#14 Exploring the Dark Themes of, 'Sinners'

In this review of the film 'Sinners', I explore the themes of temptation, lust, spiritual warfare, and redemption through a biblical lens. I discuss the film's portrayal of vampires as metaphors for demons, the dangers of succumbing to temptation, and the false promises of power and salvation. I emphasize the importance of discernment when engaging with art that may contradict Christian values, urging viewers to test the spirits behind the narratives presented.

• The film 'Sinners' presents a secular worldview with subtle jabs at Christianity.
• Temptation is a central theme, embodied by the character Sammy and his music.
• Stack's downfall illustrates the dangers of lust and spiritual compromise.
• Hoodoo and spiritualism are depicted as morally neutral forces in the film.
• Redemption in 'Sinners' is portrayed as self-made, lacking true repentance.
• Vampires in the film serve as metaphors for demonic influences.
• The fear of light symbolizes the exposure of evil and truth.
• The film offers a counterfeit gospel of salvation through blood, not Christ.
• Discernment is crucial when engaging with art that challenges Christian beliefs.
• Even beautiful art can summon darkness if not grounded in truth.

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Transcript

Pedro Espinoza (00:00)
I wasn't going to do it, but everyone is talking and buzzing about this movie Sinners. So I've conceded and I'm going to take a crack at it.

I've broken this review down into a few different segments with a bonus segment toward the end. these are just my thoughts about the film and how there are some parallels, but mostly contradictions to a biblical worldview. Obviously, this film is very secular and it does take subtle jabs at Christianity And I wanted to

just sort of bringing all of these points to light.

Sinners is a southern gothic drama written with spiritual depth and cultural weight. Directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Michael B. Jordan in the dual role of Smoke and Stack, the film explores race, trauma, music, and the supernatural through a story soaked in blues, blood, and redemption.

Set in 1932 Mississippi, the film follows twin brothers Smoke and Stack, World War I veterans returning home after years in Chicago's underworld using stolen money. They open up juke joint the black community. But what starts as a venture for healing and freedom quickly becomes a good and evil.

So this isn't just a horror vampires. It's about temptation, spiritual deception, and of compromise.

Spoiler alert, there may be some spoilers in this review. just ears open and if you haven't seen the film, proceed with caution.

So the first segment, I really want to expose temptation, music, and the lure of power as that I want to discuss. At the heart of sinners is Sammy. And Sammy is Smoke and Stack's young cousin and a gifted blues guitarist.

Sammy's music stirs something beyond the physical. It awakens the spiritual realm. This power draws not just humans, but something darker, led by the vampire Remic, sees Sammy as a gateway to otherworldly influence.

This is the biblical tie-in because the Bible warns about this kind of power feels liberating but leads

I want to pull from Proverbs 14-12. It states, there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

With that being said, Remick offers Sammy a seductive deal. Immortality, influence, and freedom from racism. If he'll only use his music for Remick's cause. It's a chilling echo of the age old temptation. the world, lose your soul.

The next themes I want to expose are themes of lust, which we'll and the fall of stack.

One of the most tragic turns in Sinners is the downfall of Stack, Smoke's twin brother, reunites with his old flame, Mary.

Their relationship begins as emotional nostalgia, quickly slips into sensuality and spiritual compromise.

Mary is no longer the woman Stack once loved. She's been turned by Remick into a vampire. Yet Stack, driven by desire, doesn't see the danger until it's too late.

side note about this, this is where a lot of just people in general go wrong. They see all of the physical attraction in a person, ways that this person can talk, all the things that this person's promising them, and they fail to notice the red flags. And this a bit of an underlying

hint of what's going on and ⁓ Stac is obviously ignoring the warning signs and red flags and I feel like a lot of people especially in in today's dating world influenced by the red pill community fall into this habit where it's they ignore the red flags because they are blinded by the smoke and mirrors.

So.

This dynamic between

Mary Ann Stack is more than a plot twist. It's a cinematic portrait of pornea. The Greek word used in scripture for immorality, encompassing lust, fornication, and spiritual unfaithfulness.

1 Thessalonians 4, 3 to 5, this is the will of God, sanctification you abstain from sexual immorality, otherwise known as pornea, that each one of you know how control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust.

Stack doesn't resist, he gives in, body, mind, and soul, and the consequence? He's bitten by Mary, and rises again, but not as himself, becomes a vampire himself. A man once known for his strength and is now the very lust he couldn't resist.

So what you're hearing is that Stack, like I said, he ignored the warning signs, fell for the temptation, and it ended up costing him in the end. The Bible doesn't shy away from showing how lust can lead to spiritual death. Neither does sinners. Stack's fall is a sobering reminder

that seduction is never just physical, it's spiritual warfare.

Proverbs 5, 3 to 5. So before I read these two Proverbs passages, everyone talks about a Proverbs 31 woman, right?

And this is the typical woman that a man would would from marrying. ⁓ This is the type of woman that is the true compliment to a man. But these two passages right here actually describe the opposite of what a woman should be and the consequences for falling for anything less than a Proverbs 31 woman.

So, Proverbs 5, 3 to 5.

For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil. But in the end, she is bitter as warm wood, Sharp as a two-edged sword.

And then we got Proverbs 7, 26 to 27.

