Ryan Coogler’s Sinners (2025) proved that Black horror is alive and well, integrating racial politics and terror with such incredible ambition that it resulted in one of the year’s greatest box office successes. Not just in 2025, either, as Sinners is one of the highest-grossing original horror films of all time — coming behind classics like Steven Spielberg’s Jaws (1975) and William Friedkin’s The Exorcist (1973). But as a Black vampire movie specifically, Coogler’s latest joins a rather exclusive club of niche entries that stretches back to the 1970s.
To further celebrate a film that has already made such a notable cultural impact, we would like to recommend and discuss other gems in the Black horror genre that might scratch the lingering itch left behind by Sinners. The following list encompasses various aspects of the Black diaspora, ranging from culture and identity to its intersection with traditional vampire myths. However, don’t expect all of these streaming recommendations to be a somber reminder of America’s original sin and its ramifications. Instead, think of it as a list of Black horror movies that offer a wide variety of tones that match the genre mashups that make up Sinners. Whatever you’re in the mood for, it’ll be here.
From humble beginnings with the advent of the Blaxploitation film genre to the resurgence of Black horror post Jordan Peele’s Get Out, here are six Black vampire movies to sink your teeth into after watching Sinners.
6 Black Vampire Movies to Stream After You Watch Ryan Coogler’s Sinners
1. Blacula (1972)
Streaming Services: Tubi & Pluto TV.
Release Date: August 25, 1972.
Directed by William Crain.
Screenplay by Joan Torres, Raymond Koenig, & Richard Glouner.
Produced by Joseph T. Naar.
Main Cast: William Marshall, Vonetta McGee, Denise Nicholas, Gordon Pinsent, Charles Macaulay, Thalmus Rasulala, Emily Yancy, Lance Taylor Sr., Logan Field, Ted Harris, Rick Metzler, Ketty Lester, Ji-Tu Cumbuka, Elisha Cook, Jr., Eric Brotherson, Gene LeBell, & The Hues Corporation.
Cinematographer: John M. Stephens.
Composer: Gene Page.
Distributor: American International Pictures.
Runtime: 93 minutes.
Rated PG.
The Grandaddy of the Black Vampire
The grandfather of the Black vampire film, Blacula (1972), opens with African prince Mamuwalde (William Marshall) and his wife, Luva (Vonetta McGee), journeying to Transylvania to seek the aid of Count Dracula in order to help them suppress the slave trade. After refusing to aid them, the Prince of Darkness turns Mamuwalde into a vampire, imprisons him in a coffin, and locks him in his dungeon while leaving his wife to die alone. Centuries later, Mamuwalde awakens and finds himself infatuated with Tina, the reincarnation of his long-dead wife.
Blacula sets a decidedly somber tone despite its roots in the Blaxploitation genre. On its face, Mamuwalde’s courtship of Tina is not unlike the oceans of time Dracula crosses to find his reincarnated Elisabeta in Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992). But underneath the surface, Mamuwalde’s spreading of Dracula’s curse in 1972 puts him and Tina in the continual cycle of racist violence that plagued them at the opening of the film. Furthermore, this depiction of Dracula is one that addresses the inherent racism of the character, not just in his refusal to end the slave trade but also in cursing the name “Blacula” to Mamuwalde.
Mamuwalde goes to great lengths to continually reject his “slave name.” No other character throughout the movie refers to him as such, yet that nobility is for naught, given his tragic demise. Still, for 93 minutes, Blacula is a fun time with more on its mind than what’s initially on the surface.
2. Ganja & Hess (1973)
Streaming Service: Prime Video (with add-on) & Kanopy.
Release Date: April 20, 1973.
Directed by Bill Gunn.
Written by Bill Gunn.
Produced by Chiz Schultz.
Main Cast: Marlene Clark, Duane Jones, Bill Gunn, Sam Waymon, Leonard Jackson, Candece Tarpley, Richard Harrow, John Hoffmeister, Betty Barney, & Mabel King.
Cinematographer: James E. Hinton.
Composer: Sam Waymon.
Distributor: Kelly-Jordan Enterprises.
Runtime: 113 minutes.
Rated R.
A Racially Charged and Radically Different Vampire Tale
Bill Gunn’s Ganja & Hess (1973) would debut only one year after Blacula. The film follows Dr. Hess Green (played by Night of the Living Dead star Duane Jones), a wealthy black anthropologist who is turned into a vampire by his assistant. He eventually falls in love with said assistant’s estranged wife, Ganja Meda (Marlene Clark), and the two begin their journey into bloodlust addiction. Immediately, Ganja & Hess envelops you in its phantasmagoric world, with its patient pacing and nearly hallucinatory editing that elicits a dream-like atmosphere. Because of this, the movie forgoes a traditional linear narrative structure, inviting viewers on the strange journey its protagonists endure as they come to understand their place and newfound bloodthirst.
