by Leslie M. Scott-Jones

Sinners is a supernatural horror film produced, written, and directed by Ryan Coogler, best known for the Black Panther film series. The film is set in 1932 in the Mississippi Delta, and follows the story of a family of three young Black men, and stars Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo, Wunmi Mosaku, Miles Caton, and Jayme Lawson. The film has been heralded as an artistic masterpiece for its complex and layered story. It is also important because, due to Coogler’s bargaining power, and the attachment of star Michael B. Jordan to the project, he was able to secure ownership (owning the film after 25 years), final dollar gross (a cut of the gross profit), and final cut privilege (final say in how the film is put together). This is a deal that no Black director has ever received from a major studio. To date, it has grossed over $250 million in the U.S. and Canada and over $80 million elsewhere, bringing its total to over $338 million worldwide. No one can argue the fact that the film is a success, no matter which ruler you use. I would argue that even if you are not a horror movie fan, you should see this movie, and there are several reasons.

Placing the story squarely in the Jim Crow Era allowed Coogler to create an instant nostalgic memory for Black folk and speak to the way the quest for the American dream has worked on Black folk, and particularly how we are barred from achieving it and why. For instance, the wooden nickel (IYKYK) emphasizes how even post-emancipation Black people were kept poor by being paid in plantation currency, rather than real money. This practice ensured they would never make enough to leave or own anything of their own. Academics and historians Jemar Tisby and Keisha N. Blain created and published a reading list on the African American Intellectual History Society’s website, which “delves into the multifaceted historical, cultural, and social contexts depicted in the film, providing audiences with a deeper understanding of its layered narratives.” It covers historical context, African American spirituality, Blues and its origins, Black art and poetry of the era, and books detailing the Great Migration, the Great Depression, as well as gender dynamics, Black people in the military, and early civil rights struggles. The “syllabus” also gives insight into vampire lore, other educational resources, websites, music, films, and series to watch, if you like the genre. 

If you liked the feel of The Color Purple, then this visual landscape is right up your alley. Visualizing for us the plight of a sharecropping family from the beginning of a day until the end brings up memories of grandparents or perhaps great-grandparents on farms not too far outside of the city we call home. Many of us can relate to the plight of the preacher’s kid, who just wants to play music and the pull of a life spent on a stage instead of in a field. Some of us had grandmothers who were the women everyone went to if something was ailing them, or who packed a bag and went house to house healing people with roots, herbs, and poultices. These are things our DNA carries, that makes us feel comfortable and understood in ways only another Black person would understand. It is Coogler’s gift to us, dealing out this shorthand in overt visuals and partly covert languages spoken in hushed tones and veiled gestures, reminiscent of cornrows that told us how to get free. 

The title of the film isn’t the only thing layered about this story. It is a horror film, dealing with vampires that terrorize the opening night of a juke joint owned by the twin brothers, Smoke and Stack, played by Michael B. Jordan. This film speaks directly to our history as Black folk in this country, in the deliberate choice to make the vampires white and Irish. It mirrors the relationship between these two communities. Relating specifically to Charlottesville’s Vinegar Hill neighborhood, where there was a significant Irish population, the two communities lived together peacefully. As the Irish were thought of as lower on the totem created by white society than Black folk, we became friends. As they became recognized as being white, and their societal status began to improve, they left Black and indigenous folk behind for greener pastures. We see that echoed in the plot of the film, as the Irish vampire tempts the Black folk, speaking of how the oppression they face is the same, and joining them would mean solidarity and survival. When, in fact, joining them means eternal damnation. It takes a special kind of genius to equate vampirism with supremacist culture. Turning it into a literal virus that infects you and twists your soul.  I found it particularly important that the indigenous people were the ones hunting the vampire and tried to warn everyone of the danger. Just as in the annals of history, they were ignored and dismissed. There are multiple sins committed in the film. Lying, cheating, and murder, to name a few. There are multiple parallels between the lives of the brothers that add to the layering of this story. Smoke fell in love with a healer/conjure woman, and they had a baby that died. Stack, the more flashy of the brothers, fell in love with a woman who could pass for white, whom he left so she could have an easier life as a white woman. Both of these women demand the truth from the brothers before they agree to help them with the joint. They each demand that love be declared for them. It can’t be emphasized enough that finally, there is a love story between the charismatic, sexy Black leading man and a full-figured, dark-skinned Black woman who does not commoditize or denigrate herself to achieve her goals. She stands in her truth and her power and firmly says what she will and will not allow with grace and love. I’m here for all of that.

Finally, as an artist, the most wonderful thing about this movie is how Coogler managed to bring Afrofuturism into the mix yet again during the dance sequence in the juke joint. As we weave through the dance floor, we see and hear glimpses of past and future rhythms, dances, fashions, and lives. Through this magical sequence, we are reminded that all the music we listen to today came from rhythms created by Black people. We are reminded that every trend in fashion has been heavily influenced by the particular swag of Black folk. This reminder is bittersweet because we know that even though our purchasing power totals over a trillion dollars annually, we hold only 3% of the nation’s wealth. We are reminded that they love our rhythm and hate our blues. Once again, the nostalgia hits you, and like our ancestors did before us, we make a way outta no way and laugh, sing, and dance because aint no use cryin over spilt milk. You may find yourself, as I did, laughing through the tears of the familiar realization of how amazing we are as a people.

I’m not necessarily a horror fan. I am a huge Blerd, and a fan of Coogler, which is why I went to see this movie, and it did not disappoint. Even if you don’t like horror, you’ll like this. The biggest sin you could commit is to miss it.