SinnerXscream

Comparing the 2025 film Sinners to the 1996 film Scream

Imagine you’re home alone and you hear a strange noise coming from somewhere in the house, a noise that you shouldn’t hear when you’re supposed to be the only one home. Is it Freddy Krueger? Michleal Myers? Or is it Jason coming to get you? Those are just some popular horror movie killers that come to mind when people think of the horror genre, but horror can come in many forms. For example, ones that portray psychological horror that play with your mind, then even comedy horror that blends two completely different genres and ends up mixing. Just like the movie Scream (1996), this movie blends the comedic banter we get from characters with the brutal bloodbath of the slasher.

Scream, released in 1996, is set in Woodsboro, California. The film follows a circle of teenage friends and their lives until there starts a killing spree by a killer called Ghostface, who obviously targets teenagers. While this could pass for any ordinary slasher movie, it promptly shocked the audience with its opening scene and the sudden jet of violence that enters the movie. On the other hand, Sinners is a 2025 movie that amalgamates a few different types of horror, namely folk and supernatural horror. It also largely takes from Southern horror. It happens in Mississippi in the year 1932 and follows the story of twin brothers Smoke and Stack as they return from work to buy a juke joint. Both brothers are trying to get music back to their Black community with the help of their cousin Sammie. However, the celebration quickly went off course after some vampires appeared in town, drawn by Sammie’s music. Once inside, the night morphed into a hunt for survival as the brothers struggled to protect their community against the supernatural evil trying to break its way in. These two movies do share the horror genre, but they approach it from different views, giving each film its own unique style. Scream takes place in an ordinary town that follows a normal group of teenagers, while Ghostface is out killing and gutting people in their homes. The film uses elements of postmodern horror, emphasizing how everyday life can be broken by a threat that feels grounded, rational, and possible.

In Sinners, they’re not fighting a teenager dressed up in a Ghostface mask; they’re fighting vampires. The film blends supernatural horror rather than postmodern rather it draws heavily on urban legends that people believed explained real dangers. Even though these films have their own distinct tone, they share a key narrative similarity: both use the concept of “the threat is closer than you think.” Scream, the killer is present long before anyone realizes it, and the danger becomes personal when Sidney discovers that Ghostface is actually her boyfriend Billy Loomis. She does not even have time to process that before she learns it’s also her close friend, Stu Mache, as well. Revealing the threat was within her social circle the whole time. Similarly, in Sinners, the characters know something is wrong outside their juke joint, but the danger escalates when Mary is turned into a vampire, now allowing the threat to breach inside their group without them knowing. Both films use the “imposter within” technique to heighten the horror aspect and make the antagonists’ plan more intimate and more dangerous.

The opening scene in Scream is a strong example of a modus Legendi. It opens with Casy Becker, a teenage girl home alone, played by the well-known Drew Barrymore. Because she was such a recognizable star at the time, no one expected her to be brutally murdered within the first twelve minutes. Her death is prolonged and brutal, as the killer toys with her before gutting her and hanging her from a tree. But the slasher played games with her before he gutted her and hung her from a tree for her parents to find. This establishes early on that no one is safe, no matter how famous the person playing them is. In contrast, Sinners builds its tension through sound. The juke joint is usually filled with music and dancing, but it suddenly falls eerily silent right before the vampires attack. This abrupt silence signals to the audience that danger is approaching, teaching them to recognize silence as a warning.
Along with incorporating sound effects, both films rely a lot on the camera to convey meaning. The movie Scream utilizes the use of camera point-of-view shots while Ghostface is on the prowl for his next victim. This creates fear and anticipation, making the audience think, “Turn around, he’s right behind you!” and “When is he gonna attack?”In contrast, Sinners uses symbolic framing, pulling the camera away along with the audience’s eyes to an ordinary object. For example, when Sammie enters his father’s church, the camera lingers on a guitar- the same guitar he plays in the juke joint. The music he plays with that guitar becomes the very thing that attracts the vampires to the juke joint.

Each film contains pivotal moments that shift both the characters’ and the audience’s understanding of the story. In Sinner, this turning point happens when Mary is transformed into a vampire. Up until this moment, the vampires work as an external threat, but Mary’s turning makes the danger personal and immediate. The twins must now confront and come to terms that their long-time friend has passed the point of dawning, demonstrating how quickly the supernatural threat can infiltrate their inner circle. In Scream, the major shirt happens when it is revealed that there are two killers instead of one. Billy being involved is unsurprising, but the bigger twist is that Stu is also Ghostface, dramatically reframing the narrative. The twist compels the audience to reconsider earlier scenes, showing how precisely Billy and Stue coordinated their attacks to maintain the illusion of a single killer.

In any case, Horror can come in many forms: from the psychological scares that toy with your mind, to the blending of comedy and brutal violence of horror. Films such as Scream (1996) and other works in the horror genre show multiple ways in which the genre can use tension, suspense, and dark humour to keep audiences interested in their movies. Scream shows how clever writing ties into character interactions and shocking acts of violence to make a memorable and impactful horror experience, showing that genre can be as thoughtful as it is terrifying.