When Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan team up, it’s never just about what’s on the surface — and their latest project Sinners proves that yet again. Yes, this is a vampire movie. Yes, it’s scary. But it’s also sweaty, sexy, and soaked in historical weight that takes your breath away long before the fangs ever come out.
Set in 1930s Mississippi, Sinners takes a bite out of Southern gothic horror, using the genre to explore legacy, secrecy, and survival in a deeply segregated America. The visuals are lush and eerie — the swamps are alive, the night feels hungry, and everything is drenched in tension. It’s the kind of film that demands to be experienced in IMAX.
“If you can see it in IMAX, do yourself that favor,” I said in my on-camera review. “There are moments where the tension just sits on your chest.”
I had the chance to speak with the cast — and what I quickly realized is that the monsters aren’t just on screen. Sinners is a film where the horror is twofold: the supernatural, and the system.
THE BITES WERE REAL — ON AND OFF SCREEN
Jayme Lawson, Jack O’Connell, and Miles Caton shared some real-life horror stories from filming deep in Louisiana.
“Deep Louisiana,” Lawson and O’Connell said in unison when I asked what got under their skin — literally.
“The mud, the delegation, the heat… the bug bites. Waking up the next day and seeing your legs tore up,” Lawson added.
It wasn’t just the setting that tested them — it was the psychological weight of the story. Sinners balances jump scares with moments of quiet dread, and the cast carried those layers with authenticity.
Caton revealed that when he first got the script, all he saw was a small music scene.
“Once I got the whole script, I was like, wow. Ryan’s really a genius. I was really surprised and couldn’t wait to start,” he told me.
MAGIC, MEMORY, AND MONSTERS
Delroy Lindo’s portrayal of Delta Slim — a musician haunted by more than the past — is the kind of performance that stays with you. And his perspective on the role during our conversation? Pure poetry.
“Delta Slim is a magic man,” Lindo told me. “A magic man whose magic has maybe been soiled, dragged through the mud — but it’s still there. Still making music. Still surviving.”
That right there is the soul of Sinners — it’s about the people history tried to bury, but couldn’t. Even in a vampire narrative, it’s the legacy that bleeds through.
Omar Miller, whose own family roots trace back to Mississippi, connected to the film in a deeply personal way.
“I’m the grandson of sharecroppers from Mississippi. So for me, it hit home in a very special way,” he said.
“These were stories I heard growing up.”
And for Li Jun Li, the role introduced her to a hidden chapter of American history.
“I had no idea about the Chinese American community in the Mississippi Delta during that time,” she shared. “They were fully immersed in the culture. If you just listened to the way they spoke, you’d never imagine them to look like me.”
FINAL VERDICT: GO SEE IT
Sinners isn’t just a horror movie — it’s a slow burn that simmers with truth. It’s what happens when brilliant Black filmmakers use genre to tell stories we haven’t seen told this way before. And yes — it’s sexy. And kind of scary. And unforgettable.
So if you’re into supernatural thrillers with substance, or just want to see Michael B. Jordan bring a little fanged thirst trap energy to your screen — Sinners is worth every drop.
Watch it in IMAX. Let it haunt you.
Then come talk about it with me — your front row seat to the culture. 💋
