With 2025 now nearly halfway over, the conversation around the best movies of the year has been going in full swing, and the one movie that continues to be brought up isSinners. While the vampire horror thriller always seemed like a solid pitch, as Michael B. Jordan has always been a great performer, and Ryan Coogler has proven his skills as a director numerous times,Sinners' reviewswere even better than anyone could’ve expected, catapulting this movie to a massive amount of success, both critically and commercially.
One of the biggest strengths ofSinnerswas undoubtedly its cast, filled with plenty of well-known and underrated actors performing at their absolute best, from the central stars to all the side characters. So many scenes that, in another movie, could’ve felt boring and pointless, became immediately engaging due to the actors' performances, as well as the writing, direction, and music.While there wasn’t a bad scene in the film, the best ones did stand out, quickly becoming some of the most iconic horror movie moments of the 2020s.
8Stack’s Return From The Dead
His Reappearance Marked A Change In The Film
While the central group knew that some supernatural entities were trying to kill them, this scene is where they first learned that they were actually fighting vampires. The newly-resurrected vampire Cornbread had just been rebuffed after trying to sneak his way into the barn, which was already a very tense moment, but hearingthe knock coming from the closet that Stack had been locked in was an incredible moment, bringing the film’s tension to a peak.
Sinnerswas just released on digital PVOD, with a physical release coming on July 8.
Even though the audience knew it was coming after Mary killed him,seeing the characters react to his return was one of the most important moments of the film, fully bringing them up to speed on what they were fighting against. The fact that characters kept trying to look through the hole that Stack had made with his knife went against every horror movie instinct that the audience had, and the fact that he just busted the door down on top of Sammie was a great subversion that kept the tension intact.
7Remmick’s Death
His Ultimate Fate Was Very Satisfying
Remmick was such an interesting character inSinners, being a fascinating antagonist, when he could’ve just been a very simple monster or allegory for racism. However,Coogler managed to do something different with his character, relating his Irish heritage to the struggles of African Americans during Jim Crow. It made him somewhat understandable, while also ensuring that his hypocrisy and attempts at cultural appropriation kept him definitely villainous.
WhileSinners' ending action scenewas great as a whole, and will reappear later,Remmick’s death scene, in particular, was very effectiveand was a great climax to the vampire portion of the story. He explained his backstory here as a person who was, presumably, part of the British invasion of Ireland, and him baptizing Sammie in the river while praying was an extremely powerful moment. Finally, seeing Sammie’s guitar getting stuck halfway through his head was an excellent visual, and Remmick’s death during the sunrise was excellently done, as the flames rose into the sky before his body vanished.
6Sammie’s Return To The Church
The Movie’s Opening Scene Was Very Important
The opening scene is extremely important to the film, and thankfully,Sinners' first sceneexcellently sets the tone, giving teases about what to expect without giving too much away. While it could seem like a bad idea for a horror movie to reveal that its main character is going to survive the central threat, this scene managed to increase the anticipation of what was to come.
The quick flashes of Sammie’s memories of the night were jump scares, but they didn’t feel cheap, and the tease of what was to come kept the audience on their toes, waiting for when the horror aspects would really come into play. It took a while, asSinnersspent a long time focusing on the Smokestack twinsgetting the juke joint ready, but having that initial showcase of the kind of thing that was going to appear at some point made Remmick’s appearance at the joint even more exciting.
5Vampire Fight Scene
Just As Gory And Brutal As Expected
While Remmick’s death itself was very impactful,the fight that preceded it was easily one of the best moments in the entire film, finally bringing the fight between the vampires and the survivors to a head. As with the rest of the movie, the music really took the moment to the next level, and each actor was bringing their absolute best to the moment. Seeing Grace scream as she killed her husband and was engulfed in flames herself was horrifying, yet somehow beautiful, and the rest of the characters had equally fascinating moments.
Annie’s death was truly tragic. Knowing just how much she had helped the survivors against the vampires, and seeing Mary and Stack’s anger and sadness when Smoke mercy killed her before she turned, was a great way to show how these vampires are different from the rest.Jordan and Wunmi Mosaku’s performances were incredibleas well and set the stage extremely well for Smoke’s final moments later in the film.
4Stack, Mary, And Sammie’s Mid-Credits Scene
It Was Very Worth Sticking Around After The Credits
As the movie never showed Stack or Mary die during the ending battle, the fact that they survived wasn’t too surprising at the moment, but their return was still such a great way to wrap upSinnersas a post-credits scene.Buddy Guy as an older version of Sammie was an inspiring casting, paying homage to the blues music that was so integral toSinners' success.
Buddy Guy was born and raised in Louisiana, and, similarly to Sammie, he was also a sharecropper as a child.
Additionally, it was great to see thatStack, even as a vampire, loved and respected Smoke enough to stay true to his word, keeping his dying promise across multiple decades. While the vampires inSinnerswere certainly evil, they retained some sense of their old selves after turning, and seeing the three old friends bond over Sammie’s music for the last time was surprisingly sweet.
3Klan Massacre
Smoke Got His Final Revenge
While the horror elements ofSinnerswere the biggest draw, and the action was always going to be the least impressive part of the film, seeing Smoke survive the vampire assault just so he could get his revenge on the Klan members who were going to kill him was the most satisfying moment in the film. While it was a fairly easy win, getting to see a bunch of evil racists earn their comeuppance,seeing Smoke getting his revenge on those people was immensely gratifying, especially considering everything he had been forced to go through.
The Song Of Remmick’s People
As one of the two big musical moments inSinners,“The Rocky Road to Dublin"was easily one of the best scenes in the film, if only for how great the music was. However,the scene manages to accomplish much more than simply showing off a fun Irish jig, as it shows some of the themes and characters that managed to makeSinnerswhat it was. Just looking at the scene with no context, it played very similarly to some of the other dance and musical moments in the joint, but in the actual movie, it had a very different tone.
For Remmick, this moment was the epitome of what he said he was trying to do, in bringing these people together to bond over a shared love of music, with no regard to race or background. However, no one else in the scene chose to be there, and the blood and gore that covered every character served as a reminder thatall he had done was forcibly assimilate these people into a culture that wasn’t theirsfor the sake of his own comfort.
1I Lied To You
A Triumph In Filmmaking
Without this scene,Sinnersstill would’ve been one of the best movies of the year, but with it, the act of watching this film became almost transcendent, a unique experience that truly showcased what the medium is capable of. From a technical perspective, the scene was a masterpiece, with the change in aspect ratio perfectly complementing the overwhelming nature of the music, andthe incredible singing by Miles Caton alone made this moment one worth remembering.
Hearing the electric guitar arrive as the voice-over repeated the message about how music connects the past, present, and future was masterful.
However,the visuals and production of the song were also top-notch, with the one shot that moved through the juke joint, showing off everyone dancing in the present, as well as people from the past and the future alongside them. Hearing the electric guitar arrive as the voice-over repeated the message about how music connects the past, present, and future was masterful. The combination of all the different eras and styles of music made this moment easily the best scene inSinnersand one that will undoubtedly go down as one of the best in all cinema.
