“Sinners” is a cautionary tale.

That’s an understatement.

The southern gothic horror film follows the story of Sammie (Miles Caton), a talented young African-American musician, who, despite or because of his nickname, “Preacher’s son,” is cajoled into performing opening night at a juke joint in 1932 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in the Mississippi Delta.

The juke joint is a former sawmill purchased and converted by twins, Elijah “Smoke” Moore and Elias “Stack” Moore (each played by Michael B. Jordon). The World War I veteran brothers bought the building with their apparent ill-gotten gains working in Chicago during the 1920s for the “Chicago Outfit,” run by mobster Al Capone.

The juke joint is jumpin’ opening night until three uninvited guests show up and are refused entrance because they are white. It turns out that the trio not only play Appalachian bluegrass banjo tunes and harmonize quite well in that sweet-sour way, but are bona fide vampires, and Irish vampires at that.

Havoc, and some hilarity, ensues.

“Sinners” is directed by Ryan Coogler (“Black Panther,” 2018; “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” 2022; “Creed,” 2015; “Fruitvale Station,” 2013). Coogler directs with a wild inventiveness that provides thrills, chills and macabre humor emblematic of the vampire horror film genre.

The screenplay by Coogler is replete with naturalistic dialogue filled with warnings, observations and irony.

“Sinners” is in the tradition of the Blaxploitation films of the 1970s (“Blacula,” 1972; “Buck and the Preacher,” 1972; “Shaft,” 1971), vampire films (“From Dusk Till Dawn,” 1996) and blues music films (“Crossroads,” 1986, about Robert Johnson). The film explores the symbolism of these genres and more to become a fascinating hybrid and one of the most exciting, creative and unusual films of the year 2025 so far.

“Sinners” deals with big themes: sin and redemption, family and loyalty. and earthly belief and immortality. That’s a big bite out of reality. It’s a lot to chew on for the movie-goer. The film mostly succeeds until it devolves into an out-and-out zombie vampire style gore film.

The cinematography by Autumn Durald Arkapaw (Primetime Emmy nominee, “Loki,” 2022; “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”) is dark and foreboding. The production design by Hannah Beachler (Oscar, “Black Panther”) conveys the southern idyll of cotton fields stretching to the horizon, foreboding backwoods and bustling small-town commerce.

The score by Ludwig Göransson (Two Oscars, original score, ”Oppenheimer, 2024; “Black Panther,” 2019) includes bristling blues-style finger-picking and slide guitar, old-timey songs and Scotch-Irish American roots music.

At one point, when the vampires break into a circle of line-dancing and one does a step-dancing jig, you may never look at or hear Celtic music in the same way again.

Director Ryan Coogler gets excellent performances from the cast, especially Michael B. Jordan (“Black Panther,” “Creed,” “Creed II,” “Creed III,” “Fruitvale Station”; Primetime Emmy nominee, “Fahrenheit 451,” 2018), who convincingly delineates the two roles of Smoke and Stack. Talk about smokestack lightning.

Miles Caton, in his motion picture actor debut, is remarkable as Sammie, the young blues singer. Caton is self-effacing and self-assured.

Other memorable performers include Hailee Steinfield (Mary, Stack’s ex-girlfriend), Wunmi Mosaku (Annie, Smoke’s wife), Delroy Lindo (Delta Slim, piano player), Jayme Lawson (Pearline, singer), Li Jun Li (Grace, shopkeeper), Omar Miller (Cornbread, juke joint bouncer) and Jack O’Connell (Remmick, Irish vampire).

Stay to the very end of the credits for a scene of Miles Caton singing “This Little Light of Mine” in his daddy’s white clapboard church. Yes, “Sinners” is a cautionary tale.

“Sinners,” MPAA rated R (Restricted: Persons under 17 require an accompanying parent or adult guardian.) for Rated R for strong bloody violence, sexual content and language; Genre: Horror, Thriller; Run time: 2 hours, 17 minutes. Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Credit Readers Anonymous: The closing credits of “Sinners” includes a scene with Buddy Guy as the grownup and now elderly Sammie in a bar when Stack (Michael B. Jordan) and Mary (Hailee Steinfield) walk in and sit down to talk. “Sinners” was filmed April to July 2024 in Louisiana. Ludwig Göransson played a 1932 Dobro Cyclops resonator guitar on the soundtrack, the same one Sammie plays in the film.

At The Movies: “Sinners” was seen in the standard format at AMC Center Valley 16.

Domestic Weekend Box Office, May 16-18: “Final Destination: Bloodlines” opened at No. 1 with $51.6 million in 3,523 theaters, supplanting the two-week No.1 run of “Thunderbolts,” dropping one place to No. 2 with $16.6 million in 3,960 theaters, $155.5 million, three weeks.

3. “Sinners” dropped one place, $15.2 million in 3,518 theaters, $240.5 million, five weeks. 4. “A Minecraft Movie” dropped one place, $5.9 million in 3,357 theaters, $416.7 million, seven weeks. 5. “The Accountant 2” dropped one place, $4.7 million in 3,229 theaters, $58.8 million, four weeks. 6. “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” $3.3 million in 2,020 theaters, opening. 7. “Friendship” moved up five places, $1.4 million in 60 theaters, $2 million, two weeks. 8. “Clown in a Cornfield” dropped three places, $1.3 million in 2,277 theaters, $6.3 million, two weeks. 9. “Until Dawn” dropped one place, $811,159 in 1,708 theaters, $19.6 million. four weeks. 10. “The Amateur” dropped one place, $724,688 in 850 theaters, $40.1 million, six weeks.

Movie box office information from Box Office Mojo as of May 18 is subject to change.

Unreel, May 9:

“Fight or Flight,” R: James Madigan directs Josh Harnett, Charithra Chandran and Katee Sackhoff in the Action Comedy. A mercenary tracks down a woman when they are targeted.

“Clown in a Cornfield,” R: Eli Craig directs Katie Douglas, Aaron Abrams and Carson MacCormac in the Horror film. Frendo the clown terrifies a Midwestern town.

“Friendship,“ R: Andrew DeYoung directs Tim Robinson, Paul Rudd and Kate Mara in the Comedy. A suburban man becomes infatuated with his neighbor.

“Juliet & Romeo,” PG-13: Timothy Scott Bogart directs Clara Rugaard, Jamie Ward, Jason Isaacs, Rebel Wilson, Rupert Everett, Dan Fogler and Derek Jacobi in the Romance Musical. The story is based on the story that inspired Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”

“Shadow Force,” R: Joe Carnahan directs Kerry Washington, Omar Sy, Jahleel Kamara, Mark Strong, DaVine Joy Randolph and Method Man in the Action Thriller. An estranged couple who have a price on their head must go on the run with their son.

“Lilly,” PG-13: Rachel Feldman directs Josh McDermitt, Patricia Clarkson and Thomas Sadoski in the Drama. The story of Lilly Ledbetter, a factory worker who strives for justice.

Movie opening information from Internet Movie Database as of May 18 is subject to change.

Four Popcorn Boxes out of Five Popcorn Boxes