Over the years, Sterling K. Brown has played a lot of different kinds of roles. In his latest movie, Is God Is, which hits theaters this weekend as part of the 2026 movie schedule, he adds another type: creeeeeeepy villain. I love it. The movie, and his performance, are a delight, and I mean that in the scariest possible way. Is God Is is as disturbing as it is funny, and Brown is a major reason for that. I’m so here for it.
An Instant Classic Horror Comedy
Is God Is, the directorial debut from playwright Aleshea Harris, is really funny. It’s also really upsetting. This isn’t the kind of movie I usually enjoy, but after Sinners and Weapons were two of my favorites of 2026, it’s obvious that horror movies are growing on me. Though it's technically being called a "thriller" by most critics, there are enough elements in it for me to classify it as horror.
The cast is fantastic and really understood the assignment that Harris’s screenplay (based on her own play) lays out. Kara Young and Mallori Johnson, as the twins Racine and Anaia, respectively, are funny and sympathetic as sisters who have faced serious trauma at the hands of their father (played by Brown). Vivica A. Fox, as their mother or “God,” as Racine calls her, is downright terrifying in her time on screen, and all the supporting roles played by the likes of Janelle Monáe and Erika Alexander are also pitch-perfect for the story. It’s Brown who steals the show for me, though.
Playing A Villain Is Rare For Brown
Whether it’s a father, brother, and son who cares deeply for his family in This is Us, a stoic action/adventure hero in Paradise, or a flamboyant doctor in American Fiction (which earned him an Oscar nomination), there’s no question Brown has serious range. Still, he’s never really played a villain. At least, not a villain like he plays in Is God Is. Sure, N'Jobu in Black Panther is kind of a villain, but not for anything we really see on screen. And in Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul, Brown certainly plays a very bad person, but he’s not the villain of the movie in the traditional sense.
Here, he most certainly is, and he absolutely nails it. Though we only catch glimpses of him for most of the movie, his presence is constantly felt. He is menacing and scary in every flashback, but when we meet him, he's soft-spoken and almost meek. That makes him 10 times creepier than if he had played the role with his usual swagger and booming voice. He also wears the dorkiest damn pants he’s ever worn on screen, and even the costume choice makes the character scarier. The movie spends a lot of time setting up just how bad a person the twins’ father is, and when you first hear his voice, you question everything about the movie. Not for long, though. It’s brilliant.
I’m really excited to see what lies ahead for Aleshea Harris, because her decisions in this movie far exceed what you might expect from a first-time director. I can’t wait for what she does next. As for Brown, we’ll likely see him next in the final season of Paradise next year with our Hulu subscriptions.
