Ryan Coogler impressed me mightily with his direction of Black Panther, and since I’m already a horror fan—and writing about vampires has been part of my writing career for a while now—this seemed like a no-brainer. I met my friend Karen and we went to the local Flix Brewhouse (https://flixbrewhouse.com/) for a Tuesday night showing. Warning: spoilers ahead.

The film focuses on a set of twins, nicknamed “Smoke” and “Stack”, who have returned home after a few years away. We learn that they may have served in World War One, and that they may have also worked for Al Capone in Chicago afterwards. The details are left somewhat vague, which only makes them more intriguing. Whatever they were before, they are now ruthless and somewhat entreprenurial; they have a truck full of stolen liquor, a satchel full of cash, and their intention is to open a juke joint and get rich. They leverage their local contacts to acquire everything else they need; food, workers, and an empty sawmill. The latter they purchase with their satchel of cash from a sketchy old white guy who insists the Klan doesn’t exist any more. Little do Smoke and Stack realize that this “not Klansman”, whom they already know is going to betray them, is the least of their worries…

The film has an interesting take on vampires: this one appears fleeing Choctaw hunters at sunset, into the arms of a poor white couple who make no attempt to hide the clan robes in their shack. Remmick the vampire, smoke pouring off him as he runs up to the shack in full sunlight, offers them strange-looking gold coins if they will shelter him from the hunters, and the couple’s greed gets the better of them. The woman sends away the Choctaw hunters who warn her that she and her man are now in terrible danger. The hunters are, of course, quite correct.

Remmick has a psychic bond with those he turns into vampires, Knowing all that they know, and controlling their actions to an eerie degree. He also turns people into vampires simply by drinking some their blood, which brings several questions to my mind: first, is vampirism a virus? Second, why aren’t there TONS of vampires around? Neither question is answered, but honestly, it’s not important to the plot. At one point Remmick talks about gospel music and how colonizers used it to take over his homeland (which we believe to be Ireland) in the same way it was used in part to control formerly enslaved African Americans. His arguments and his entreaties are seductive, sympathetic, underscoring the centuries he’s had to learn how to get people to lower their guard. As the film continues we come to realize that Remmick is only a more obvious vampire; American society and white culture is sucking the life out of oppressed peoples too, and on a much larger scale.

With an amazing cast almost entirely of people of color, Coogler weaves a tale of racism, poverty, and hope, without coming across as preachy or sanctimonious. It is also full of fabulous music—music being another character in the film as much as it is a central theme.

The ‘monster’ part of the film comes in the second half, and the majority of the violence and gore happens in the last third of the film, with stunning make-up effects that leave one gobsmacked. Note that I said ‘monster’ rather than ‘scary’: Smoke and Stack are scary individuals, prone to violence and not shy about using it. While they tend to treat people right, they don’t tolerate being fucked with. At. All.

Sinners is an amazing film. If you like vampire movies, chances are you will find this one interesting at the very least. I highly recommend it.