Will new horror film "Sinners" have vampires or other sinister beings? Creator Ryan Coogler gave us the 411!
Scenes In Color dug deep behind the creative inspiration and influence for the film with filmmaker Ryan Coogler.
Slated to release in April of 2025, Sinners is a new horror film from Warner Bros Pictures created and written by Ryan Coogler. The film stars Michael B. Jordan in a dual role as identical twin brothers.
Set in the rural southern United States, during Jim Crow and at time when the blues music was either frowned upon as “devil” music or seen as extremely secular in nature, this film utilizes music, race, culture, and supernatural elements to present a scary and psychologically frightening cinema experience.
Scenes In Color was on hand at the Sinners Press conference with Ryan Coogler, find out what we learned below.
This film is near and dear to Coogler. It was created with his family in mind. In particular, his Uncle who passed away some time ago during the production of Creed. Coogler’s familial ties to the south date back to his grandfathers upbringing in a small town in Mississippi. Crafting the story that drew from his southern lineage, his beloved Uncle’s love for blues music, and his unique vision for a horror story set during this time period in America truly set the tone for what is surely to be chilling and satisfying movie.
In the press conference Coogler said, “I've been blessed where each time I made a film it’s become more and more personal. With this one I was really digging into two relationships. My maternal grandfather that I never met, he died a year before I was born, he was from rural Mississippi and eventually moved to Oakland and married my grandmother….I had an Uncle named Uncle James who I came up with my whole life…he was from another town in Mississippi and he wouldn’t really talk about Mississippi unless he was listening to the blues and had a little sip of Old Taylor Whiskey, and then he would reminisce….I miss him profoundly!
With this film, I kind of got a chance to dig into my own ancestral history here in the states. Not dissimilar to what I was doing with The Black Panther films like generational ancestry…this is right there for me, I actually got to go to the south and scout and think. And this film is about the music that was so special to my Uncle and I couldn’t be happier with the film that we are going to show you all in a few months.”
Confirming that filmmaking has been sort of a form of therapy for him and how blessed he is to have found this medium. Coogler later went on to say that he never really processed the loss of his Uncle James and he wanted to tell a story that kind of made him feel closer to his Uncle and dig into the world that his Uncle was raised in although its set during a time in American history that is often not talked about. Each film has brought him to a closer understanding of not only himself, but the world around him.
The film stars:
Michael B. Jordan as Elijah and Elias
Hailee Steinfeld as Mary
Jack O'Connell as Remmick
Wunmi Mosaku as Annie
Jayme Lawson as Pearl
Omar Benson Miller as Cornbread
Delroy Lindo as Slim
Li Jun Li as Grace
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Miles Caton as Sammy
This is Mike unlike I’ve ever seen him before and I know him pretty well…We hired twin filmmakers as consultants who were able to talk to Mike about the script and while he was prepping the characters about what it’s like to be a twin….We worked on how twins can communicate without talking, which is a big part of the film. -Ryan Coogler
Coogler stated how blues music has a very close relationship with the supernatural. He went on to speak about deals being struck, rumors and stories about how old entertainers would sell their soul to be able to play great music.
Speaking with Emma and Chris Nolan and inspired in many ways by the novel “Salem’s Lot”, plus having been a longtime horror fan and writer/director all helped Coogler to creatively blend multi genres. For Sinners, drawing from various supernatural beings and archetypes allowed him to explore a multitude of ideas and cultural aspects while also synthesizing it through his own personal lens to craft his own horror film for the first time.
This highly anticipated film has been a topic of conversation for both fans and critics, with heavy speculation on if it’s a “vampire” movie or not.
Coogler has confirmed! Vampires will be in this movie, BUT…..there will be other supernatural and sinister beings at play in this frightful and immersive horror flick.
Stay tuned here for more coverage on Sinners leading up to its theatrical release on April 18, 2025!
Until then, check out the newly released trailer below!