Review: Sinners (2025) — Ryan Coogler’s Southern Gothic Vampire Epic

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners marks a bold departure from his previous work in Creed and Black Panther, it’s a genre-blending vampire thriller, infused with Southern Gothic atmosphere, blues music, and racial history. This isn’t just a horror film, it’s a cultural statement wrapped in myth, music, and mythic stakes.

This is a movie that really does try to do a lot. It starts as one movie, switches to another movie, then tacks on another movie at the end. For some people that kind of thing might not work as a whole and I wasn't entirely sure it worked for me all the time, but in the end, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts (or however that goes) and I ended up enjoying this movie a lot.

1. Premise & World-Building

Set in 1932 Mississippi, post–WWI twin brothers Smoke and Stack Moore (both played by Michael B. Jordan) return from Chicago to build a juke joint for their Black community. Their dream of redemption is violently interrupted by a vampiric threat led by an Irish vampire, Remmick (Jack O’Connell), and his occult allies. Interwoven are themes of racism, folklore, religion, and community resilience

Coogler grounds the supernatural in real social tension; the Jim Crow South is as oppressive as any vampire. Music becomes the emotional core and spiritual anchor of the story, making the horror all the more resonant .

2. Performances & Characters

Michael B. Jordan (Smoke & Stack Moore)

Jordan delivers an amazing dual performances. Smoke is haunted and guilt-ridden; Stack is charismatic yet grief-stricken. Jordan navigates their differences with nuance, making each brother vivid and real

Miles Caton (Sammie “Preacher Boy” Moore)

The standout newcomer, Caton channels raw emotion and spiritual force, blending blues performance with mounting dread. Critics hail him as the film’s soulful heart. There are some amazing songs in here and Caton's performance really manages to stand out in a cast that is stacked. The part where he sings a song so pure that it punches a hole in reality and one long, amazing, beautiful tracking shot shows how music past and present, and across cultures, brings everyone together.

Supporting Cast

Jack O’Connell excels as Remmick, a vampire with both menace and vulnerability

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Wunmi Mosaku is magnetic as Annie, the spiritually torn wife/husband of Smoke, embodying tragic grace

Delroy Lindo, Hailee Steinfeld, Li Jun Li, and others fill out the rich tapestry, grounding the supernatural stakes in authentic emotion. Lindo steals every scene he is in as the drunk and broken down bluesman and Steinfeld has one of the greatest lines right near the beginning that I don't want to spoil here.

3. Visual Style & Cinematography

Shot on Ultra Panavision 70 and IMAX, cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw crafts a visual feast. Rustic blues and deep reds transform the Mississippi backdrop into a poetic, haunted landscape. Her long takes—the juke joint sequence in particular—are anxious, rhythmic, and electrifying

Coogler and Arkapaw’s partnership captures every flicker of homage, every shadowed corridor harboring dread.

The short of it - this movie is GORGEOUS. It is amazing to look at, rich with color and a feast for the eyes.

4. Music & Soundtrack

Wow, what a soundtrack. I mean, wow!

Music is Sinners’ backbone. Ludwig Göransson weaves blues guitar, fiddles, and doom-metal layers into a score that bleeds through the narrative. A standout moment: Sammie's live performance in the juke joint, merging music and supernatural tension.

This sonic layering doesn’t just accompany the story, it is the story.

5. Themes & Symbolism

This may throw some people off, but this movie is packed with symbolism. Now,you can just watch this as a really excellent vampire horror film, but there are themes and symbols everywhere.

Sinners tackles heavyweight concepts mixed into a compelling story:

• Racial legacy & resistance: The brothers’ enterprise symbolizes Black empowerment amid systemic oppression .

• Spiritual warfare: Hoodoo, blues, and vampirism intertwine, reflecting a battle for cultural and spiritual survival .

• Sin and redemption: The title references not just the undead, but moral choices and ancestral trauma.

It’s horror with conscience; a narrative where evil is both supernatural and societal.

6. Pacing & Narrative Structure

At 137 minutes, pacing occasionally drags—especially early on. Critics note it takes time for the supernatural to appear, and a few scenes feel indulgent.

But the payoff is massive. Once the horror kicks in, the tension mounts, and the emotional stakes keep you invested. And the theme shift from a gangster movie to a movie about community and opening this Juke Joint to horror does happen fast and might cause a kind of mental whiplash, but stick with it.

7. Box Office & Critical Reception

Opened Easter weekend with $45.6 million, toppling expectations. This movie has become a favorite of many. I am not sure I fall into the rapturous fandom of this movie that some fans have had (I mean, if you act like this whole thing is so new you practically orgasm over it, congratulations on seeing your first movie ever), but I really liked it and maybe it will end up on my favorites of 2025.

8. Some Other Thoughts

Overall, this movie really worked for me. I loved the character.s I cared about them. Yes, it is a movie that might be overly ambitious and trying to do too much, but I began to think of this (and maybe it's because I have been writing short stories for various anthologies) like an anthology story. Oh, this story is a bit of a gangster tale. This one is about guys starting a juke joint in the racist south. Hey, now here's a vampire story! Oh, now there's a revenge tale.

When you get anthologies to submit to they always have a premise. This one was like "create a short story and feature all of these same characters in this setting" and then that's what Coogler did. In the end, I just got swept up into it and loved it. There was way more to love than dislike.

Then Buddy Guy shows up! The legend! The man! How can you not love Buddy - freaking - Guy? I loved that scene too and it felt authentic because, well, it was Buddy-freaking-Guy.

9. Final Verdict

Sinners is not just a horror film; it's a cultural statement. Coogler redefines horror cinema by embedding a vampire story in the lived reality of Jim Crow-era America. The blend of blues, race, faith, and folklore isn’t just atmospheric—it’s essential.

It's a slow burn (but you know I love that), ultimately, Sinners delivers a visceral, soulful punch. It’s visionary, immersive, and unforgettable—precisely what horror can and should be at its best.

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