Ryan Coogler Finds Unlikely Inspiration for Sinners

Filmmaker Ryan Coogler has cited an unexpected influence for his latest box office smash.

Sinners is a Southern Gothic vampire musical directed by Coogler, who is also known for Black Panther and Creed. Set in 1932 Mississippi, the film follows twin brothers Smoke and Stack (both portrayed by Michael B. Jordan) who return to their hometown to open a juke joint for the Black community. Their plans are disrupted when a vampire named Remmick and his undead followers, including former Klansmen, threaten their establishment. The story explores themes of race, religion, and legacy, blending horror, drama, and music.

A Vampire Horror movie Set in the Jim Crow South

From the film's opening moments, it's immediately clear that there has never been a movie quite like Sinners. Coogler's is a unique voice, and he chooses to root his story in the Mississippi Delta Black and Chinese community that hasn't really been highlighted in any other horror film. 

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Ryan Coogler on the Art That Shaped Sinners

Coogler spoke with genre website SciFi Now about all the art that inspired Sinners, and included some unexpected touchpoints, along with some more predictable connections.

“Robert Rodriguez is a big one," said Coogler. "On the nose, it’d be very easy to make a comparison with From Dusk Till Dawn but it’s actually quite close to The Faculty, which is a remake of The Thing, which is one of my favorite movies. Definitely my favorite horror movie. So there’s a lot of Carpenter in the film as well."

Salem’s Lot and The Twilight Zone Shaped the Story

“But truthfully, the biggest influences are not in cinema. The novel Salem’s Lot is a massive influence on the film. Then there’s a real deep-cut influence. My favorite thing ever made is The Twilight Zone, and my favorite episode is called 'The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank'— probably Salem’s Lot and "The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank" are probably the biggest influences."

A Look Back at ''The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank''

In that season 3 episode of The Twilight Zone, Jeff Myrtlebank, a young man in a small rural town, suddenly wakes up in a coffin during his funeral.

Though he's seemingly healthy and unchanged, the townspeople become suspicious, believing he may have been possessed or returned from the dead unnaturally. As Jeff resumes his life, people notice subtle changes in his behavior. He's more assertive, confident, and no longer the mild-mannered man they remember. 

Because it's a Twilight Zone episode, the community falls into paranoia and disarray, confronting Jeff about whether he's still him, or something else entirely. 

Legacy, Horror, and Racial Allegory Collide in "Sinners"

By drawing from The Twilight Zone's eerie moral ambiguity and Salem’s Lot’s small-town dread, Coogler crafts a unique genre blend. At its core, Sinners is not just about vampires— it’s about how fear of the "other" reflects deep-seated societal anxieties, particularly in racially charged settings.