Despite the skull-crushing volume inside the theater, the blood-curdling shrieks of the audience drown out the soundtrack of Sinister as it strikes viewers with horrifying scenes and plot twists.

With such a melodramatic name, one might expect a cliché hour and a half of overly dramatic graphics and cheap scares that are as predictable as a serial killer in a Halloween mask. And while all of these are incorporated into Sinister, the film utilizes them in unexpected ways.

Produced by Jason Blum, known for his work on Insidious and all four Paranormal Activity films, Sinister lives up to the reputation of its creator. The protagonist of the movie is true crime novelist Ellison Osborne, played by Ethan Hawke, who moves his family into the old house of a family who was brutally murdered, their youngest daughter left missing, out of desperation for money and fame.

While unpacking, Osborne discovers an old box with five home movies inside, each of which is titled with deceptively harmless names that document something sickening.  For example, one titled “Sleepy Time” documents the slitting of the throats of a family while tied up in bed.

But surprisingly this is not the most stomach-clenching method of murder used in the film, nor the most heartbreaking. Screenplay writers Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill outdid every other horror movie of 2012 not simply by evoking head splitting screams, but by mixing them with personal twists to the plot, which are lacking in the classic scary movies.

After discovering the home movies, Osborne becomes obsessed with understanding the five murders filmed on eerie Super 8mm film. Through his research, Osborne uncovers elements of the murders that leave him distraught. However, his own selfishness keeps him from abandoning the project and saving his family until it is too late to do so.

Another unexpected success in Sinister is the acting. Unlike most other films in its genre, Sinister has a cast of actors who seem to specialize in screams so believable they inspire the viewers to join in. Although many aspects of the movie are a far cry from realistic, the thoroughly convincing performances throughout the film cast rationality from the theatre.

While the ultimate end to the movie is admittedly predictable, everything in between is so satisfyingly diabolical that it will leave you as bloodthirsty as a Homecoming court right before crowning. Though not recommended for the easily squeamish, Sinister is worthy of being added to the slew of films to be seen around Halloween.