Sinners didn’t hit my radar until I saw Ben Stiller’s retweet of a now-infamous Variety headline about the movie’s opening box office numbers. I’d had almost no knowledge of the movie beforehand, but seeing people try to undercut its success made me want to help prove them wrong. When the film extended its initial theatrical run, my friend Laurel and I finally managed to carve out the time in our busy schedules to see it. I headed in expecting to be terrified, unsure whether I’d make it through the whole movie. I left the theater two hours later, emotionally devastated and completely in awe.
As of this writing, Sinners has grossed over $322 million at the box office — more than tripling its $90 million budget. In an era when Hollywood seems stuck in a cycle churning out franchise installments, remakes, and rereleases, Sinners reminds us how many stories still have yet to be told.
Trigger warning: this film depicts racism, violence, and gore. Please exercise caution while reading.
The Story
The movie takes place over the period of one day, and it’s set in 1932 in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Young Sammie Moore (Miles Caton) has an innate talent for music, and Jeddidiah, his preacher father, worries that it will lead him to a life of sin. Sammie’s cousins, twin brothers Elijah “Smoke” and Elias “Stack” (both played by Michael B. Jordan), have recently returned to their hometown after seven years in Chicago and time in the military before that. Flush with cash from their work with Al Capone and the Chicago outfit, the SmokeStack twins have a vision: they’re going to open a juke joint with the best blues musicians on that side of the Mississippi.
Their success depends on two main factors: the twins must reconcile with their past and recruit help from friends and loved ones. Smoke visits his estranged wife, Hoodoo healer Annie (Wunmi Mosaku), for a bittersweet reunion. Stack’s old flame, Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), adds some interesting dimension to the film with her persistence and no-nonsense gruffness. Rounding out the cast are pianist Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo), suppliers Bo and Grace Chow (Yao and Li Jun Li), cotton-picker-turned-bouncer Cornbread (Omar Miller), and singer Pearline (Jayme Lawson), to whom Sammie takes a particular fancy.
Not far from the old saw-mill, another storyline is brewing, this one with neck-gnawing, blood-sucking vampires. You’ll have to find out the rest for yourself.
The Themes
Seeing as it is set in the early 1930s, one of the more prominent themes permeating this film is flagrant racism. There are sharecroppers picking cotton and talks of lynching, the Ku Klux Klan is very much alive and well, and there’s a conversation involving the Jim Crow laws of the day, if that tells you anything.
A theme that I have always enjoyed but am still the tiniest bit apprehensive about watching is spiritual traditions, namely, hoodoo. I remember seeing it in another movie (does anyone remember Skeleton Key?), and it scarred me, potentially for life. This movie brought it all flooding back like a tsunami.
Another theme present in, well, every horror movie (and this one is no exception) is that of good vs. evil. Will the son of the preacher man outlast the vampires? Will the instrument his father fears will bring evil to Sammie actually protect him? Adultery, murder, violence — it runs the gamut.
The Impact
Part drama and part old-school gorefest (tearing out throats, blood, fleshy bits; you get the idea), Sinners is a charming blend of Get Out and Texas Chainsaw Massacre with a dash of 30 Days of Night thrown in for some flavor. There is a touching, heart-wrenching story that breaks you down into raw emotion, so you don’t see it coming when the vampires start amassing. I don’t think I’ll have any trouble sleeping tonight, but this isn’t something that will soon leave my memory.
Sinners may be a horror movie, but the best word for it is fun. Don’t get me wrong; I was definitely unnerved. But I thoroughly enjoyed watching it and will unabashedly admit that I jumped once or twice. Once it is released to streaming services, whichever they may be, I will most definitely watch it again.
Nobody expects artistry from horror movies, but Ryan Coogler made a poetic masterpiece out of a monster movie. The music is incredibly haunting (it’s been at least an hour, and it’s still bouncing around my brain like a pinball machine), the costumes feel spot on for the time period, the script deftly defies all expectations, and the storyline keeps you glued to the once-upon-a-time silver screen.
I don’t recommend this movie to anyone under 18, but everyone else should flock to the theaters. There are some movies that “one day” you’ll be proud to say you watched on the big screen, and this is one of them. Sinners is one of those movies that only comes around once every few years, if you’re lucky. So, if you’re a fan of the genre, you’ll want to see Sinners as soon as possible. You don’t want to miss this one. As a true horrorphile, I can tell it’s going to be an instant classic.
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