Horror movies centering Black characters are not a new phenomenon, but the genreâs resurgence in recent years has ushered in a fresh wave of ambitious and occasionally phenomenal features that spin the United Statesâ legacy of racism into captivating, supernatural tales. Sinners, writer / director Ryan Cooglerâs latest project, feels very much like a product of this recent era in the way it pulls from and remixes classic vampire canon to tell a powerful story about life for Black Americans in the South at a time when the countryâs promise of their freedom was not guaranteed.
Sinners reads as a deeply personal narrative thatâs been gestating within Cooglerâs mind for years, and the film shifts between being scary, stylish, and sexy in ways meant to leave you in awe of how magical movies on the big screen can feel. And while the movie doesnât exactly reinvent the bloodsucker genre, it pours a captivating and beautiful energy into it that makes this feel like Coogler working near the height of his still-growing creative powers.
Everyone is guilty of at least a little heathenry in Sinners, but there are few people with reputations as tarnished as twins Elijah / âSmok …
