Sinners First Reactions Tease One Of The Best Horror Movies Of 2025
Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" will pit Michael B. Jordan against vampires, and early reactions have hailed the horror film (which had some real-world inspiration) as fang-tastic. In this one, the "Black Panther" star plays Smoke and Stack, a pair of twin brothers who return to their hometown to discover that it's overrun with blood-thirsty fiends, led by the vicious Remmick (Jack O'Connell). The movie is also a period piece, with the story set in the American South during the 1930s.
The town-being-tormented-by-bloodsuckers premise is reminiscent of all-time great vampire horror movies like "30 Days of Night," "Salem's Lot," and "The Lost Boys," but this is a Coogler joint, and that means it'll have its own distinct flavor. The director was also inspired by the films of Robert Rodriguez, John Carpenter, and the Coen Brothers, so viewers can look forward to a genre-hopping slice of action-packed scare fare.
Of course, mixing genres is tricky, but the positive early response to "Sinners" indicates that Coogler pulled it off with aplomb. Bearing that in mind, let's see what folks are saying about the vampire yarn in the early going.
Critics believe Sinners has established Ryan Coogler as one of the greats
Ryan Coogler has been on a roll since he burst onto the scene with "Fruitvale Station" in 2013, and he's developed a rapport with Michael B. Jordan that's akin to Martin Scorsese's collaborations with Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio. "Sinners" looks set to continue his hot streak, and some people believe that the director has made a statement with his first foray into horror.
"Ryan Coogler has solidified his place as one of the greats (more than he already has) with #Sinners. As good as you think it's going to be, it's better. Scary, SEXY, and social commentary with a hell of a bite," /Film critic BJ Colangelo wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), while adding that audiences should check this one out on the big screen.
A similar view was echoed by The Mary Sue's assistant editor Rachel Leishman, who believes that "Sinners" could go on to be regarded as one of the most memorable vampire flicks of all time. "I can talk about #Sinners now! Holy s**t! I sat up on the edge of my seat at one point and cannot stop thinking about it. Truly a masterpiece and Ryan Coolger is doing it like none other," as she put it.
That said, while Coogler deserves heaps of praise for bringing "Sinners" to life, The AU Review's Peter Gray believes that the cast also deserves some recognition for their performances in the film, writing: "Michael B. Jordan is superb, Jack O'Connell enjoyably unsettling, Hailee Steinfed a minx in the best way. Gory, horny, relevant."
Overall, it seems that most everyone is pleased with Coogler's latest effort so far. Of course, audiences will get to make up their own minds about the movie when it bites its way into theaters on April 18, 2025.