Movies

Sinner’s Ending Reimagines 1968 Horror Classic With A Fresh Twist

BBG News

Caution: This article discloses major plot points of the hit vampire film, “Sinners,” by Ryan Coogler. The movie is making waves in horror movie history by acknowledging its roots in classic scary tales like “Salem’s Lot” and “From Dusk Till Dawn.” Yet, it appears that “Sinners” also pays tribute to another chilling film from 1968, George A. Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead,” which interestingly, does not involve vampires.

In essence, both movies share a common plot about ordinary individuals battling hordes of undead creatures. Interestingly, they both conclude with their main characters meeting a grim end at the hands of human mobs. Given that “Night of the Living Dead” is known for its portrayal of racial prejudice against Black people, it’s plausible that it might have influenced Coogler and his narrative about vampires set in the Jim Crow era South. However, unlike George A. Romero’s movie, Ryan Coogler appears to have reworked the ending of his film by giving Smoke a heroic confrontation in “Sinners”.

Sinner’s Final Shootout Parallels 1968’s Night Of The Living Dead

Smoke Has A Similar Fate To Ben From Night Of The Living Dead

In a striking twist, both Sinners and Night of the Living Dead conclude with their main Black characters being fatally shot by a group of white men following a lengthy struggle against relentless monsters. The shocking demise of Ben in Night of the Living Dead, a moment that still resonates powerfully today, was particularly significant in film history due to its poignant portrayal of racial violence experienced by Black people in America, echoing events like the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., which took place shortly after the movie’s completion.

It’s plausible that Ryan Coogler intentionally structured the ending of “Sinners” to resemble “The Night of the Living Dead,” but with a stronger emphasis on racial themes. Instead of a generic mob, Smoke in “Sinners” encounters a group associated with the Ku Klux Klan, highlighting the racism that Ben in the original film merely faced as being mistaken for a zombie, while Smoke is targeted explicitly because of his race.

How Sinners Subverts The Ending To Night Of The Living Dead

Smoke Went Out In A Blaze Of Glory Fighting The White Mob In Sinners

In the movie “Sinners”, Smoke meets an untimely end during his confrontation with a white mob, yet his demise contrasts significantly with Ben’s fate in “Night of the Living Dead”. Prior to Remmick’s death in “Sinners”, the vampire reveals that Smoke and Stack had purchased the mill from a Ku Klux Klan leader, who intended to kill them the following morning. Armed with this knowledge, Smoke strategically set up a trap to defend against the KKK’s impending attack.

In the climactic gunfight, Smoke employs his arsenal and military expertise against the KKK, ultimately managing to bring down the entire group in a fiery showdown. Sadly, Smoke perished in the battle, but his actions left a satisfying and relieving impact on the audience, as it depicts a Black character defeating a horde of white supremacists, which is a stark contrast to the ending of Night of the Living Dead.

Why Smoke’s Death Is Less Shocking Than Ben’s In The Night Of The Living Dead

Unlike Ben, Smoke Expected And Embraced His Death In Sinners

At the end of “Night of the Living Dead“, Ben’s demise was an unexpected shock. Despite his valiant efforts throughout the film, fighting for survival and safeguarding others from the relentless monsters, this selfless hero met an untimely end without any warning, and his body was promptly incinerated by his assailants. Conversely, in “Sinners“, Smoke had foreseen his own death, rather than it taking him unawares; he embraced it instead.

Instead of fleeing for safety before the KKK’s attack, Smoke chose to confront them, as he yearned to be with his late wife Annie and their son in the hereafter. Tearing apart Annie’s voodoo charm, he accepted that he might not be shielded during the gunfight. In doing so, he managed to eliminate a hate group from the world, making it a safer place, while simultaneously fulfilling his desire as he joined Annie and their child in a visionary reunion upon his death.

In the story of Sinners, Smoke endured multiple heartbreaks when his brother, wife, and many friends were slaughtered by Remmick’s gang of vampires. Despite these numerous sorrows and deaths in Sinners, he found solace upon his demise since he reunited with his spouse and child spiritually and managed to defeat some white supremacists who aimed to annihilate their family. Both the novels Sinners and Night of the Living Dead shed light on the appalling racial prejudice prevalent in American society, yet Coogler’s film offered a more uplifting conclusion by granting justice for the racism Smoke experienced.

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2025-04-24 23:49

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