Sinners: A Magnificent Monster Mash

Rising from the Coffin

Sharpen your stakes and light your torches, because a wave of vampires have chomped their way into theaters! Sinners is the latest directorial outing of acclaimed director Ryan Coogler, known for his work on films in vastly different genres. Whether it be a biographical drama like Fruitvale Station, an underdog story like Creed, or a superhero smash-hit like the Black Panther duology, Coogler is well-regarded for his thorough approach to these genres. 

With his latest work, he delves into the horror genre with a unique take on a classic movie monster: vampires. In addition, this serves as his first fully original film not based on a previous franchise or true story. Mixed with the positive reception of the trailers, the odds were rising in this movie’s favor as it built a steady stream of hype. 

This potential looks to have paid off, as the film currently tracks an opening weekend total of $40-50 million, a massive turnout for a fully original movie. Similarly, it has received near-universal acclaim from critics and audiences, making it one of the best-reviewed films of 2025 thus far. All of these factors combined left me feeling ecstatic for this movie’s official release. 

Not only did I admire the trailers and premise, but I adore Coogler’s previous works, especially the two Black Panther films. He has commendable talent in the director’s chair, to the point where he’s one of my favorite directors working in the film industry today. Plus, horror is one of my favorite genres and I always love a good vampire story. Basically, the stars were all aligning for this to be one of the best movies of the entire year, and I could not be more excited for it. 

Eagerly, I traveled to the nearby Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas on Route 57, faster than a fanged beast running from the sunrise, and booked a showing on Thursday, April 17. As the credits rolled, I was left with one question: could this film continue Coogler’s steady stream of success, or was it as pleasant as a wooden stake to the heart?

Sinking its Fangs

Set in 1932, Sinners focuses on two twin brothers, Smoke and Stack, as they return to their home of the Mississippi Delta after spending years in Chicago. As part of their return, they buy an old building and organize a massive party for later that night, gathering many of their friends and community for the event. But when the sun goes down and the festivities are underway, a group of vampires visit the location and start wreaking havoc among the partygoers. With nowhere to run, the group must fight for their lives and survive the night against their new fanged foes.

Bringing this terrifying story to life is a star-studded cast including Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Delroy Lindo, Miles Caton, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, and Omar Benson Miller among many others.

The best way I can describe this movie is absolutely magnificent. In fact, when compared to the numerous other films I’ve seen from this year, I honestly think this one might be the best of the lot. This is primarily because of the way it structures its story and central conflict to keep viewers engaged. The film actually starts off as a bit of a slow burn, focusing mainly on the characters and setting to establish the general vibe. But once the sun goes down in the second half, the pacing picks up as vampires swarm into the picture and begin causing mayhem. 

I will not deny, the introductory half could feel a bit slow as I eagerly awaited for the ball to finally get rolling on the conflict. But in the long run, it did not phase my enjoyment of the overall feature, as the characters were all highly charismatic and enjoyable to watch. Their well-written dialogue and unique personality traits helped them all to stand out, with the slower first half serving as a great way to get viewers emotionally attached to the ensemble. Once the conflict becomes more prominent and the script emphasizes more thrills, everyone gets their own time to shine as the fight for survival goes into high gear. 

Accompanying these characters is a visually outstanding setting. The film captures the early 1930s aesthetic perfectly in the production design and costumes, exploring this time period in thorough detail and adding to the engagement value. Even the cinematography and editing amplify the setting through various color schemes and camera movements, helping the film to stand out among many of this year’s other releases. Rather than rely on bright colors and computer-generated effects to keep viewers enthralled, it focuses more on the general environment and sequencing, practically making the setting its own character as a result.

The Horrors Unleashed

The biggest selling point of this movie from the trailers was the vampire-themed action and suspense, which also stood out as a highlight of the overall feature. Not only does the pacing pick up from a lengthier beginning, but it also takes great advantage of the tone. The movie takes itself seriously, finding a strong way of making a fantastical threat feel grounded and realistic. It never feels inconsistent, finding the right balance between when to be thrilling, dramatic, and even emotional. As a result, it makes for a tense viewing, always keeping me on the edge of my seat and anxious for what would happen next. 

