I loved Scott Derickson’s brilliantly creepy haunted house tale Sinister last year, but I didn’t walk away from it pondering what could be done in a sequel mostly because, well, could you do a sequel to Poltergeist if that movie ended with Carol Ann killing her entire family? That’s kind of how things go down in Sinister. However, a sequel is not only on the way it’s actually filming in Chicago at this very minute. The studio recently released a plot synopsis and cast list to let us know exactly how this sequel is going to work:
In the aftermath of the shocking events in Sinister, a protective mother (Shannyn Sossamon of Wayward Pines) and her 9-year-old twin sons (real-life twins Robert and Dartanian Sloan) find themselves in a rural house marked for death. James Ransone, who portrayed the concerned sheriff’s deputy in Sinister, will be reprising his character in Sinister 2.
Wow, Shannyn Sossamon? I haven’t heard that name in quite a while although that’s probably because I never really watched Courtney Cox’s FX show Dirt, the short-lived CBS vampire drama Moonlight, HBO’s How to Make It in America, or the Alyssa Milano-fronted American remake of the British series Mistresses. No, to me Sossamon is not a steadily working TV actress but instead that Hawaiian-born beauty who exploded out of the gates at the start of the century as Heath Ledger’s love interest (A Knight’s Tale) and Josh Hartnett’s love interest (40 Days and 40 Nights) before quickly disappearing.
One of the many interesting hair/hat choices for her in Knight’s Tale
It’s cool to see her in this cast for Sinister 2, but at this point she actually already has several horror films to her name, The Order, Catacombs, One Missed Call, and The Day.
The set-up for the first Sinister was ingenious in its simplicity, centering around a true-crime writer (Ethan Hawke) who moves his family into a house where a horrific crime had recently occurred (not that he told them about that part) only to eventually discover the house may in fact be haunted. Similar to the more successful recent horror films (The Conjuring, Insidious 1), its initial focus is on character and atmosphere as opposed to cheap jump scares, resulting in arguably one of the better performances of Ethan Hawke’s career. The film ultimately turns into “a first-class creepshow accentuated by disorienting musical choices, highly disturbing snuff films shot on Super 8, and the polar opposite of a Hollywood ending.”
However, with the surprise twist of the film’s central mystery having now been revealed (basically, a demon is possessing kids, making them do some bad shit) a sequel would seem to be challenged to work from the opposite angle, playing things not for surprise but instead for the juxtaposition of what we the audience know versus what the new cast of characters know. Beyond that, they have changed up their setting, going from the more urban neighborhoods of the first film to a rural area in the sequel, which instantly calls to mind The Conjuring.
Original director Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Deliver Us From Evil) has since been snatched up by MGM (The Outer Limits) and Marvel (Doctor Strange), but he hasn’t left the franchise he started. He is serving as producer, entrusting directing duties to Ciaran Foy (Citadel), and he also co-wrote the screenplay with C. Robert Cargill, who also worked on the first film. Of course, the film is ultimately coming form micro-budget powerhouse producer Jason Blum, who would undoubtedly love to turn Sinister into another Paranormal Activity-sized franchise.
Ultimately, Sinister 2 sounds like it could be The Conjuring but the kids being possessed instead of the mom. That’s not a bad recipe, and it’s encouraging that Derrickson, though not directing again, is still very much so involved. However, it’s hard not to miss Ethan Hawke.
Focus Features hopes Sinister 2 scares the crap out of us when it opens on August 21st, 2015.
Source: Collider
What about you? Have you seen the first Sinister, and wish they’d simply let that story die? Or does this sound great to you? Or are you simply surprised to see Shannyn Sossamon’s name back in the Hollywood casting news? Let us know in the comments.