Sinners may not have been Fandango’s best pre-selling horror movie like The Monkey was earlier this year. (An honor that has now passed to The Black Phone 2.) But after it hit the big screen, praise for Sinners dominated my Bluesky feed. So much so that FOMO got the best of me. I decided to splurge on a movie ticket rather than wait for it to hit one of my streamers.
I quickly understood what all the fuss was about. The writing, acting, music, and visuals all contributed to a fresh take on the vampire horror movie genre. It also justified why it’s received such high ratings, including
- 7.9/10 on IMDb
- 97% Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score and 96% Popcornmeter score
- 91% of Google users liking it.
That’s exceptional for any movie, but especially a horror one. I would’ve given it a perfect 10, or at the very least a 9.5 out of 10, except for one thing: the Choctaw Indian vampire hunters.
Not that anything was wrong with them. Kudos to writer/director Ryan Coogler for depicting what we think of as conventional oppression (White over Black), but also other oppressed groups, including Irish immigrants and indigenous people. In this case, the Choctaw Indians.
Coogler weaved pieces together that transcended conventional power dynamics (ie, Black people vs. the Ku Klux Klan) that we’ve seen in so many other movies. There was that element, too, and handled in a way that left the audience during my showing cheering.
The way everything ultimately converged contributes to Sinners’ magic. But the whole time I kept asking myself, “When are the Indians coming back?”
Side note: Please know, I mean no disrespect by using “Indian.” I’m just relaying exactly what was running through my mind. When I was growing up, that’s how we referred to Native Americans. The voice in my head hasn’t quite made the switch to “indigenous people” yet.
However, to properly talk about their brief and puzzling appearance in the film, I must issue this warning: spoilers ahead.
The Choctaw Indian Vampire Hunters in Sinners
Early in the film, there’s a scene featuring an isolated cabin in the middle of nowhere. Suddenly, a man appears. I wasn’t quite sure what happened. Did he fall out of the sky? It sort of seemed like he did, but I wasn’t sure.
That part still perplexes me, but it was obvious he was in distress and clearly running from someone—or something. His nearest refuge is the cabin, whose inhabitants let him in. But there was a sense of foreboding that maybe allowing the man we come to know as Remmick (Jack O’Connell) into their home is a bad decision. There’s still some daylight, and the man is sort of “smoldering.” You definitely got the sense that, as affable as he was, he may also be a dangerous vampire. In short order, that would be confirmed.
Meanwhile, in much the same way that Remmick suddenly appeared, so did the Choctaws, via truck and horseback. They arrive in hot pursuit at the cabin where the white Klan couple have allowed Remmick in.
They do their best to warn the couple. Sadly (but not surprisingly), they’d rather shelter a potentially dangerous White Man than give time to the Choctaws who are trying to protect them.
The Choctaws seem like not only did they expect such a response, but they would’ve ignored the wariness and continued trying to convince the couple if not for one thing: the waning daylight.
With darkness spreading, they retreat. I kept expecting to see them appear later in the movie, but they never did. I even waited until the extra scene after the credits started rolling, hoping we’d get one last glimpse or maybe an explanation of who and what they were. Nothing.
Choctaw Vampire Hunter Theories
As of June 3, Sinners is now available to rent or own from home on platforms like Fandango At Home, Prime Video, and Google Play. Seeing people start to talk about it again reminded me that I hadn’t investigated whether anyone else was perplexed by the Choctaw vampire hunters’ cameo. Or, even better, if anyone could explain that part.
Turns out, others most definitely had thoughts, some of which aligned with my own. Like how I’d like to see a Sinners sequel about the Choctaw vampire hunters. Or as The Root succinctly summed it up in their article’s title: “Why the Badass Choctaw Vampire Hunters In ‘Sinners’ Deserve Their Own Movie.” Yes. That!
The Conversation and AP News both examined the significance of the Choctaw being portrayed on the big screen, even if for just a moment. But neither really explained why they only had that one scene and never reappeared.
The Marvelous Videos YouTube channel was among those to weigh in with theories explaining who the Choctaw vampire hunters were. One was that they were protectors in the physical sense, as in trying to spare lives, but they were also defenders of heritage. As they put it, “Remmick represents a predatory form of cultural appropriation,” including the Choctaws’ heritage. They were trying to end that. (In addition to the widespread destruction of humanity.)
RecapDB also delved into the reasons the Choctaws were after Remmick. Again, it had to do with cultural misappropriation. Remmick must have corrupted a member of their tribe (or tried to) in an effort to bridge the spirit world and control it like he was trying to do with Sammie (Miles Canton) and his musical talents.
No Sinners 2?
One thing that became clear from social media is that tons of fans are hoping for a Sinners sequel or prequel. Sure. It could follow Stack (Michael B. Jordan, who also played twin brother Smoke) and Mary (Hailee Steinfeld) during their decades after transformation as vampires. But it’s obvious everyone would rather see the Choctaws get a story of their own.
Sadly, Deadline was among the outlets that reported Coogler wanted a break from franchise movies and intended Sinners to be a standalone movie. But he said that in interviews before Sinners hit theaters.
Normally, I’d be relieved to hear that a filmmaker had no interest in creating a sequel. They’re rarely as good as the original, and even more infrequently better. Sinners 2 could prove an exception, especially if Coogler remained at the helm.
However, unless he changes his mind, it appears the only Sinners 2 we’ll get is the second trailer they released before the movie hit theaters.
Check-In
Which movie do you think justified a sequel but never got one?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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