If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.
Sinners director Ryan Coogler says that the movie's practical effects were a nightmare for the crew (not the fun kind)
I guess you could say that, even though a lot of filming Ryan Coogler's sanguine sensation Sinners must've been fun, some of it... sucked

Popverse's top stories
- Critical Role Campaign 4 has "contingency episodes" in case the story goes long, says Marisha Ray
- Watch now: Watch as the Dan Da Dan cast - Abby Trott, A.J. Beckles, Aleks Le - creep out NYCC 2025
- Marvel's Avengers: Doomsday teaser is coming, but let's remember the lesson taught by the Avengers: Infinity War trailer
Not that I'm complaining, but Sinners has been showing up a whole bunch in my feeds of late. It could be due to the fact that, at the end of a year, we tend to talk about the films that defined it (and made its biggest box office successes), or maybe it's because Ryan Coogler's vampire triumph has been nominated for seven (!) Golden Globes, per NBC News. But hear me out - as a massive horror hound, another reason I have found the film so algorhythmically success for me lately could be, well, all of the goddamn blood involved in making it.
And if so, well, I'm sure there will be some folks pretty happy to hear that. Because by the sounds of it, prying a movie out of all that red-hued corn syrup took quite a lot of effort.
You may recall Popverse reporting on how Sinners director Ryan Coogler said his actors were occasionally blinded by creepy animal-eye contacts they wore to pull of a vampiric effect on camera. "We got blood on the floor and shit," the Creed and Black Panther helmer had said, "So it was complicated."
Well, complicated doesn't seem to be the half of it.
"We got very prideful heads of departments, and we just covered everything in blood," Coogler explained in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly. "[Production designer] Hannah [Beachler]'s like, 'Oh my God, my set!' And [costume designer] Ruth [Carter]'s like, 'Oh my God, my costumes!' And then [cinematographer] Autumn [Durald Arkapaw]'s like, 'Jesus Christ, my camera!'"
Yep, it seems like there was virtually no part of the Sinners set that didn't get at least a little bit of fake blood on it. And since this is just between you and me, I'll ask the question I know we're both thinking: What about craft services? Think any of those vampire actors went method by accident?
I'll keep an eye on my feed and let you know.
Sinners is streaming on HBO Max now.
In the immortal words of Danny Elfman, "Life's no fun without a good scare." Join Popverse's weekly explorations of the best opening moments of horror cinema in The Coldest Open, and then check out:
- The best horror movies of all time, according to horror aficionado Greg Silber
- The most underrated horror movies from the past couple years
- All the new and upcoming horror movies for 2025 and beyond
And much gore. Er, more. Much more.
Follow Popverse for upcoming event coverage and news
Find out how we conduct our review by reading our review policy
Let Popverse be your tour guide through the wilderness of pop culture
Sign in and let us help you find your new favorite thing.
















Comments
Want to join the discussion? Please activate your account first.
Visit Reedpop ID if you need to resend the confirmation email.