Newsletters
Ryan Coogler’s film, Sinners, starring Michael B. Jordan in dual roles as criminal twin brothers, is a 2025 R-rated American horror film set in 1932 in the Mississippi Delta during the Jim Crow era. The twins return to their hometown seeking a fresh start, but are faced with a powerful supernatural evil.
Twin brothers, Smoke and Stake Moore, return to their hometown of Clarksdale after being away for many years, with the hopes of opening a juke joint for their local Black community.
Their cousin Sammie, an aspiring guitarist, joins them despite his pastor father's warnings that blues music has supernatural powers.
The twins hire a field laborer named Cornbread as a bouncer, a local Chinese merchant pair, Grace and Bo Chow, as suppliers, Smoke's ex-partner, Annie, as the cook, and a pianist named Delta Slim.
Night falls on the town, and the juke joint is a success. Cousin Sammie puts on an amazing blues performance; however, this attracts an unwanted supernatural guest, Remmick the vampire.
The night erupts into chaos, leaving the gang to face off against the evil at their doorstep.
The critical reception of Ryan Coogler’s Sinners (2025) has been largely positive, highlighting its unique blend of supernatural horror, period drama, and musical elements, as well as its socio-political commentary.
The movie's soundtrack and cinematography, which captured the spirit of the 1930s Mississippi Delta, were widely praised for elevating the mood and narrative of the film.
The film's bold mix of genres and emotional and spiritual relevance made it "wildly entertaining, sexy and haunting, gory and thrilling, lively and whimsical," according to several critics.
A few critics found the film slow-paced in its first act, with a gradual build-up that may test viewers’ patience before the horror elements fully emerge.
In the film Sinners, jazz, blues, and folk music are central to the film’s narrative, themes, and atmosphere, making the soundtrack elements more than just period-appropriate music.
The film portrays blues music as a powerful cultural and spiritual force deeply rooted in Black history and identity, especially in the Mississippi Delta during the Jim Crow era.
In the film, blues music serves as a mystical portal between the material world and the hereafter.
According to the voice-over that introduces the movie, some people are born with the ability to create music that is so genuine it can "pierce the veil between life and death, conjuring spirits from the past and the future." Blues are also depicted as an expression of Black spirituality, combining elements of Black Christianity, Hoodoo, and folklore.
Folk music in the movie, such as the Irish jigs played by Remmick and his followers, signifies a different cultural heritage, one connected to storytelling and struggle as well as the forced and violent growth of the vampire antagonists.
In contrast, blues depicts Black cultural expression and spiritual depth. This contrast highlights how the movie uses music to explore cultural identity and conflict.
1 min read
1 min read
