It's hard to get a good sequel these days.

And this one is way better than the sequels to to Jaws and Insidious.

The first one is simple enough. Ethan Hawke plays a true crime novelist who discovers a box with a camera in it. The camera displays snuff films of family's being murdered in fashions that are labeled "jokingly" in the names.
The "joke names" come across as twisted and sadistic (and not in a good way).
Anyway, long story short.
Turns out a evil demon, named Bughuul is behind it all. and Bughuul decides to mess with Hawk's character for a while, by scaring the audience with various jump scares when Hawk is exploring the house, and slowly causing Hawk's character to grow more and more paranoid, and causing him nightmares.
But in the end, Hawk finally had enough, destroys the camera, and gets the fuck out of that house!

But, that of coarse leads to the famish twist ending.
At his old home, Ellison receives a video-message from Professor Jonas, who sends him scans of historical images associated with Bughuul (including the symbol seen in the snuff movies; the images have been partially destroyed by the early Christians, who believed that images of Bughuul served as a gateway for the demon to come from the spiritual realm to the mortal world; the images include the symbol from the murders along with a scorpion, a snake, (matching what he found in the attic) and a black beast. According to Professor Jonas, people, especially children, who saw the images of Bughuul could be possessed and even abducted into the images.

Ellison fixes the extra film to the original reels and watches the footage, and finds that it depicts the missing children coming onscreen following each murder, revealing themselves to be the killers, apparently under Bughuul's possession, before suddenly disappearing. Confused, Ellison drinks some coffee he found left on a table for him, but suddenly becomes light-headed, and upon inspection of his coffee cup, he notices a bright green liquid mixed with the coffee he was drinking and finds a note reading "Good Night, Daddy" under the cup before losing consciousness. Ashley appears behind Ellison, revealing herself to be the drugger, under Bughuul's possession (cause appearently they NEVER should of left that house, Bughuul wanted to scare them off, cause he reveals his true intentions only AFTER each family leaves the house where the last murder was, and Hawk's family was unwittingly in one of the said houses, and Hawk saw Bughuul in the videos, making himself and his his family the next victim.. Think.. Slenderman or something).
Ellison awakens to find himself, Tracy and Trevor bound and gagged on the floor of the parlour in their old house next to the lit fire.

Ashley approaches, filming him one 8 mm camera and promises him that she will "make him famous again". Ashley then decapitates them with an axe (off view), and uses their blood to paint images of cats, dogs and unicorns on the walls. With her work complete, Ashley views the Super-8 film of her murders while drawing the murder in the lid of the home movies box (matching the earlier drawings.) The film concludes with an image of the missing children staring into the camera. Bughuul appears behind Ashley, causing the children to flee in fear. He then lifts Ashley into his arms and disappears into the film with her.

The film concludes with an image of the box of films in the Oswalt family's attic, now accompanied by Ashley's reel, labeled "House Painting '12". The camera slowly pans away from the box, until Bughuul appears onscreen for last scare, staring at the audience before the screen goes black, giving the credits.

This, brings us to the sequel.
Most don't like this movie.
But I think movie did really amazing.
Obviously it doesn't top the first. But it's good non the less.

This time, it's more on the kid's point of view.

A timid boy named Dylan is visited nightly by a group of ghostly children, led by a boy named Milo, who force him to watch the "snuff videos" the Sinister films are known for, by know we understand that the ghosts made the videos, themselves. Killing their family's for Bughuul. By feeding them to alligaters while being hung upside-down above a river ("Fishing Trip"), electrocuting them in a puddle of water on a kitchen floor ("Kitchen Remodel"), burying them alive in the snow on Christmas Day ("Christmas Morning") and strapping them to chairs with their mouths forced open and having their teeth mutilated with drills ("Dentist Appointment").
Dylan, of coarse, is terrified, and constantly refuses to watch the videos.

Meanwhile, Deputy from the first film, who investigated the Ellison Oswalt (Steven Hawk's character) case, is independently researching the murders connected to Bughuul, and is burning down the homes where each murder took place before another family can move into them, to prevent more murders, this included the house where Oswalt and his family was murdered in the first film. He arrives at the farmhouse to destroy it, but is interrupted when he realizes Courtney and her Dylan and Zack are living there. Courtney tells him to leave because she thinks he is working with her estranged husband. He convinces her otherwise and tells Courtney he is a private investigator, and she allows him to investigate the deconsecrated church on the property where a gruesome murder took place.

Later, Deputy is seen in a hotel room, reading newspaper articles, stumbling across one which shows Courtney and her ex-husband, Clint, on their wedding day. Suddenly, articles about the murder in the church pop up on the screen, before Bughuul's symbol and a loud buzzing appear and the screen cuts out. When he leans down to collect his bag and in the reflection of the screen, Bughuul is seen standing in the doorway behind him. When he sees it and looks behind him, there is nothing there. Bughuul then appears in the reflection again, before walking forward and putting his finger to his lips. The Deputy slams the laptop screen.

meanwhile Zach and Dylan's father shows up at the farmhouse with police to try and take the boys but leaves after Deputy threatens them, warning them that they need a court order to proceed. In this scene, it is also revealed that he was arrested after releasing classified information (the names and addresses he gave to Ellison Oswalt in the first film.)

