Why Reddit Keeps Calling A Sinister Film 'The Scariest Horror Movie Of All Time'

It takes a lot to impress horror fans. If you deliver too much of the same-old-same-old, they're bound to get bored and leave the theater. But if you eschew clichés and give viewers a genuinely interesting experience, then they're willing to arrive and keep arriving, turning a one-film experience into a franchise. There's a reason why Reddit is filled with people willing to sing the praises of the first film in the "Sinister" series — and most of it has to do with the atmosphere, the soundtrack, its strong scares, and interesting characterization. To them, it is the scariest movie ever made.

"I LOVED it. The kills were creepy," said u/BlueBoy690 in a post made to r/movies. They had specific praise for the pool scene, enjoying the tension of the film at large. "[H]ow often do we get a horror film where the plot is so intriguingly eerie and well knitted that the movie no longer has to rely on unnecessary gore and overdramatic music to attain the resultant effect?" wondered u/da_unown_______. u/Embri2001 was among the many people in the subreddit who enjoy the movie for its intelligent characters who aren't doomed by their brains but by circumstance.

u/johnnygee70 and a few others mentioned the menacing soundtrack and atmosphere, which feed into each other uniquely. Since the attic sets were such a nightmare to build, that shows the filmmaker's hard work paid off. u/PumpkinPersonal6108 had the highest praise of all, writing, "Hereditary, The Conjuring, The Exorcist don't come close." But some horror fans were less than enthusiastic about "Sinister."

While "Sinister" might indeed be the scariest movie of all time — and that is based on science — not every person posting to r/movies is a fan of it. A number of posters had an issue with the film's ending. "The end was JARRING in how bad it was compared to the build up," said u/gladys-the-baker. "Sinister is predictable an boring imo. I dunno why it gets hyped so much," agreed a user. 

A few users opened up to complain about the movie's use of jumpscares. "The one thing i hated was that cheap jump scare at the end. Seemed like something the studio added," wrote u/GarrisonTweed. Others got lost in the beginning minutes. "When it started delving into the supernatural and cliche spooky kids is when it started to loose me. If the film had remained a disturbing detective mystery about this man discovering increasingly deranged and depraved tapes, it would have been a much better film imo," said u/invincible789. u/RadleyButtons closed out with "In the words of the late, great Patrice O'Neil [sic], "It's a great first half movie." Other viewers had alternate movies to recommend, whether they be "Poltergeist," "Lost Highway," or "Hereditary."  "The Exorcist," which Rotten Tomatoes named the scariest movie of all time, was also mentioned.

It seems there's no one-size-fits-all scare for horror fans, even those films that make viewers' hearts beat the hardest. But Reddit's love affair with "Sinister" looks likely to continue onward, no matter how many new horror films come their way.