13 nights ago, we began with Night of the Living Dead, a film that redefined what horror could be. Along the way, we’ve encountered zombies, ghosts, slashers, monsters, urban legends, and the darkest parts of human nature. For our final night, we’re ending with a film that feels like a celebration of the entire genre while also carving out something entirely its own: Sinners (2025).
Written and directed by Ryan Coogler, Sinners follows brothers Smoke and Stack, both played by Michael B. Jordan, as they return to Mississippi in 1932 hoping to build a new life. What begins as the story of homecoming and the opening of a juke joint gradually transforms into a supernatural nightmare rooted in folklore, history, music, and vampire mythology.
Like many great horror films, Sinners understands that monsters are most effective when they embody something larger. Beneath the vampire story is a film about community, identity, memory, and the ways culture can be exploited, appropriated, and stripped from the people who created it. Set against the backdrop of the Jim Crow South, the film uses horror not merely to frighten audiences, but to explore the realities of race, power, and survival.
One of the most distinctive elements of Sinners is its relationship with music. Blues music is woven into the film’s very foundation. The juke joint at the center of the story becomes a place of joy, resistance, community, and artistic expression. Music connects people across generations, preserving stories and identities that might otherwise be lost.
That makes it fitting that the film’s horrors are drawn to it. In Sinners, music becomes both a source of power and a source of vulnerability, reinforcing the idea that art can be transformative, but also deeply contested.
Sinners is available for members of the American University community to borrow on DVD from Bender Library.
Thank you for joining us for 13 Nights of Halloween Horror. Whether you watched one film or all thirteen, I hope you’ve discovered a new favorite, revisited a classic, or just took a little time to appreciate the genre.
Happy Halloween!