Black Panther director’s new vampire horror movie starring Michael B. Jordan debuts to fang-tastic 100% Rotten Tomatoes score

Michael B. Jordan in Ryan Coogler's vampire horror Sinners
(Image credit: Warner Bros)

New vampire horror movie Sinners is still one week away from hitting theaters, but thanks to early press screenings, the movie has landed rave reviews from critics.

Sinners, directed by Black Panther helmer Ryan Coogler, has debuted to a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score based on 37 reviews at the time of writing. Linda Marric from HeyUGuys called Sinners "A film of breathtaking audacity," while Fangoria’s BJ Colangelo said, "Sinners is currently Coogler’s magnum opus… This isn’t only one of the best horror films of the year, it’s one of the best films, period."

Many critics are congratulating Coogler, who for a long time has been deep in the world of Marvel, on his successful horror debut. "Ryan Coogler enters the horror realm and nails it in Sinners," wrote IGN Movie’s Eric Goldman, and Andrew J. Salazar from Discussing Film echoed, "Sinners is Ryan Coogler's most audacious work yet, creating a fresh spin on vampire horror stories."

Others have marveled at the film’s strong themes of divisions and race relations threaded through the vampire tale. "Sinners brilliantly illustrates Black life in the violent and poverty-stricken Jim Crow-segregated South while portraying a vibrant cultural landscape brimming with music," said Julian Roman from MovieWeb. Similarly, Brandon Lewis from Geek Vibes Nation called Sinners a "swaggering magnum opus” that “chips away at the borders of Blackness to posit a new path while giving credit to past ones forged for survival."

Set in the '30s in the deep south of the United States during its Jim Crow era, Sinners stars Michael B. Jordan as twin brothers Smoke and Stack, as they return to their hometown looking to start their troubled lives again. However, as they return, they find that their once home has been taken over by a greater evil. The movie also stars True Grit’s Hailee Steinfeld, Skins’ Jack O’Connell, and Passenger’s Wunmi Mosaku.

The movie is written and directed by Creed helmer Coolger. But Sinners also includes an original soundtrack from Ludwig Göransson.

Sinners hits theaters on April 18. For more, check out our list of the best vampire movies, or keep up with upcoming horror movies heading your way.

Editorial Associate, GamesRadar+

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for SFX and Total Film online. I have a Bachelors Degree in Media Production and Journalism and a Masters in Fashion Journalism from UAL. In the past I have written for local UK and US newspaper outlets such as the Portland Tribune and York Mix and worked in communications, before focusing on film and entertainment writing. I am a HUGE horror fan and in 2022 I created my very own single issue feminist horror magazine.  

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