Sinners stands out as one of the most popular movies of 2025 thus far. Globally, the film pulled in $63.5 million during its first weekend, and a further $45 million in ticket sales from theaters in the U.S. and Canada its second week. That equates to a minuscule 6% drop from its launch, the smallest drop since Avatar in 2009.
While Ryan Coogler‘s genre-bending vampire flick is being praised as one of the best original movies of the last decade, many people are likening it to a popular vampire movie from 1996. At the height of his fame, Quentin Tarantino wrote the script for From Dusk Till Dawn. Robert Rodriguez boarded as director, and George Clooney took on a lead role that kickstarted his massive movie career. So, why are people comparing these two movies? Let’s break it down.
What Is the Plot of From Dusk Till Dawn?
From Dusk Till Dawn is a movie that keeps the audience guessing from the outset, particularly those who go in blind without watching a trailer beforehand. However, this is rarely the case nowadays. Yet, even if you go into this movie knowing that vampires are central to the storyline, there are still plenty of surprises along the way.
The story focuses on criminal brothers Seth (George Clooney) and Richard Gecko (Quentin Tarantino), two thieves who have escaped law enforcement and need to get into Mexico to make their final life-changing deal. Realizing they won’t cross the border on their own, the two kidnap the Fuller family so that they can use their RV to pass through inconspicuously. When they arrive at their rendezvous, they plan to drink the night away until their business partners arrive, keeping the family hostage in the meantime. However, the Fullers soon find out that these convicts aren’t the only thing they need to worry about when they find themselves under siege by a vicious herd of vampires. To that, they must club together to defeat the evil amongst them.
Breaking Down the Similarities Between Sinners and From Dusk Till Dawn
From Dusk Till Dawn deftly weaves between genres. What starts out as a crime thriller, fully equipped with Tarantino’s signature slick dialogue, quickly turns into a hostage movie. From here, the horror unfolds and all out carnage breaks out, with some twisted humor thrown in for good measure. Sinners follows a very similar path, starting out as a dialogue-heavy crime drama that focuses on deep character development for the entire first act of the picture. A wealth of characters are introduced in a well-paced and smooth way, giving the audience a chance to care for them before they are thrust into danger.
Shortly after the release of Sinners, Ryan Coogler wrote a heartfelt letter that was shared by IndieWire. In the letter, he thanked a plethora of Hollywood figures who he said inspired him to make the movie. Among those mentioned were the likes of Spike Lee, John Singleton, Brian De Palma, Nia DaCosta, David Lynch, and Quentin Tarantino. While these filmmakers’ work may be subtly homaged in Sinners, it is closest in tone and story to From Dusk Till Dawn.
Both movies focus on criminal brothers, with one brother being the more brutal of the two. Both movies see one of the brothers turn to a vampire, and both movies build to a showdown with a raging herd of bloodsuckers in an environment where partying was being revelled in before the chaos started. While some may say this is straight up copying, Tarantino probably doesn’t see it this way, as he has said himself that he borrows from other movies. In fact, he said: “I steal from every single movie ever made.”, pointing out the notion that he honours his favourite cinematic experiences in his own movies. So, it’s safe to say there will likely be no beef brewing between Quentin Tarantino and Ryan Coogler.
How Sinners Remains Original
Striking similarities to From Dusk Till Dawn aside, Sinners is still a very original movie. Not so much in terms of plot – as that element is rather straight-forward – but more so in its unique delivery. Giving the audience a flash of horror at the beginning helps hook people into what will become a wild and creepy ride. But then, a crime drama unfolds – one soaked in original blues music and carefully written exposition that never feels spoon-fed, but isn’t too confusing to follow either.
One particular scene in the middle of the movie is quite possibly the most unique sequence of the last decade, weaving in past and future elements of music in a way that feels like a fever dream. Although Tarantino’s movies are very music heavy, Sinners could almost be considered a flat out musical with horror elements woven in, as music is its most prevalent theme that runs from the beginning, right to the post-credits scene. Also, why Sinners is different from Tarantino’s From Dusk Till Dawn is with the fact that its violent showdown is not actually the film’s biggest moment. From Dusk Till Dawn builds to a massive final act that runs for over 30 mins, whereas Coogler’s climax is equally as brutal but over pretty quickly. Instead, it is the next scene that really ties a bow on everything. To that, it’s clear that Coogler never set out to make a vampire horror like From Dusk Till Dawn, he simply wanted to borrow elements from it to pay homage.
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