Summary

• Sinister 3 has yet to be released due to the underwhelming response to the sequel. Critics felt that Sinister 2 relied too heavily on jump scares and shock value.
• Director Scott Derrickson has moved on to bigger projects, such as Marvel's Doctor Strange, which has made a return to the Sinister franchise less likely.
• Despite the challenges, Derrickson has expressed a tentative interest in exploring the Sinister universe further if it can be done in a better way and recapture the compelling elements of the original film.

Thanks to director Scott Derrickson’s 2012 supernatural horror Sinister and its 2015 sequel, there have been calls for Sinister 3. Following the first film’s release, Blumhouse Productions went forward with Sinister 2 during the summer of 2015. With the success of the company’s other franchises such as The Conjuring, Paranormal Activity, and Insidious, Sinister 2 did not garner as much attention as they had anticipated. Streaming has been kind to the IP though, and it's managed to garner a small following in the years since. While the premise of the two films showed a promising future, after five years, there has yet to be a third Sinister installment.

Sinister followed true crime author Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) as he and his family moved into a new home. After he finds a box of Super 8 mm film reels labeled “home movies,” he discovers a deeply disturbing series of murders orchestrated by children. Ellison discovers they lead back to an ancient boogyman by the name of Bughuul. Bughuul uses his supernatural powers to manipulate children into killing their families and recording it all with a Super 8 camera. In Sinister 2, he fails when the camera is shattered, but in the final moments, Bughuul jump scares the screen. Technically, he could return in Sinister 3, if it ever happens.

Why Sinister 3 Never Happened

Fans have not heard any news about whether Bughuul would appear on-screen, or about a Sinister 3 release date. However, in 2018, Jason Blum announced there was potential for Sinister. He has since tabled the film but its to having worked on it though there may never be another standalone film in the Sinister universe. While the initial film was a success and garnered a great deal of profit and popularity, its sequel was less effective. Sinister 2 relied too heavily on jump scares and shock value with little to show for it.

Critics were especially harsh due to the expectations set by Blumhouse’s highly successful films that came out around the same time. Ultimately, making a follow-up film was not in the cards with how unsuccessful the sequel turned out to be. Despite the lost possibility of a third film, Bughuul is not done with his films and could make a reappearance at some point in the future. Until then, Sinister remains an intensely horrifying and disturbing supernatural film that fans return to time and time again.

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Scott Derrickson Went On To Bigger Things Than Sinister 3

One reason that Sinister 3 never arrived is that director Scott Derrickson has moved on to bigger things in his career. While Sinister wasn't Derrickson's first directorial feature, it was one that significantly boosted his career. He had previously worked on a Hellraiser sequel, the underrated exorcism movie The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and the critically lambasted The Day the Earth Stood Still. However, with Sinister, Derrickson had a huge hit on his hands, but the second movie arrived without Derrickson involved and was a disappointment.

At this time, there is little chance he will return to the franchise. In 2016, Derrickson hit the big time when he picked up a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie with the first Doctor Strange. While he left that franchise due to creative differences, it proved that he was secure enough in his self-worth to leave the lucrative MCU to keep his vision intact. This led to Derrickson directing the Joe Hill horror adaptation, The Black Phone, which saw him back with Ethan Hawke after working on Sinister. The filmmaker is now working on a romantic action film for AppleTV+ called The Gorge.

Scott Derrickson Didn't Rule Out A Return For Sinister 3

Nevertheless, Derrickson has still commented somewhat positively about the possibility of Sinister 3. Derrickson's comment regarding the possibility of Sinister 3 reflects a measured openness to revisiting the horror franchise he began. In 2023, when asked if he would return to the franchise that made him an in-demand director, Derrickson responded:

Possibly. It’s a really interesting world. It’s really unfortunate that Sinister 2 was a misfire, but I do think there’s a lot of things that are special about it, and I certainly think it merits more exploration if we can do it in a better way.

His use of "possibly" immediately suggests that there is no concrete decision, but rather a tentative consideration of the future of Sinister. The filmmaker's candid reflection on Sinister 2 as a "misfire" indicates an awareness of the sequel's shortcomings, which were echoed by fans and critics, as it sits at a low 14% on Rotten Tomatoes. The honesty may serve to reassure audiences that any future endeavor would aim to recapture what made the original film so compelling. The notion of "more exploration" suggests that Derrickson believes there are still stories to tell within the universe, which could be told in Sinister 3.