The ending of Sinners explained.

      Director Ryan Coogler’s latest blockbuster, Sinners, has officially premiered, offering a distinctive take on vampire horror in cinemas. This horror-action period film revolves around two gangster brothers (both portrayed by Michael B. Jordan) who return to their hometown with hopes of starting fresh. Unfortunately, their efforts inadvertently draw the attention of a group of savage vampires who seek to hunt and feast on them and those close to them.

      Like Coogler's previous works, Sinners is a nuanced and emotional film rich in social commentary. The narrative presents a vast and brutal tale that celebrates Black culture while addressing themes of racial oppression through both its human and supernatural antagonists. There is much to unpack in this film, and now that it has been released in theaters, audiences can finally witness it and its impactful conclusion.

      What’s the plot?

      Warner Bros. Pictures / Warner Bros. Pictures

      Sinners depicts Smoke and Stack returning to their hometown in 1930s Mississippi, where they intend to establish a juke joint in an old mill using the money earned during their time as gangsters in Chicago. As they prepare for their venture, Smoke and Stack confront figures from their past that continue to haunt them. Smoke reconnects with his wife, Annie (Wunmi Mosaku), with whom he lost a child in infancy. Meanwhile, Stack meets his ex-girlfriend Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), who is in town for her mother’s funeral. Mary, who cared for Smoke and Stack following their father's death, is still resentful of Stack, despite having married another man, and they both harbor unresolved feelings for each other.

      By day’s end, Smoke and Stack have employed several locals to assist with preparations for their opening night, including their cousin Sammie, who has the ability to create music that can summon spirits from the past and the future, as well as attract demons. When Sammie performs at the crowded joint, he inadvertently lures the malevolent vampire Remmick (Jack O’Connell), who had previously appeared at the residence of two Ku Klux Klan members, turning them into his followers.

      Adhering to traditional vampire lore, Remmick and his fellow vampires are unable to enter Smoke and Stack’s establishment without an invitation. To circumvent this rule, Remmick transforms Mary into a vampire when she steps outside, enabling her to sneak into the gathering. Tempting Stack, Mary bites him, leading to his transformation into a vampire. As more individuals are turned to the vampire side, Smoke and his remaining allies fight to survive amidst rising paranoia. Ultimately, when Remmick threatens Grace’s (Li Jun Li) daughter, she angrily invites the vampires inside, resulting in a large-scale confrontation between the two sides, with Smoke and Sammie emerging as the sole survivors.

      How does it conclude?

      Warner Bros. Pictures / Warner Bros. Pictures

      Smoke and Sammie manage to defeat Remmick just as dawn breaks; however, Smoke finds himself in a shootout with Klan members, as it is revealed that the man from whom he purchased the mill was a KKK leader. Although Smoke suffers fatal gunshot wounds, he manages to take down several attacking Klan members in a dramatic and cathartic finale that adds a fresh perspective to The Night of the Living Dead. In his final moments, Smoke reunites with Annie and their deceased infant.

      Simultaneously, Sammie is at his father's church, where he is instructed to abandon his guitar and forsake his "sinful" musical pursuits. Nevertheless, Sammie resists and eventually becomes a successful musician in the 1990s, with a club named after his love interest, Pearline (Jayme Lawson), who perished at the juke joint. This seemed like an ideal conclusion for the film, but that changes rapidly.

      A mid-credits scene reveals Sammie visited by the vampiric Stack and Mary, who have survived their confrontation in Clarksdale, despite Remmick's demise. While initially it appears they seek revenge, it is disclosed that Smoke spared Stack on the condition that he protects Sammie. Although Stack proposes to make Sammie a vampire to grant him immortality, Sammie declines. However, he agrees to play music for Stack and Mary before they depart.

      What does it signify?

      Warner Bros. Pictures / Warner Bros. Pictures

      In Sinners, Remmick and his vampires symbolize the systemic racial oppression faced by Black individuals. They offer Smoke, Stack, and their contemporaries a chance to achieve eternal life in a world where they can be loved and treated as equals among the vampires. This proposition appears attractive, but as Stack remarks in his final moments, the vampires are not truly free.

      Similar to Sammie, Stack experiences his greatest happiness just before the vampire attack, while he is still with his brother and can bask in the sunlight. Stack and Mary remain tethered to their undead existence, compelled to live etern