Of the horror movies on this list, this one features the biggest deviation in how the vampire is created, as the two leads are transformed through a ritual stabbing with an ancient African dagger. Yet, even with its deliberate pace, Ganja & Hess offers plenty to chew on. Through its alteration of classic vampire lore, death and rebirth serve as a framework for understanding the film’s larger thematic ramifications. From exploring ideas of eternal loneliness while thriving in upper society, to the cost of embracing ancient traditions that may otherwise seem monstrous in the face of whiteness, this often under-discussed vampire romance is rich in style and substance, especially in light of (and in conversation with) Ryan Coogler’s latest.
3. Blade (1998)
Streaming Service: Digital & VOD.
Release Date: August 21, 1998.
Directed by Stephen Norrington.
Screenplay by David S. Goyer.
Based on Blade created by Marv Wolfman & Gene Colan.
Produced by Wesley Snipes, Peter Frankfurt, & Robert Engelman.
Main Cast: Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, Kris Kristofferson, N’Bushe Wright, Donal Logue, Udo Kier, Arly Jover, Traci Lords, Kevin Patrick Walls, Tim Guinee, Sanaa Lathan, & Eric Edwards.
Cinematographer: Theo van de Sande.
Composer: Mark Isham.
Distributor: New Line Cinema.
Runtime: 120 minutes.
Rated R.
Blade (1998) is perhaps the most widely known vampire flick on this list. Its emphasis on Kung fu action and a leather-clad hero would grip the cultural zeitgeist an entire year before The Matrix (1999) was released. Stephen Norrington’s comic book film adaptation is still celebrated annually. Like Blacula and Ganja & Hess, Blade is rooted in the Blaxploitation horror genre. Our titular daywalker, an elite vampire-human hybrid, wages a one-man war against a vampire legion controlled by ambitious upstart Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff), the vampire who both helped create Blade and wants to harness his unique blood to make his army impervious to sunlight.
The Kickstart to Marvel’s Cinematic Reign
Beginning with the iconic Blood Rave sequence that introduces Blade mowing down hordes of “Suck Heads,” the incredibly stylish action on display is not to be questioned. The beloved Wesley Snipes not only gets to showcase his honed martial arts talents, but also poses for the camera in a way that very few can. Blade‘s script is just as effective for this kind of action vehicle as well. Frost’s plan is essentially a vampiric stand-in for cultural appropriation, with its prominence of Black heroes fighting a (mostly) white vampire menace that desires its hero’s powerful abilities with a disregard for his actual being.
Rare is it for a superhero adaptation to be so straightforward in its genre sensibilities and yet have so many subtextual layers ripe for dissecting. Blade can purely be viewed as an awesome action horror film. However, its potent metaphors quickly become heightened when taking a deeper look into the material, especially given the titular vampire slayer’s history in Marvel Comics, which dates back to the peak of the Blaxploitation era in the early ’70s. The power of this movie has held strong decades later, so much so that recent attempts to reboot the character by Marvel Studios in the MCU have stalled, leaving Wesley Snipes’ interpretation as the only one smart enough not to ice skate uphill.
4. Vampires vs. the Bronx (2020)
Streaming Service: Netflix.
Release Date: October 2, 2020.
Directed by Oz Rodriguez.
Screenplay by Oz Rodriguez & Blaise Hemingway.
Story by Oz Rodriguez.
Produced by Lorne Michaels, Erin David, Bert Hamelinck, & Michael Sagol.
Main Cast: Jaden Michael, Gerald W. Jones III, Gregory Diaz IV, Sarah Gadon, Imani Lewis, Cliff “Method Man” Smith, Shea Whigham, Coco Jones, Joel “The Kid Mero” Martinez, Chris Redd, Vladimir Caamaño, Jeremie Harris, Adam David Thompson, Judy Marte, Richard Bekins, Zoe Saldana, & Socorro Santiago.
Cinematographer: Blake McClure.
Composers: Will Blair & Brooke Blair.
Runtime: 86 minutes.
Rated PG-13.
