'Sinister' red-band trailer

If you’ve had the misfortune of watching the official Sinister trailer, then you already know too much. Not only does it bludgeon you with the whole plot, but it features two minutes of a bearded Vincent D’Onofrio reading what sounds like an encyclopedia entry, describing every detail of the movie’s antagonist. You leave the trailer knowing exactly what to expect. Where’s the mystery? The suspense?

Thankfully, the producers recognized their folly and cut a brand new red-band trailer. It’s everything the original isn’t: Oblique. Ominous. Shrouded in mystery. Think of it as horror impressionism — conceptual and atmospheric, not overtly informative. What they’ve given us is a brooding sequence of images that suggests rather than explains. And, my oh my, is it eerie. I’d buy my ticket based on the final shot alone.

Is the red-band trailer too vague? Just right?

Sinister hits theaters Oct. 12.

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