In some ways, Sinister 2 is very much a retread of the first installment. The story picks up years after the events of Sinister, and centers on a mother, played by Shannyn Sossamon and her twin boys, Dylan and Zach, who have sought refuge in an abandoned house – in which Bughuul and his clan of demonic whippersnappers have also taken up residence. The children attempt to sway Dylan to join their fold by forcing him to watch Super 8 home movies of families murdered by alligators, electrocution and rats. The deputy from the first film, played by James Ransome, has now quit his job and focused with intense fervor, on thwarting Bughuul’s attempt to obtain anymore children, by committing arson on any place where familicide has happened.
Directed by Ciaran Foy, Sinister 2 serves up the standard fare of scare tactics combined with dark and sickening imagery. What Sinister 2 lacks that the first one offered is one plotline that audiences can sink their teeth into. The true essence of the story, child abuse, is overlooked, and instead the focus is all Bughuul, ALL the time. This wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing if it weren’t for the fact that the non-talking malignant spirit’s presence isn’t as foreboding this time around.
Still, Sinister 2 packs a punch in the creep factor as the children, particularly Emma and Milo, display a rottenness that makes the skin crawl; and both twins played by Robert Daniel Sloan and Dartanian Sloan, steal the show from Ransome and Sossamon. Fans of the original film should find this one agreeable, but not overly remarkable. And with a Sinister 3 potentially on the way, the movie’s frenzied and wicked appeal is unfortunately being turned into overused formulaic frights that have plagued horror movies as of late.