Close ups are used in Sinister to show characters' emotions, such as disgust and intrigue. Supernatural elements are portrayed through costumes and makeup that make the antagonist appear monstrous rather than human. Low key lighting is employed frequently to generate shadows and obscure whether the antagonist is present, building suspense. Filters are applied to family clips to mimic low quality camera footage and obscure potential threats, further engaging the audience.

1. Aspects of Sinister

2. Camera shots and angles
The camera shot shown in the image below is an example of a close up. Close
ups are used to show characters emotions and feelings which ties in with
horror/thriller films. The image is taken from a particular scene in which the main
character is watching some horrific, brutal murders from families that previously
lived in the house that he currently lives in. As you can see, he is disgusted
however also intrigued to see what happens.

3. Supernatural
In the image below, the antagonist holding the little girl, is portrayed as
supernatural as he doesn’t look human. This is down to mis en scene, in this case,
costumes and make up. Because of the mis en scene, the audience are horrified
by the antagonists appearance and this is what the director aims for. This is
accomplished mainly by make up, the antagonist wars excessive amount of make
you to make him appear as a monster, not a human, the costume he is wearing
also adds to the effect of horror.

4. Lighting
Lighting is one of the most important aspects in any film. Low key lighting is used
a lot in Sinister to set the mood. The low key lighting gives the scene lots of
shadows which makes it harder for the audience to see if the antagonist of the
film is present. This scene is when the main character wakes up in the middle of
the night to hear his super 8 movies playing. The low
key lighting is used to confuse the audience as there
may be someone in the house that played the movie
however we can’t see there whereabouts due
to low key lighting.

5. Filters
Filters were used in this film when the family clips were shown. The image looks
blurred and it appears the filming is from a bad quality camera, however they use
filters. The bad quality makes it harder for the audience to see if the antagonist is
present which leaves them constantly searching for the
antagonist, which builds suspense and leaves them on
the edge of their seats.