For many a victim has she laid low, and all her slain are a mighty throng. Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death.

Additional themes that I want to expose and are in this film are probably the most significant. So here we got the practice of hoodoo. We have vampires and spiritual counterfeits, So Annie, who happens to be Smoke's estranged wife, practices hoodoo.

and insists her rituals protected the twins for years. The film treats who do and spiritualism as powerful forces, sometimes even noble or redemptive. But biblically, these are counterfeits. as you'll see in Deuteronomy 18 10 to 12.

Let no one be found among you who practices divination or sorcery. who does these things is detestable to the Lord. So whether it's Remick's blood magic or Annie's charms, the film presents supernatural power as morally neutral, depending on how it's used. But scripture is clear. There's no such thing as spiritually neutral.

If it's not from God, it's from the enemy.

Another theme that I notice is redemption through blood, but whose blood is it? In sinners, redemption doesn't come through Christ. It comes through sacrifice, revenge, and music. Smoke kills Remick with a wooden stake. Sammy destroys his guitar

and many characters die in defense of their community. The film ends with Sammy, now old and scarred, rejecting eternal life offered by his now vampire cousin, Stack, and former lover, Mary.

There is emotional catharsis, yes, but no repentance, no salvation through Christ.

2 Timothy 3, 5 shed some light on this and it states, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power, avoid such people.

The film offers a version of justice and redemption that's entirely self-made. It feels powerful, but it's spiritually hollow. True freedom doesn't come from supernatural music or resisting vampires. It comes through the blood of Jesus, not blood spilled on a dance floor.

John 8 36. So if the sun sets you free, you will be free indeed.

I have a bonus segment for you guys. So what I have really noticed about this film is that there is an obvious parallel between the vampires of this film and demons in the Bible. So these vampires represent the demons that we read of in the Bible. And they play as a metaphor for that.

So just kind of the first thing I want to mention about this is spiritual deception and seduction. In sinners, vampires, especially Remig and Mary don't attack immediately.

They seduce, manipulate, and offer something appealing, immortality, freedom, justice. This mimics how demons operate in scripture, not through obvious horror, but by appealing to human desires. In 2 Corinthians 11, 14 to 15, we read, even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise

if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.

as liberators and benefactors, offering power to Sammy and others, but it's a lie. Just as demons entice with false promises, vampires and sinners are spiritual predators in disguise.

And there's a clear invasion of the soul. In the film, when someone is bitten and turned, their body lives, but their soul is corrupted. Stack, cornbread, and others become shells of who they once were, driven by hunger from their former humanity.

In Luke chapter 11 verse 24 to 26, it states, when the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it returns.

and the last states of that person is worse than the first.

translation along the lines of, a demon leaves a person's body, when it's casted out, and if it's not casted out the right way, then it returns seven times greater.

So just as demons seek to and distort the human soul, vampires and sinners don't just kill, they convert. The transformation is a spiritual death masquerading as eternal life.

The next theme is fear of the lights. So vampires in the movie burn in sunlight. They can't survive exposure to it.

This isn't just genre tradition, it mirrors biblical In John chapter 3, 19 to 20, it states, In scripture, light represents truth, holiness, and Christ himself.

fear the dawn because it exposes and destroys them, just as demons flee from the presence of God.

The next theme is unclean power that requires invitation.

One of the film's rules is that vampires can't enter unless invited. This is critical. The evil forces and sinners gain power through consent, compromise or spiritual negligence. Ephesians 4.27, and do not give the devil a foothold.

Demons cannot overpower believers unless we open the door through sin, practices, or spiritual apathy. Grace's invitation, by fear for her daughter, mirrors how people in scripture invite demonic influence through fear, desperation, or ignorance.

And the final theme of segment is false salvation and

Remick promises Sammy immortality and escape from racial oppression. It sounds redemptive, but it's a counterfeit gospel Offering eternal life through blood, not of Christ, but of the damned. In Revelation 14, nine through 10, it states, if anyone worships the beast,

He also will drink the wine of God's wrath.

Vampirism mimics salvation, blood, rebirth, and immortality, through perversion, it's anti-Christ theology disguise. Salvation without repentance, without holiness, eternity without God.

all that being said, Sinners is a beautifully made, deeply emotional film. Coogler's direction is masterful and delivers a stunning performance.

but beneath the music and mysticism is a worldview shaped by humanism.

syncretism and spiritual confusion.

So here's the takeaway. Don't just be moved by the art. Test the spirit behind it.

we need to ask what is the film saying about salvation, power, and justice? Is it echoing God's truth or offering a compelling lie?

because as sinners shows us, even the most beautiful songs can summon darkness if they're not grounded in the light.

So for those listening, especially the Christian listeners, if you are considering watching the movie, I pray you do so with discernment. ⁓ Protect your eye gates, protect your ear gates.

Let the Holy Spirit guide your experience. I don't co-sign or stamp anything in this film. I'm not a fan of a lot of the themes in this film, especially the subtle jabs at Christianity.

So definitely stay away from it, but I'm just saying if you just can't live without watching this film, I pray you watch it with discernment and just let the Holy Spirit your experience and let it expose the evil in this film. But you know, I'll just say it one more time, right? That even the most beautiful songs can summon darkness.

if they're not grounded in the lights.

Keep that in mind. I'm out.