Courtney wants to leave with the boys but Deputy advises Courtney not to leave the farmhouse, knowing that each of the murders connected to Bughuul occurred only after the families had fled the homes where the previous murders had occurred. Courtney invites him to stay at the farmhouse on the condition that he doesn't tell anyone where they are, and the two develop a budding romance, talking outside the house while sitting on the swings, and passionately kissing once they return inside.

Later, Deputy meets with a professor who has come into possession of a ham radio that belonged to Professor Jonas from the previous film, who was in contact with Ellison Oswalt and has mysteriously disappeared. The professor said the ham radio first belonged to a Norwegian family who was mysteriously murdered in 1973. The professor plays a recording from the Norwegian family, and after reading out the co-ordinates of the house, the young girl's voice on the tape screams "Bughuul can't hear me over your yelling, Mom!" in Norwegian, and seems to murder her mouth, by the screaming from the mom.

Deputy deduces that Bughuul exclusively targets the children of the murdered families, and suddenly, the ham radio bursts to life, repeating what and the professor just said: "It's the kids. gets the kids." Frightened, Deputy then orders the professor to destroy the ham radio.

Meanwhile, Zach (who by the way, is s TERRIBLE little boy, abusing his brother, and once called his mother a CUNT.. Blame their abusive fatther, Clint). becomes jealous of the ghostly children who visit Dylan, and insists on having their attention.

Later, Milo shows Dylan the video "he" made, ("Sunday Service"). witch shows the infamish church murder. Milo recorded himself nailing his family to the floor, and Bughuul summons rats to climb onto the family, as Milo dose the "rat trap" torture routine you would see in a medieval torture room. Seriously, look it up.. It's a REAL thing.
Anyway, After Dylan refuses to watch the last movie, the children turn their attention to Zach and abandon Dylan. (which was their plan all along, since the idea was to make Zach jealous, pushing him to the brink of falling into Bughuul).

The next day, Courtney's abusive husband, Clint, arrives with the court ordered custody warrants he didn't have before and Courtney is forced to leave with Zach and Dylan. After finding the farmhouse empty, Deputy drives to Clint's home to warn them about the danger, but Clint (because he's a fucking ASSHOLE) beats Deputy up because he thought he was sleeping with Courney (even though they were divorced) and threatens him with a gun, telling him if he ever comes near his wife again he will shoot him though the head, after beating up his wife.. Though knowing Clint he would probably beat her up even if that DIDN'T happen.. He even beats up Dylan.. Once sent Dylan to the hospital (juse CAUSE).

The next day, Zach, as directed by Milo and the other ghost children, films Dylan and his parents, having a picnic outside learning how to play golf with Clint and Courtney.
After realizing he and his family have been poisoned, Dylan contacts Deputy for help.

That evening, Courtney, Dylan, and Clint are hung on scarecrow posts with sacks over their heads in the cornfield. Zach lights Clint on fire first and films him as he burns to death (though by this point, this isn't exactly "tragic", we kinda WANTED Clint to be killed off.. The creep!).

Anyway, Deputy arrives at the housen, seeing the fire and smoke in the distance and just as Zach is about to light Courtney on fire, Deputy arrives and hits Zach with his car. He frees Courtney and Dylan and they flee into the cornfield. However, Zach has survived being hit and pursues them through the cornfield with the camera (and a sickle), and chases after them. (stabbing Deputy in the arm/hang along the way)

Inside the home, the ghost kids try to help Zach find Courtney and Dylan, tearing the house apart and knocking out Deputy in the process.

Shortly after.
Just as Zach is about to kill Courtney and Dylan, the Deputy intervenes, and manages manages to break the camera by throwing a rock at it, ruining Zach's "home movie", and breaking the cycle.

Zach desperetly tries to search for another camera, but Milo and the other ghosts says "It's too late, you can never come back.. You had to kill ALL of them", and Zach is carried into Bughuul's realm, his face melting into a skull. The house then catches fire, the Deputy, Courtney, and Dylan then escape.

Later, when Deputy is in his motel room packing his things. Before he is about to leave, the ham radio from earlier suddenly appears, he turns and sees the ham radio. Children's voices are heard saying "It's the kids, he gets the kids!". Before a young girl's voice whispers "Deputy". Knowing that he's there. before Bughuul appears in front of the audience (like in the ending of the first).
Since Deputy is the one who stopped the killings by breaking the camera, it is implied that Bughuul kills him..

So,m, yeah.. That's my review..

I like how "abusive husbands" isn't taken lightly in this film. We truly HATE this guy.

Anyway.

My rating
8/10
Not perfect.. But certainly enjoyable

:)