunting in Connecticut

When the Campbell family moves to upstate Connecticut, they soon learn that their charming Victorian home has a disturbing history: not only was the house a transformed funeral parlor where inconceivable acts occurred, but the owner's clairvoyant son Jonah served as a demonic messenger, providing a gateway for spiritual entities to crossover.

3.1

The Haunting in Connecticut

2009

Vacancy

A young married couple becomes stranded at an isolated motel and find hidden video cameras in their room. They realize that unless they escape, they'll be the next victims of a snuff film.

3.1

Vacancy

2007

Similar across media

Same mood, other forms — books, series, anime, games and beyond.

Series
The Originals

The Vampire Diaries spin-off that follows the Mikaelsons, a family of millennia-old, power-hungry vampires who want to reclaim the city they built, New Orleans, and dominate all those who have wronged them.

4.3

The Originals

2013

Book
The Secret Adversary

Classic Literature · English language

The Secret Adversary

Agatha Christie

1922

Series
Batman: The Animated Series

Vowing to avenge the murder of his parents, Bruce Wayne devotes his life to wiping out crime in Gotham City as the masked vigilante "Batman".

4.3

Batman: The Animated Series

1992

Book
The mystery of Edwin Drood

Missing persons · Triangles (Interpersonal relations)

The mystery of Edwin Drood

Charles Dickens

1870

Series
Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun

To be united with her crush, a hopeless romantic summons the ghost in the girls' bathroom at her school. But she's shocked when the ghost is a boy!

4.3

Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun

2020

Book
His Last Bow [8 stories]

short stories · Detective and mystery fiction

His Last Bow [8 stories]

Arthur Conan Doyle

1917

Series
Banana Fish

A teenaged gang leader in New York City faces his abuser and rival gangs alongside a photojournalist from Japan as they investigate a deadly new drug.

4.3

Banana Fish

2018

Book
Heart of Darkness

form:novella · genre:historical fiction

Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad

1899

Series
Over the Garden Wall

Two brothers, Wirt and Greg, find themselves lost in the Unknown; a strange forest adrift in time. With the help of a wise old Woodsman and a foul-tempered bluebird named Beatrice, Wirt and Greg must travel across this strange land, in hope of finding their way home. Join them as they encounter surprises and obstacles on their journey through the wood.

4.3

Over the Garden Wall

2014

Book
The Riddle of the Sands

Great britain, fiction · Fiction, action & adventure

The Riddle of the Sands

Erskine Childers

1903

Series
Stranger Things

When a young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces, and one strange little girl.

4.3

Stranger Things

2016

Book
Greenmantle

Fiction, thrillers, espionage · Hannay, richard (fictitious character), fiction

Greenmantle

John Buchan

1915