Warning: This article contains major SPOILERS for Sinners.Ryan Coogler’s hit new vampire movie Sinners is an absolute bloodbath, to the point that it can be hard to keep track of everyone who dies. One of the best movies in recent history to rely on old-school vampire lore, Sinners‘ positive reviews have largely spoken for themselves. Nearly every detail in the film, from the acting to Sinners‘ soundtrack, is combined to create a single well-crafted experience. But at times, the ride can be a bit discomforting.
A lot of the movie’s events are disturbing, and there are specifically some aspects of Sinners‘ ending that might be a bit difficult for some people to stomach. Additionally, vampires in Sinners undergo such severe personality changes that it’s as if the original person had effectively died. They might retain certain memories and a few personality traits, but they’re certainly not the same. Unfortunately, bearing that in mind raises the movie’s body count by quite a bit.
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Bert & Joan
Remmick’s Very First Victims
Remmick turns Bert, who turns Joan as well. This heavily impacts the story, as their drastically changed personalities help establish that becoming a vampire is essentially a death sentence. It’s soon learned that vampires in Sinners share memories and certain emotions as well, accounting for these mᴀssive shifts. Sadly, they cannot be turned back, leading to Bert and Joan’s final deaths in the ultimate battle at the end of the movie.
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Mary
Stack’s Feisty Ex-Girlfriend
Twins Smoke and Stack (Michael B. Jordan) were provided for by Mary’s (Hailee Steinfeld) mother as children, and at some point, Stack and Mary wound up dating. Although Mary is technically mixed race, the fact that she pᴀsses for white made Stack feel their relationship would be seen as taboo. He left her behind when he and Smoke went to work for Capone, and she’s been angry ever since. However, she still supports the twins’ juke joint, which ultimately becomes her undoing.
After the twins turn away Remmick and company, Mary goes out to speak with them. The crew seems friendly enough, performing a beautiful rendition of “Wild Mountain Thyme” when Mary arrives. But as she’s leaving, Remmick leaps into the air behind her before the screen cuts away. When she returns, she’s already been changed. Although Mary does escape the final fight and is still alive during the movie’s epilogue, the person she was before becoming a vampire is gone forever.
11
Stack
Smoke’s Reckless Brother
Image via Warner Bros.
Between the twins, there’s little doubt that Stack is the more impulsive of the two. So, when his angry ex-girlfriend returns to the bar as a vampire and begins putting moves on him, he inevitably gives in and makes love to her in the back room. Smoke catches them in the act, but Mary has already fed on Stack by the time Smoke arrives. Smoke tries to shoot her to death in retaliation, but Mary escapes while Stack is locked in the room.
Although Smoke fights Stack at the very end, his twin ultimately makes it out of the final fight intact. He never quite returns to normal, but he does come closer than any of the other vampires when he shows a glimpse of his former self by fondly remembering the last time he saw his brother. This suggests that it might actually be possible for vampires to regain their human personalities, but it can still be ᴀssumed that the old Stack is largely ᴅᴇᴀᴅ for now.
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Cornbread
He Had One Job
9
Countless Blues Bar Patrons
A Handful Of Vampires Do A Lot Of Damage
Despite Remmick’s crew starting out relatively small, they manage to get quite a bit done in an impressive amount of time. Most of the juke joint’s patrons, and seemingly a number of townspeople who might not even have been at the party, ultimately become vampires. Most of Remmick’s horde isn’t actually shown being turned, but his sudden acquisition of a small army raises the stakes of the film significantly toward the end.
However, the subsequent fight keeps them occupied long enough that many are outside when the sun rises, resulting in what feels like a large chunk of the Mississippi Delta’s population burning alive. Generally, it can be ᴀssumed that anyone who isn’t actively shown getting staked or later surviving is likely among the burning victims.
8
Bo
Grace’s Grocer Husband
Image via Warner Bros.
Grace (Li Jun Li) and Bo (Yao) arrive early in the movie to play a major role in the juke joint’s opening. Bo is one of many eventually turned into a vampire, which drives the film’s third act. After Bo and the others threaten to turn Grace’s daughter Lisa (Helena Hu), Grace dares the vampires to enter the bar and fight. A number of the following characters killed off might have otherwise survived if they’d simply stayed inside until sunrise, but turning Bo and pushing Grace over the edge was all Remmick needed to initiate a mᴀssacre.
7
Annie
Smoke’s Ex & Savior
Even if he left his wife behind when he and Stack left for Chicago, Smoke still has strong feelings for Annie. Things fell apart for the two when their daughter died, but Annie still cares for Smoke’s safety. It’s ultimately Annie who helps Smoke survive his final battle against Stack, as she gives him a magic charm that keeps him from being bitten. Unfortunately, she evidently didn’t think to keep anything similar on her own person.
Annie tells Smoke that she doesn’t want to be turned into a vampire, and he promises to kill her if that should become her fate. Unfortunately, that’s exactly the kind of conversation that tends to arm Chekhov’s gun when you’re a horror movie character. Annie is bitten during the final battle and Smoke keeps his promise to kill her by staking her through the heart. Fortunately, her appearance at the end of the movie suggests that she’s happy in the afterlife and reunited with their daughter.
6
Pearline
One Of The Juke Joint’s Performers
For most of the film, Pearline (Jayme Lawson) doesn’t necessarily have a giant impact on the story. There’s something of a romance between her and Sammie (Miles Caton), and she participates in the movie’s remarkable musical performances, but she’s hardly an emotional linchpin. But Sammie and Pearline ultimately don’t wind up together, as Pearline is murdered by vampires in Sinners’ climactic battle in the bar. Fortunately, this fuels Sammie to fight back, and he becomes a decisive factor in Smoke’s fight with Remmick.
