Sinners is, at least so far, my favorite movie of the year. The Ryan Coogler-directed masterpiece, which you can watch with an HBO Max subscription, was a revelation for me because I'm usually not a huge fan of horror movies. I loved everything about it, however, and now I’m wondering why the powers that be didn’t wait to release it in that traditional window to unleash films like it the world: “spooky season”? There are actually two reasons why I think it would have made more sense.
People Love A Great Horror Movie Around Halloween
Sure, Sinners is not a “Halloween” movie, but it is the best horror movie of the year, which is filled with great scary movies. Weapons and 28 Years Later are also high on my list of favorites. Speaking of which, why weren’t those released around now, too? Especially Weapons? Anyway, Sinners would be the perfect movie for late September or October. The nights are getting longer, meaning more time for vampires to feed, right?
This September has felt very sparse with movie releases. The top movie at the box office currently is an anime that very few people saw coming, even us here at CinemaBlend. A marquee release, one directed by Coogler and starring his cohort Michael B. Jordan, would have filled the void perfectly. While releasing any horror movie this time of year makes sense, it makes even more sense for a film like Sinners for another reason: awards.
This Is Also The Time Of Year That Awards Favorites Get Released
Spooky season doesn’t just mark the time of year people love to watch horror movies, but it also means the beginning of awards season. The Emmys owned the night recently, and over the next few months, we’ll start to see the studios release what they believe should be the serious contenders for the Oscars, the Golden Globes, and the other big awards shows that will take place in early 2026.
While only one horror movie has ever won Best Picture, The Silence of the Lambs, and that is really a borderline case, this could be the year that a genuine horror film takes home the top prize with Sinners. It’s far too early to be making predictions on the winners, but I think it’s a very safe bet that it will be nominated and in the running. Having the film fresh in voters' minds, one of the big reasons the studios release contenders late in the year could have gone a long way towards that breakthrough win for the genre. Sinners certainly is going to have plenty of Oscar buzz despite being released last winter.
There are still plenty of films left on the 2025 movie schedule, so who knows, maybe there will be a movie that blows me away as much as Sinners, but I’ll be honest, I’d be surprised. That’s how much I like this movie.
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