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If Sinners Rocked Your World, Try These Next…
Hey Survivor,
Welcome back to The Den, one of the last safe places in this wild apocalypse we call life. Here, we talk horror, apocalyptic fiction, and of course... zombies. I hope you're surviving (and thriving) on your side of the wasteland.
Now, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but vampires have taken over. Not the whole world; some folks are still debating if 100 men could take on a gorilla (spoiler: they can’t), but the horror community? Yeah, that’s vampire territory right now, and it’s thanks to the genre-smashing, culture-shifting hit “Sinners,” directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Michael B. Jordan.
I’ve been wanting to talk about this movie for weeks, but two things held me back:
I didn’t want to spoil it for anyone.
I literally couldn’t put into words how much it lit a creative fire in me.
So, I’m doing the next best thing, giving you a hand-picked list of movies, books, and shows that capture the same Sinners vibe. Do you want a complete breakdown or a fan theory newsletter? Hit reply or comment and let me know!
Now let’s dive in before the sun goes down.
Movies That Match the Energy
Demon Knight (1995, Streaming on Hulu)
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know how I feel about Demon Knight. Jada Pinkett Smith absolutely kills it as Jeryline, and it’s honestly a perfect double feature with Sinners.
This cult classic is a Tales from the Crypt gem. It kicks off with William Sadler as Frank Brayker fleeing a mysterious cop, Billy Zane as The Collector, who turns out to be a demon. The action moves to a rundown boarding house where a group of strangers must survive the night as demonic forces try to break in and retrieve a holy key filled with the blood of Christ (yes, really). Think: survivors vs. ancient evil, sunrise as salvation, and one badass final girl.
If Sinners made you crave dark, claustrophobic, end-of-days horror? This is it.
Salem’s Lot (2024, Streaming on Max)
Let me be real; I wasn’t a fan of the original Salem’s Lot. Too slow. But this new version? It’s got teeth. There’s action, tension, some much-needed humor, and Jordan Preston Carter as a pint-sized vampire hunter named Mark Petrie. He stole every scene he was in.
Based on Stephen King’s novel, it follows a writer returning to his hometown just as a mysterious rich stranger moves in. Then come the “accidental” deaths, weird disappearances, and the undead knocking at your window asking to come in. Creepy? Yup. Bloody? Very. And it's a clear reminder: never trust a vampire... and maybe don’t wait until sunrise when the town's already gone to hell.
If Smoke had a little little brother? It would’ve been Mark. And together? They’d have Sam-and-Deaned those vamps into oblivion.
Want more vampire chaos? Check out my series, Generation Slayer, starting with Young Blood. Set in a dystopian, vampire-infested New York, Raven and her little sister Star are just trying to survive. With the U.S. military closing in, Raven steals a dead soldier’s ID to avoid foster care and joins the army, where killing vampires becomes her new reality.
It’s Buffy meets Escape From New York, if Buffy was a 16-year-old Black girl with a baby sister on her hip and no backup.
Books That Bite Back
Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
Set in 1920s Macon, Georgia, this novella is feral. Maryse, Sadie, and Cordy, a trio of badass women, are hunting Ku Klux Klan members who’ve literally turned into demons. Thanks to "the sight" and their Gullah elder, Nana Jean, they see the monsters beneath the hoods and go to war.
It’s fierce, fast-paced, and blends historical trauma with supernatural revenge in the best way. If Sinners lit you up, this will keep the fire burning.
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
Let’s step back from the bloodsuckers and talk about haints, restless Southern spirits that can possess, torment, or just haunt you out of spite. Sinners introduces this mythology, but Due’s book dives deep.
In The Reformatory, we follow a brother and sister (Robbie and Gloria) trying to survive Jim Crow-era injustice. Robbie’s sent to a notorious reform school after striking a white boy. Gloria’s doing everything she can to save him. But the place? It’s haunted by ghosts, racism, and the kind of pain that lingers through generations. It’s terrifying, emotional, and unforgettable.
Speaking of horror with history, Camp Lanier is Friday the 13th meets Holes, with a dash of Kindred. When Taylor gets framed for shoplifting, she chooses a summer work release program over jail. But the camp? It's at Lake Lanier, Georgia, a real lake with a deadly history.
You ever hear that 20 people drown there every year? Yeah. Taylor might’ve been safer behind bars.
Shows to Sink Your Teeth Into
Interview with the Vampire (2022, Season 1 on Netflix, S1 & S2 on AMC+)
This ain't your grandma’s Interview. AMC reimagined Anne Rice’s tale by making Louis de Pointe du Lac a Black man in 1910s New Orleans, played beautifully by Jacob Anderson (Game of Thrones). The show explores race, power, love, and freedom, all themes Sinners touches on.
It’s lush, heartbreaking, and full of moments that make you pause and feel something. It also asks: What would you give up for freedom... and is immortality worth the cost?
From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series (2014, Rent on Prime Video)
So, this one’s gotten caught up in Sinners discourse. People are saying Coogler “ripped it off.” I say, Nah. Both stories just understand that vampires + crime + culture = fire.
Instead of recommending the movie, I want you to watch the series. Produced by Robert Rodriguez, the show dives deeper into Aztec mythology, features a Mexican-led cast, and follows two bank-robbing brothers, one of whom is hearing voices from an ancient evil. It’s darker, richer, and way more layered than the movie.
That’s all I’ve got for today. I hope you found something here to help ride that Sinners high a little longer. I’m probably gonna go see it again — not gonna lie. It got me thinking... dreaming... and planning.
I’m working on a new project right now. Set in 1990s South Carolina. It’s still in the early stages, just an idea really, but I promise you’ll be the first to hear more when the time is right.
As Always…Stay safe. Stay woke. Stay alive.
Until the next nightmare,
—Sylvester
Author of Planet Dead and More.
