Alongside the bloodthirsty horror classic From Dusk Till Dawn, which features George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino as the Gecko brothers battling a horde of vampires in the infamous Titty Twister bar, there are other genre entries that blend vampire films with the endless, dusty landscapes of the Western.
These include Kathryn Bigelow’s cult classic Near Dark and John Carpenter’s Vampires. The latter, in particular, has amassed a devoted fanbase since its release, despite losing out to Blade in 1998. What makes this fusion so irresistible is how it challenges the traditionally dominant male figure. Out there, something exists that isn’t intimidated by machismo—quite the opposite, as the new Sinners trailer reveals:
When filmmaker Ryan Coogler and actor Michael B. Jordan announced they were working on a horror film together, film fans took notice—especially since neither Coogler nor Jordan have much experience in the horror genre. Coogler, best known for his Black Panther films, first gained attention with the drama Fruitvale Station before proving himself with Creed. Jordan, who has starred in every one of Coogler’s films, also had no prior horror experience. The revelation that Sinners would be a vampire film came as an even bigger surprise.
Similarly, few would have expected Wesley Snipes to take on horror before Blade, but he successfully combined it with a genre he knew inside and out: action. Coogler, who wrote the screenplay for Sinners, also stays within familiar territory, setting his film in the American South during the Prohibition era, weaving in subtle social commentary. And while this new trailer, like so many others, arguably reveals too much, it teases an exciting new perspective on the vampire genre—shot in IMAX format.
Sinners Tells the Story of Two Brothers Trying to Escape Their Fate
Set in the United States in the 1930s, Sinners follows twin brothers Elijah and Elias Smoke, who seek a fresh start, renouncing their old (criminal) ways and returning to their hometown. But evil is not so easily left behind, and as they soon discover, what awaits them is beyond their worst nightmares.
For their fifth collaboration, director and screenwriter Ryan Coogler and lead actor Michael B. Jordan have assembled an outstanding cast. Alongside Jordan, the film features Hailee Steinfeld, Delroy Lindo, Wunmi Mosaku, Jack O’Connell, Li Jun Li, Omar Benson Miller, Jayme Lawson, Theodus Crane, Deneen Tyler, and Lola Kirke. The music is composed by Ludwig Göransson, known for scoring Oppenheimer, Tenet, and Black Panther.
Sinners will be released in theaters on April 17, 2025.