Undoubtedly, the most frightening scenes in the film revolve around the antagonistic night-beasts. When they first make their presence known, an uneasiness takes over the tone as viewers question their motives and recognize their brutality. Once the swarm grows larger and the threat completely takes over, the true terror of the situation rears its ugly head as the picture becomes more horrifying. 

For most of the runtime, the movie does not rely on excessive jump-scares or over-the-top gore to get an unnerved reaction out of viewers, opting to focus more on psychological dread through the manipulative interactions and looming presence of the fanged foes. But the final 20-30 minutes of the movie make way for a bloody, gnarly climax as it adds more action to mix with the fear. As a result, it makes for one of the most creative and intense finales I’ve seen from a movie in quite some time. 

Helping to convincingly capture this situation is the cast, who all portray their characters brilliantly. As I stated before, each partygoer has their own unique personality and many genuine interactions which help viewers grow an emotional bond with them. The performers do fantastic in giving these characters an identity and ultimately helping them resonate with audiences. Some of my favorite performances included O’Connell as menacing lead vampire Remmick and Lindo as the party’s humorous piano player, Delta Slim. 

But the standout was easily Jordan as both Stack and Smoke. Having worked with Coogler on all of his other movies, he is no stranger to taking on roles that experiment with his acting potential. In this movie, he takes on a gimmick that has been seen in several other films released this year.

Similar to features like The Monkey, Mickey 17, and The Alto Knights, Jordan takes on a dual performance as the two twins and finds ways to help them stand out from each other. He gives them common traits, including violent instincts, but adds more to both characters, with Smoke acting nervous as the conflict develops while Stack is more belligerent and outgoing. He pulls off the two roles flawlessly, especially shining in the bloody climax, making for one–or two–of the best performances I’ve seen in a movie all year. 

Changing its Tune

The aspect of this film which surprised me the most was the way it utilized music. While not a straightforward musical, it still found a way to implement several melodies into its script, with song-performance serving as a common recurrence throughout the runtime. The musical score, composed by another Coogler regular, Ludwig Görransson, is fantastic in of itself, providing many satisfactory compositions and riffs which make use of several instruments and styles. Görransson’s tracks primarily get to shine in the second half of the film when the party gets started and Remmick’s crew starts causing chaos. 

But the score is not the only music which gets to shine in this film. Tying back to the frequency of live performances, there are also many songs which perfectly encapsulate the time period and are satisfactory to the ears, with a heavy emphasis on the blues. Many of these songs are performed by Caton, in his acting debut, whose instrumental skills and soothing voice introduce audiences to a wonderful array of compositions. 

Without spoiling too much about the movie, I will say there is one sequence about halfway through which combines Caton’s vocal talents, Görransson’s score composition, and a wide variety of dance choreography. This was one of my favorite sequences of the entire film, as it provided candy for both the eyes and ears while maintaining a unique editing style. 

In addition, Steinfeld created her own song for the movie called “Dangerous,” which combines a catchy melody with lyrics that tie back to the film’s main conflict. I’d recommend giving the song a listen, especially if you’ve already seen Sinners, to see if you can catch how it fits in with the picture’s overall tone. 

Even in a movie where the vampire threat is usually seen as its biggest draw, the musical motif gobsmacked me in how frequently it was used and well it was portrayed.

Freakishly Fantastic

Overall, though it may take a while to introduce the central conflict, Sinners is a terrific addition to Coogler’s filmography thanks to its engaging script, grounded tone, gorgeous cinematography, horrifying vampire sequences, unique use of music, and strong performances. Even with a vastly different approach from his previous directorial outings, he adds his own flair to a standard vampire story. As such, it cements this film as arguably the best of the year up to this point. 

If you’re a fan of Coogler’s previous works, period pieces, or anything vampire-related, this is a must-watch. Sinners is currently playing at theaters all across the country, including Mansfield’s own Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas. If you want to see a unique spin on a beloved horror sub-genre, Coogler has you covered with his latest–and possibly greatest–outing to date. 

This movie experimented with many different techniques and found a way to mesh them together flawlessly. As such, this film cements itself as something special which can be enjoyed by anyone, whether they’re a daybreaker or nocturnal animal.

My Rating