INITIAL THOUGHTS
Wow this film fucking BANGED. A mainstream vampire horror film that focused on black culture and impact of music in the rural south? Whoever heard this idea from Ryan and also knew it would stick and be a home run deserves all the praise in the world along with him. I know this was written and directed by Ryan Coogler, it’s such a bold take on the subject material and making a vampire movie fucking sick and ACTUALLY AN AMAZING MOVIE is one of the coolest things I’ve seen in cinema. As both a moviegoer and a horror fan. The cast is remarkable, the cinematography and lighting is phenomenal, the score is up there with some of my favorite scores, and the writing was TIGHT. Giving us some genuine great interactions and even some humor sprinkled in.
THE PERFECT DIRECTOR AND PERFECT CAST
Ryan Coogler is brilliant. His name needs to be mentioned with the top of the industry. Not only did he direct a phenomenal movie, but he brought on a cast that would be perfect each in their respective roles. His chemistry with Michael B. Jordan in the Creed films, Fruitvale Station, Black Panther, and now this just show that this is a match made in cinema heaven. Hailee Steinfeld I didn’t even know could act, and this chick had me roped in from the moment you heard her southern deep rooted Mississippi accent at the train station. Every time she was in a scene you felt her character. Also, I usually don’t love the one actor playing multiple characters, but Smoke and Stack literally felt like there were two actual people (twins) playing them. Call them Michael A and B Jordan if you want. It worked so well I couldn’t believe it.
Many others rounded out this cast and again carried massive weight in what they had to do. Wunmi Mosaku was like everyone’s favorite Auntie down south that you always listened to and everyone shut up when she was demanding attention of the room. Was so sad to see her not make it but seeing her united with her child was amazing. Miles Caron as Sammie, that accent was hard to pick up at first and that’s just how good it was. Loved preacher boy and the scene he led in the juke joint is one of the best delivered sequences of a film I’ve seen in the past decade. Many others to name like how Delroy Lindo offered some great comedic relief as Delta Slim, but Jack O’Connell elevated this film to a new level.
Jack felt weird and offbeat when he first shows up to the juke joint, and carries that persona into a more confident approach once he has converted Mary, Cornbread and many others so that the numbers are on his side. He just wanted everyone to see his vision and join him and it being capped off with an Irish dance was chef’s kiss.
THE VAMPIRE DESIGNS AND EFFECTS
These vampires were ruthless. They were fast, violent, manipulative, and would do anything to get a taste of blood. As you can tell in the picture, Mary was my favorite vampire look. When she turns around after biting Stack she looks downright terrifying before running outside. Jack O’Connell also has an awesome menacing design with the blood lingering around his mouth, the effect on the eyes, and his claws showing and being a factor. However, Stack looked like the coolest vampire to ever walk the planet. No wonder him and Mary wanted to embrace it long after the night, they looked like they owned the world and they sure felt like it. I loved the design of Jack at the end as Remmick when he is trying to drown Sammie and then talking to him in the water with his claws and fangs out with dark effects and it just looked so damn cool and epic for a vampire horror it warmed my heart.
The blood and bite wounds looked brutal, in the best way possible, probably only had 1-2 moments where I thought the blood looked cheap but the rest of the time it was some gnarly bite that you were like “yeah that would be what it would look like if someone bit a chunk out of you.” Also really liked how when Cornbread was shot he held that would throughout the rest of the film. Really added a nice touch to being immortal but damageable.
BOX OFFICE MONEYMAKER
Not only was this a massive success for an original film that featured vampires in rural Mississippi, but this was a massive success on any scale when you look at the figures. As of end of May the film has grossed over 300 million and held a budget of about 90 million, which is insanely good. So good I can’t help but read the rumors and hear the whispers about a sequel eventually. How could you not find a way to expand on this story?? Especially since this film mainly happened in one night. You could show us more about the natives chasing Remmick and his clan before that night. So many directions to go.
A lot of the success I also felt like was word of mouth along with the marketing. Don’t get me wrong, people saw the trailer and were excited to see it, along with how women love MBJ and men are fond of Steinfeld. But the fact there was so much discussion around the performances of MBJ, Hailey, and Miles really helped put butts in seats. Not to mention it was a remarkable film to see in IMAX. Horrors in IMAX are rare and this one did everything it could to make it an incredible experience for audiences. Plus you kept seeing talk of “one of the greatest scenes of all time in cinema” with the evolution of music sequence. That just had so much buildup, seeing Sammie’s true talent, and then being a love song to the evolution of music and its impact on culture really blew me away. Just talking about such a big time scene like that will get people chirping about the film and rushing to the theatre .
FINAL THOUGHTS
Man if I could go see this movie again for the first time I would. I’m in love with this film. I love vampire films. I love horror films. I love Michael B Jordan. I love Ryan Coogler’s work. It hit every note for me. I settled on a 9.2/10 for this film. Really high and it deserves every bit of it from the acting, directing style and the way it’s shot, and the story itself, while very unique, was badass. I can’t wait to see it again.
The Cinema Speakeasy Theatre Room 
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