By: Gareth Jones

For fans of Ryan Coogler+Michael B. Jordan, Vampire/Folk Horror films with layers

I still remember the time that I saw Fruitvale Station at the Sundance Film Festival.  It was a devastating but extremely important film. It was definitely one of those moments where I knew I had seen the first film of a filmmaker and actor that would go on to a big career.  Ryan Coogler’s direction and Michael B. Jordan’s acting combined to create a powerful collaboration similar to that of Scorsese and DeNiro or Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune or even Spike Lee and Denzel Washington.  They clearly had and have continued to have a symbiotic relationship giving audiences a series of entertaining and thoughtful films and the latest is Sinners, a vampire film that acknowledges previous elements of the genre but adding new and innovative twists that give the genre some new life.

There have been vampire films that have been set in the Black community before, and Coogler does pay homage to Ganja and Hess, Blacula, and even Vampire in Brooklyn.  However, Coogler does a fantastic job placing this story in the Jim Crow South in 1932, specifically the Mississippi Delta in Clarksdale.  This region is famous for the blues and the integration of music into this story is one of its most innovative.  I will get to the incredible music in a moment, but first a bit more on the story.  The film opens with young blues musician Sammie Moore, known as “Preacher Boy” driving up at dawn to his father’s church, stumbling into the service with a series of massive scratches on his face and clutching the handle of a guitar. We then are taken back to one day earlier to see how he came into such a condition.  The notorious twins Smoke and Stack (both played seamlessly by Micheal B. Jordan) have returned home after years working for the mob in Chicago and having fought in World War I, to open a juke joint in their hometown. Jordan’s double performance as the twins is one of the greatest, right up there with Jeremy Irons in Dead Ringers. Each twin has a distinct personality and are clearly unique individuals. Their cousin is Sammie, and they have recruited him and other musicians to help with the opening of the joint. Sammie is played by first time actor/musician Miles Caton, whose performance is one that will launch his career on stage and screen. His singing voice is deep and pitch-perfect for this role.  He holds his own against a cast of major actors.  This includes aforementioned Jordan, but also the always brilliant Delroy Lindo as Delta Slim, the old blues musician that is also recruited to open the joint.

Of course, the opening of the juke joint will be overshadowed by the arrival of a vampire who quickly builds a crew to kill everyone.  This mythology behind the vampire here is connected to the music, specifically how pure music attracts these evil entities just like a moth to the flame, and in this case Preacher Boy’s music is the lure. This vampire is played by English actor Jack O’Connell, and he lays on a marvelous accent here as he charms his way into a home.

There are also the abandoned/re-ignited love interests of the twins, Annie (played by the stunning Wummi Mosake) and Mary (portrayed by Haliee Steinfeld). In both cases, they are given moments to shine and are crucial for the story and character development of the twins.

Coogler does a masterful job recreating the time period and small town world of the time period. There is one fantastic long shot where we see the two Chinese grocery stores. One on the black side and the other on the white side of the street.  It visually tells us about segregation and how life existed at that time period.  This is important for the accuracy of the film, but also a key layer to the story.

As mentioned earlier, the music in this film is astonishing. It is embedded in the story, but the execution of it is magnificent.  In particular, there is one scene when Preacher Boy plays for the first time and Coogler brings in the historical connections of music from African origins to contemporary hip-hop, all coexisting in a continuum just like the vampires.  The score is also significant and done by constant Coogler collaborator Ludwig Göransson.  It brings the visuals to life and complements the story to perfection.

Coogler also shoots this film with IMAX cameras and I highly recommend seeing it on an IMAX film if you are able. Ultimately, Coogler has created a new canonical vampire film, whilst adding invaluable connections to the black experience and history.