Sinners (2025) had me doing the Irish Jig in the parking lot

I knew my faith in Ryan Coogler was not misplaced, that my west coast king would not disappoint me. I knew the moment it was announced that his next film was going to be a horror film, that it would eat and that all expectations would be surpassed. Can you tell that I’m literally buzzing right now? I haven’t been able to think about anything else for the last 12 hours.

Horror is such a fun genre. There is no other genre of film with more untapped potential while also being the most well-positioned to explore difficult subject matter. Every year without fail, the most insightful explorations of human nature can be found in a horror film (even though the academy is in denial about that fact). On the other hand, the history of black people in this country is still greatly unexplored in media. Our shared history is complex, featuring some of the most uncomfortable moments in American history. It makes sense then, that our greatest black directors working today have sought to utilize horror, tell black stories with flair and fright. This work has resulted in several modern classics of which I believe we can add Sinners to that growing canon, it’s just that good.

Sinners is a film that seeks to express black southern history, primarily in the Mississippi Delta, through the smart use of music and myth. Without giving too much away, music acts not only as a means of coloring the film with a unique feel but as an entity within the story itself, a driving force for the entire plot. While all of the music is diegetic, the placement of the songs also serves to give structure to film, with characters singing to highlight fun scene transitions or mark noted shifts in the story (things I am a sucker for). There is a scene in particular that comes to mind that actually inspired the title of this review. I love a good Irish song and dance, and I was obsessed with the way it was shot. In a movie with such beautiful blues music, I was impressed to see they had given the same effort and honor to other types of music as well. The film is also very stunning; you can see that there was so much thought put in every single shot. Every angle, every lighting choice- it all just felt VERY intentional. This is a project that was worked on diligently and as a fellow creative, that was just beautiful to see.

I’m also eager to see what kind of conversations come of this film. In a time where it seems like this country is in a race to the bottom educationally, I believe Sinners and the conversation it encourages could act as a necessary benchmark to gauge just where we’re at as a people (or how bad it’s gotten). For example, did audiences pick up on the deliberate choice to make our main vampire Irish from the depths of the Emerald Isle and not Irish American? Did they pick up on the use of religious propaganda as a means of colonizing both peoples? Did they catch why the klan couldn’t and shouldn’t be vampires? Or are we cooked? I love a movie that inspires real THOUGHT and Sinners is really that.

Before I forget, I also want to give a particular shoutout to the casting. This film was cast to perfection. As you already know, I think casting Wunmi Mosaku in anything is always the right decision and I’m glad to see her in a role that really lets her talent shine. I also love a good star-making role and I can’t wait to see what Miles Caton does next. If anyone in Hollywood has any sense, it should be sooner rather than later. Also, the movie is funny as hell. Crazy. Scary. Spooky. Hilarious. All things a good horror movie should be. How come only people from the Cali get it? Anyway, I’ll probably see it in theaters again, you know me. I’ll let you know if it holds up by the 4th watch (8.5/10).

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