Super 8 Tapes[]
The Super 8 footage are snuff films that are a large part of the plot. There are 6 films: Pool Party (1966), BBQ (1979), Lawn Work (1986), Sleepy Time (1998), Family Hanging Out (2011), and House Painting (2012). Each movie is labeled with an innocent title, and left somewhere in the open, enticing someone to watch. They all start out as a typical home movie, depicting a family having fun, but few minutes into each movie, it jump cuts to the murders of the families by an "unseen" individual. This unseen individual is the person filming. After the murders, Bughuul can be seen somewhere in the frame, lurking. The reason behind these movies is for Bughuul to take more souls. Since it is revealed later in the movie that Bughuul actually lives in these films, he needs them to be watched to be released.
The tapes, before the addition of "House Painting '12"
Tapes[]
Sinister (2012)[]
Pool Party '66[]
Pool Party '66 is the earliest dated tape. In the tape, a family is seen taped to lounge chairs weighted by cement blocks. An unseen figure pulls each family member into the pool until they drown. Bughuul can be seen in the water after the family drowns.
BBQ '79[]
In this tape, the Martinez family is tied up inside their own car, which is parked in the garage. The unseen figure lights the car on fire. Bughuul can be seen in the picture, which can be spotted for a moment by the side of the car.
Lawn Work '86[]
In this tape, a lawn mover being pushed by an unseen person is moved up to someone tied up on the ground and runs them over, killing them.
Sleepy Time '98[]
This tape depicts the murders of the Miller family. The family is seen strapped down to their beds while the unseen person slits their throats with a knife.
Family Hanging Out '11[]
The events of this tape occurred in the house that the Oswalt family moves into. The end portion of this movie serves as the opening of Sinister. In this home movie, four members of the Stevenson family are tied to a tree branch with nooses, but their feet are on the ground. An unseen figure cuts another branch that was supporting the Stevensons, which pulls them upward, killing them. Bughuul can be seen in the bushes in the background of the last frame.
House Painting '12[]
This tape is seen in the box with the rest in the last scene of Sinister. Although the footage from this movie is not shown in the film, it can be surmised that it is Ashley Oswalt killing her family with an axe, as Ashley can be seen filming with a Super 8 camcorder while preparing to cut her father. The movie may also include the paintings Ashley made out of her families blood in the hallway of their home. Along with the other children, as Ashley is seen watching Super 8 footage of said events.
Extended Cuts[]
Late in Sinister after Ellison destroys the tapes with fire, only to find them again, perfectly intact, he discovers a bag within the box labeled "Extended Cuts". This is when it is revealed that the "unseen" individuals were actually the "missing" children. In the extended endings, each child comes into frame, moves close to the camera and silently holds one finger up to their mouth as they disappear.
Sinister 2 (2015)[]
Fishing Trip[]
In this tape, a family is hung upside down over a lake by the unseen figure named Ted. Then, an alligator approaches and bites each family members' head off, killing them.
Christmas Morning[]
In this tape, a family is in their pajamas and tied up in shallow graves with Christmas lights. The unseen figure named Emma shovels snow on top of each family member until they freeze to death
Kitchen Remodel[]
This tape shows a family with their arms tied to the ceiling. The unseen figure named Peter floods the kitchen with water from the sink. Then he takes a cable from the wall, and he throws it on the floor to electrocute his family to death.
Sunday Service[]
In this tape, a religious family is shown nailed to the floor of a church. The family is in the shape of a pentagram. The unseen figure named Milo puts rats on each family members' stomach. Then, he places the rats inside metal tins before placing hot coals on top of them. The rats eat through the family's bellies to escape the heat. The rats then escape and run away, leaving the family to bleed to death.
A Trip To The Dentist[]
This tape shows a family tied to chairs in a dentist's office. The family has retractors on their cheeks to keep their mouths open. The unseen figure named Catherine takes a huge drill and drills the family members' teeth and the roof of their mouth, until the drill goes through their head, killing them.