Frightfest preview: Sinister Simon Fitzjohn August 1, 2012 Features, Film4 Frightfest 2510 If you are looking for some genuine acting chops at this year’s Frightfest, Sinister might be just the treat you are looking for. Starring Ethan Hawke and Vincent D’Onofrio among others, and directed by Scott Derrickson (who brought us The Exorcism Of Emily Rose), this has a real stamp of quality. Hawke plays Ellison Oswald, a true crime writer who has made a career out of exposing police mistakes. Taking his writing one stage further, he decides to move into the house where a small-town death took place to channel his creative juices. Before long though (and after the discovery of some old home movies), Oswald becomes convinced that there are dark forces at play, involving the ancient occult. Whether it be in the likes of Training Day, Gattaca or Daybreakers, Hawke is an actor I have always found easy to watch, and he obviously has no problem turning his hand to genre material. Early word says he produces an excellent performance as a writer struggling to come to grips with what is happening around him, so we await this one with interest. Sinister screens at Frightfest on Sunday, August 26.