“Sinners” is one of the most anticipated films of the year. Directed by Ryan Coogler, the film stars Michael B. Jordan in a dual role as twins named Smoke and Stack. The brothers have recently returned from Chicago to Mississippi with plans to open a juke joint.
The pair rally up some of the best musicians in town including their cousin Sammie Moore (actor Miles Caton) and Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo). With a reputation that precedes them, their presence is revered but their return is met with contention when the brothers encounter their former lovers Annie (Wunmi Mosaku) and Mary (Hailee Steinfeld).
Coogler, who previously directed “Fruitvale Station,” “Creed,” “Black Panther,” and “Black Panther II: Wakanda Forever” gives the Sentinel insight into his decision to make his fifth film a vampire musical.
“I’ve made two movies about fictional African kings and queens. [For ‘Sinners’] I was honored to take IMAX film cameras and Ultra Panavision 70 cameras and go to Louisiana and make something real. Yes, it has magic, hoodoo, and vampires in it but at the foundation of ‘Sinners’ is something real,” Coogler said.
While “Sinners” is in part a vampire horror film, it’s immensely layered and rooted in Black history. Coogler drew from several personal and historical references when writing the screenplay. These inspirations included his late uncle who often played blues music when they were together. Coogler shared that after his uncle’s passing, listening to those records made him feel as if he could conjure his uncle’s presence.
Coincidentally, the origin of blues music is said to have similar connections to spirituality. The film takes place in the 1930s at a time when gospel was the most prevalent genre.
A lore about popular artists of the time including Charley Patton and Robert Johnson was that they sold their souls to the devil in order to play the guitar and sing the blues. In the film, one of the character’s pure and unadulterated gift for singing the blues and playing the guitar unintentionally summons the underworld.
What differentiates “Sinners” from other horror films is the masterful way in which Coogler places the vampires literally in front of a door; however, they can’t enter without being invited in. This is a subtle yet powerful message that actress Wunmi Mosaku who plays Annie, a Hoodoo priestess, wants audiences to glean from the film.
Mosaku told The Sentinel, “The vampires can be a reference for so many things. Evil can show up in many different forms. Is it gnawing away at your purpose or your gift? Is it procrastination? Is it overstimulation? There are so many things that could be interpreted as something that’s going to change and manipulate what you’re meant to do. It’s about identifying what that could be in your life right now, what’s serving you and what’s not. And what’s going propel you further into fulfillment, peace, and joy.”
With a film set in the Mississippi in the 1930s, one would think that there’s nothing scarier than the characters that are Klan members. Yet Coogler introduces the audience to a group of vampires of Irish descent who appear to be wholesome traveling musicians.
When asked about framing the vampires in this way Coogler shared, “Out of all the pop culture, public domain monsters and supernatural creators, vampires are the ones most often associated with choice and seduction and in a lot of stories they maintain their humanity. A vampire is scarier than a werewolf because a vampire can talk to you, seduce you, and pretend to be something they’re not. So, I thought that would be interesting to explore.”
The Oscar-nominated director’s passion for filmmaking is palpable and it reverberates within his cast. When asked about her experience working with Coogler, Mosaku said, “Ryan is such a pure and powerful artist. What I love about him is that he gives his all. He recognizes how everyone fits into his purpose and his artistry, but he never takes complete credit. He’s very aware of the symbiotic nature of art and life.
“And I think that’s such a strength of his, because he gives everyone around him the power to do their best work, and he wants you to feel free and empowered to do it. He’s such a great leader in that way.”
When asked what he wants audiences to take away from their experience watching “Sinners,” Coogler said, “First, I want them to have a great time at the theater. To me, that’s the most important gift I can give people right now in 2025 is the feeling that their time at the movies was well spent, and they watched something that had their adrenaline pumping.”
With the Grammy, Golden Globe, and Oscar Award-winning composer Ludwig Göransson at the helm of the score and the soundtrack, Coogler continues, “At the heart of ‘Sinners’ is a movie about Delta Blues music. I believe that music is America’s most important artistic contribution to global culture.
“If we’re talking gumbo, then it’s the roux for popular music. Everything that we listen to now; every genre came from blues. And as Americans, it’s something to know and be very proud of.”
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) will be released in theatres and IMAX on Friday, April 18th.
