Sinners

2025 · Dance with the devil.

5 out of 5 reels

Reviewed by Andy Hayler

Sinners is a very original film. Notionally in the horror genre, for the first half an hour you could easily think you had stumbled into the wrong screen at the cinema, as it starts off as an historical drama set in the deep south of the US in the 1930s. This languid beginning all helps to build up the characters, and when the tone does change then it does so all the more effectively for having allowed the audience to engage with the characters at some length. There is a lot to like about this movie, from the direction to the acting to the blues music. For me though, the scene where a dance occurs and characters from different eras bleed into one (all something set up by the narration) was genuinely striking and novel. The horror part of the film works well too, and on the second viewing of this film I liked the film even more than the first time. Seek it out and enjoy; you won't see anything quite like it this year.