Ryan Coogler's Sinners Turns Horror into History

There are legends of people born with the gift of making music so true it can pierce the veil between life and death, conjuring spirits from the past and the future.

If you blink, you may miss this opening line, but it quietly establishes the foundation of Sinners. This 2025 Ryan Coogler supernatural horror film is more than a story about vampires and music—it is a history lesson.

Set in the Mississippi Delta in the 1930s, Sinners follows twin brothers Smoke and Stack, both played by Academy Award winner Michael B. Jordan, as they return home after time spent in Chicago. The brothers aspire to open a juke joint, a goal they manage to accomplish in a single night. Set against the backdrop of the Jim Crow era, the film offers layered representation, particularly through characters like Grace and Bo Chow, Chinese grocery store owners. Their presence reflects historical accuracy, as Chinese immigrants often served Black communities as grocers in the Delta during this time.

As the night unfolds, Sammie, a preacher’s son, plays music on his guitar, introducing a deeper spiritual dimension. His gift transcends performance, acting instead as a conduit to the ancestors. This act of musical conjuring draws the attention of Remmick, a vampire who becomes fixated on Sammie. Within this context, vampirism functions as a metaphor—presenting itself as inviting and alluring while ultimately seeking to drain and consume. Through this lens, Sinners critiques the ways colonialism has historically been disguised as acceptance, particularly in its consumption of Black culture.

The film’s exploration of racism, ancestral connection, and religion culminates in a violent confrontation with the Ku Klux Klan, Sammie’s survival, and the lingering possibility of immortality. Yet beyond its supernatural elements, Sinners leaves viewers with a deeper reflection: the true horror lies not in the vampires themselves, but in the historical and cultural forces that have long sought to exploit, appropriate, and diminish Black expression.

Another perspective on the film from fellow movie critic Anthony Michael: What Sinners Gets Right About Family, Fear, and the Fight to Stay Human