Sinister (2012) with Hannah Cabell & Ryan King

It’s been a while since true crime writer Ellison Oswalt had a bestseller, and the strain is starting to show on Ellison, his wife Tracy, and their kids Trevor and Ashley.  Local law enforcement isn’t keen on him, either, as his last few books didn’t cast them in too fond a light. So Ellison and his family take up residence in a modest Pennsylvania ranch house with something of a history – something we learn when we watch as a family is lynched in the house’s back yard.  Unfortunately, this may be his last chance at the big time, so Ellison neglects to inform Tracy of this, and when things start going bump in the night, and the home movies left behind reveal ominous clues about a killer’s identity, Ellison finds himself turning from the hunter to the hunted.  A helpful deputy steps in to assist, as well as a professor of the occult, but by the time they reveal their own information, the situation has devolved from strange… to sinister.

Intro, Math Club, Debate Society, Hot for Teacher (spoiler-free): 00:00-28:47
Honor Roll and Detention (spoiler-heavy): 28:48-1:00:57
Superlatives (spoiler-heavier): 1:00:58-1:23:12

Director Scott Derrickson
Screenplay C. Robert Cargill & Scott Derrickson
Featuring Michael Hall D’Addario, Vincent D’Onofrio, Clare Foley, Ethan Hawke, James Ransone, Juliet Rylance, Fred Dalton Thompson

Hannah Cabell is a New York-based actor, director, and writer. She wrote, directed, and starred in the short film Lost Nation, which won Best NH Short at the 2023 New Hampshire Film Festival. As well as the feature version of Lost Nation, she has written The Hills and the Sky, about an archivist’s obsession with Betty and Barney Hill’s 1961 alien abduction, and the comedy television pilot Brother Husbandry. Hannah’s acting credits include “The Black List,” “The Good Fight,” “Madam Secretary,” “Mr. Robot,” and “The Leftovers,” and she currently plays Judge Renee Gittens on “Law & Order.” Film work includes The Surrogate, Luce, and Thine Ears Shall Bleed (upcoming). She has been nominated for Lortel and Drama Desk awards for her stage performances. MFA, NYU.

Ryan King is a screenwriter, playwright, and actor who grew up in Central Texas and now lives in New York with his wife and daughter. He wrote the screenplay for Black Flies, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this year, starring Sean Penn and Tye Sheridan, after being selected for the 2018 Black List of Hollywood’s favorite unproduced screenplays. His original thriller screenplay, The Tutor, starring Garrett Hedlund and Noah Schnapp. HAs a playwright, he’s been a member of the Ars Nova Playgroup, the Primary Stages Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group, the Working Farm @ SPACE on Ryder Farm, and the Clubbed Thumb Early Career Writers Group. His plays have been developed by Cape Cod Theatre Project (twice), Williamstown Theatre Festival, Naked Angels, Rattlestick Theatre, Clubbed Thumb, Colt Coeur, Primary Stages, SPACE on Ryder Farm, Ars Nova, Theater of NOTE, Tofte Lake Emerging Artists Program, and Ground Up Productions, and his short play Antares Returning was produced as part of Fit Club’s 2017 Spring Fling festival and nominated for Best Short Play by the NY Innovative Theatre Awards. As an actor, he has appeared regionally and Off-Broadway.

Our theme music is by Sir Cubworth, with embellishments by Edward Elgar.  Music from Sinister by Christopher Young.

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