Ryan Coogler’s box-office smash has so many things going for it: incredible music, intense vampire mayhem, and a deep sense of history. Along with all of these elements, it also breathes with characters who have a strong grounding in their religious tradition, whether that be the Baptist faith that Sammie struggles to escape or the Hoodoo practiced by Annie. These lived expressions of faith become a central part of how these characters relate to each other and the world. Coogler was savvy enough to realize that getting the religious aspects of his characters right was going to be crucial for the film – so he hired Dr. Yvonne Chireau, Professor of Religion at Swarthmore College, as a religious consultant. It’s hard to say whether the film’s insightful portrayal of religion is the result of Chireau’s expertise, or if Coogler already knew his subject really well, or a mixture of both. But the result is undeniable. Sinners has a rich enough religious vocabulary to explore the spiritual lives of its characters in profound ways, as well as use these spiritualities as an entry point into the interlocking systems of oppression they are all struggling within, and this is a crucial part of the film’s power.
A horror movie doesn’t have to be “religious” to be profound. But films that demonstrate the ability to converse with questions of spirituality, whether directly through religious traditions or more indirectly through themes and motifs that are often associated with religion, often have a straight path to a deeper meaning. Horror and religion are often different ways of asking the same questions – questions about the meaning of life, about how we understand the universe and our relationships with the people around us. These are questions that scholar of religion Douglas Cowan has referred to as “properly human questions.” They’re questions we ask because we want to understand what it means to be alive; horror is one of the genres in which these questions are most at home.
In considering your next project, think about whether religion might have a role to play. It might be that this role is to deepen the lives of the characters you’re exploring, or it might be that religion is a way you can help guide the viewer towards the deeper questions you’re hoping your work will explore. Even if you’ve got a significant amount of history with religious traditions, consulting with an expert to make sure you get the details right is never a bad idea. You don’t want your film derailed by a character making a simple mistake like referring to the book of Revelation in the plural. (Unless they’re the kind of character who might do that; but that’s also something that an expert in religion can help you out with.) Even if religion is something you’ve left behind, or never been particularly interested in, there can be enormous value in asking what it means for your characters – and how it might make the project you’re working to create a little more rich. While America and Western Europe are becoming less and less religious by the decade, religion is still the water we swim in. And the way we’re used to having some of these questions asked.
Brandon R. Grafius is professor of biblical studies and academic dean at Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit. He writes frequently on the intersection of religion and horror for both academic and general readerships. His most recent book is Scared by the Bible: Horror, Religion, and the Questions that Haunt Us (Morehouse Publishing). His next book, Concerning Dust and Ashes: Affects of Horror in the Hebrew Bible, is scheduled for publication by Oxford University Press in 2026. Find him online at www.brandonrgrafius.com or on BlueSky at bgrafius.
ah – Faith-based movies arent about the different religious brands. its about stories that challenge the main characters to the breaking point. and its the newest genre that is gaining awareness.