Sinister 2 is a sequel to Sinister with a different director, but same writers. Sinister 2 juggles three storylines: the former Deputy’s quest to stop Baghuul, a mother and her twin sons trying to escape her abusive, rich and influential husband and her twin sons’ interaction with the supernatural. This last storyline has multiple storylines of how other children joined Baghuul by showing multiple snuff films. Sinister 2 proves that lightning does not strike twice.
Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill wrote Sinister and Sinister 2 so what the hell happened in the three intervening years!?! Sinister 2 did not suffer from a sophomore slump. It was as if Derrickson and Cargill drew all the wrong conclusions of what made Sinister great and expanded on those themes instead in Sinister 2. “You know what Sinister 2 needs? A creepy record player for the hipsters! More jump scares! Rube Goldberg devices of death! A romantic subplot! And the current storyline should look like it was shot in the 1980s! Make the abusive people sound vaguely Southern.”
Sinister 2 was Nazareth. Only Jesus could save Sinister 2’s reputation. James Ransome’s expanded role did not help Sinister 2. We get it. The Deputy is awkward, but maybe he should see a doctor to see if there is a prescription to help with all those tics. Shannyn Sossamon plays the beleaguered mom, and Sinister 2 deserves to be beaten with sticks for trying to even pretend for a second that she would do her hair that way except as a joke. By naming her character’s family Collins, there was a missed opportunity to make some Dark Shadows references. Vincent D’Onofrio’s professor is missing, but I suspect that he is just trying to get away from his poor substitute colleague who definitely does not have tenure and adds a bit of clunky exposition that does nothing to further the plot and is a shameless failed attempt to add atmosphere. Banshee Chapter called to say that it is better than you, Sinister 2. Seriously acting is tough because if someone tells you that you have to say, “It’s the aesthetic appreciation of violence that summons him,” you can’t just say what you are thinking and say, “No, do better,” you have to say it and eat while hoping that people don’t associate your acting with the poor quality of your lines.
Sinister 2 retroactively made me reconsider the logistics of the murders in Sinister. Considering what we now know about the actual murderers, if you drug your victims, you have to be fairly strong to get limp bodies to stand upright or propped up. Also the perpetrators end up being inadvertently funny- more like twee, petulant first time filmmakers throwing tantrums. Also the Deputy’s efforts to stop the latest perp cracked me up-hit him with the car and just react with an ow. Didn’t we establish in the first film that these objects are indestructible? Yes, yes we did.
Skip the craptacular Sinister 2 and instead watch Sinister then Banshee Chapter.