Why Scott Derrickson Made Sinister Instead Of Ghost Rider 2 [Exclusive]

Derrickson thinks it was his distaste for "The Day the Earth Stood Still" that led directly to "Sinister." From his language, it seems he wasn't allowed to take 2008's biggest studio movie in the direction he wanted, and "Sinister" served as a balm. By not having to worry about being commercially attractive, Derrickson ironically made one of the biggest hits of his career. The old adage from film school has proven to be correct: if you make a movie you want to see, chances are someone else will want to see it too. Worrying about commercial viability is a surefire path to frustration. Derrickson tells /Film:

"I felt like I died on someone else's sword during 'Day the Earth Stood Still'. I found myself at the end of someone else's movie I was like, 'I'm going to make the movie I want to make.' That's exactly what we did. It was a movie that was totally uncompromising... The ending is pretty dark, but it was, I think, a very pure experience for me and screenwriter C. Robert Cargill ] was as pure a cinematic experience as a person can have, because I didn't think about the success of the film at all."

Derrickson continued to work modestly and successfully for a few years, co-writing Atom Egoyan's drama "The Devil's Knot" about the West Memphis Three, and directing the low-budget horror film "Deliver Us from Evil". In 2014, Derrickson seems to have shaken off his fear of big studio productions and Marvel Comics movies, when he directed the MCU film "Doctor Strange." This film was a success. Derrickson remains diplomatic, saying:

"[M]ake every movie like it's the last. Because one day it will be."