Gateway horror is somewhat of an underrepresented genre these days. Additionally, the few passion projects in this subgroup that are successfully made and distributed often have an unfortunate tendency to get buried among the endless streaming services. Rising from this infinite pile is an entry that is both accessible to the whole family and highly satisfying for its niche audience. Released in the back half of 2020, in the height of the pandemic, Oz Rodriguez’s Vampires vs. the Bronx focuses on a trio of kids, Miguel (Jaden Michael), Bobby (Gerald W. Jones III), and Luis (Gregory Diaz IV), as they try to save their local bodega from closing due to the rise of gentrification in the Bronx.
A Cult Favorite in Gateway Horror
Soon, the children discover that a secret coven of vampires has set up shop within the neighborhood and is purchasing real estate, feasting on local residents in the process. This plot is far from subtle, nor does it need to be in explaining such a complex topic to its intended younger audience. Complicating the vampiric threat are the everyday hurdles the kids are systematically challenged with. Gang violence, families struggling to make ends meet, and even the onset of puberty are all aspects filling the frame and its characters with life beyond the supernatural.
In many ways, Vampires vs. the Bronx is a new generation’s The Monster Squad (1987), albeit one with heavier themes, as well as its trio being inspired by Blade more than the Universal Monsters of old. There’s a ton of heart to be found here, and the coupling of some late-game emotional stakes results in this story hitting close to home. For 86 minutes, the film breezes by thanks to the charm of its leads and the lived-in authenticity of their community. In a time when plenty of cinephiles are disillusioned with today’s often stale Hollywood landscape, asserting that various types of movies simply “don’t get made anymore,” Vampires vs. the Bronx is waiting to be discovered on Netflix.
5. Day Shift (2022)
Streaming Service: Netflix.
Release Date: August 12, 2022.
Directed by J.J. Perry.
Screenplay by Tyler Tice & Shay Hatten.
Story by Tyler Tice.
Produced by Chad Stahelski, Shaun Redick, Yvette Yates Redick, Jason Spitz, & Peter Baxter.
Main Cast: Jamie Foxx, Dave Franco, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Meagan Good, Karla Souza, Steve Howey, Scott Adkins, Snoop Dogg, Oliver Masucci, Eric Lange, Peter Stormare, & Zion Broadnax.
Cinematographer: Toby Oliver.
Composer: Tyler Bates.
Runtime: 114 minutes.
Rated R.
Day Shift (2022) is the second of two Netflix originals on this list. It’s essentially an answer to the question: “What if Blade were a blue-collar worker?” The film centers on Jaime Foxx’s Bud Jablonski, a down-on-his-luck vampire hunter who must get himself rehired at a high-paying union job to keep his family from leaving him. Marking the feature directorial debut of working stuntman-turned-director J.J. Perry, like Chad Stahelski and David Leitch before him, Day Shift brings a palpable energy and verve to the vampire subgenre. Plus, Stahelski oversaw the project as a producer under his 87Eleven banner, the action studio behind John Wick and Ballerina (not to be confused with Leitch’s 87North).
DTV’s Best Deliver Summer Breezy Vampire Slaying
In one extremely memorable action sequence, Bud teams up with the Nazarian brothers (played by Steve Howey and DTV martial arts superstar Scott Adkins) to take down a suburban nest of vampires. The combination of skills, from Adkins’ decades of martial arts prowess to Perry’s knack for fluid gunplay, makes for some of the most dynamic vampire slaying that you will ever see on screen. For all the incredible action on display, Day Shift is equally generous with its comedic sensibilities. It exists in a world where unionized vampire hunters are essentially no different than an exterminator needed to deal with a pest problem.
As such, the movie takes numerous opportunities to emphasize the annoyance of a vampiric infestation, likening the supernatural threat to cockroaches rather than a traditional hierarchy of predator and prey. In addition, Day Shift takes several jabs at Dave Franco’s union supervisor, Seth, whose inexperience in the field alongside a pro like Bud leads to one hilarious, gross-out gag after another. Although the screenplay lacks overt themes outside of a loose thread on real estate greed (similar to Vampires vs. the Bronx), filmmaker J.J. Perry more than makes up for it with stellar action and fine comedic timing, all within a two-hour runtime!
6. The Invitation (2022)
Streaming Service: Hulu & HBO Max.
Release Date: August 26, 2022.
Directed by Jessica M. Thompson.
Written by Blair Butler.
Produced by Emile Gladstone.
Main Cast: Nathalie Emmanuel, Thomas Doherty, Stephanie Corneliussen, Alana Boden, Hugh Skinner, Sean Pertwee, Carol Ann Crawford, Courtney Taylor, & Tian Chaudhry.
Cinematographer: Autumn Eakin.
Composer: Dara Taylor.
Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing.
Runtime: 104 minutes.
Rated PG-13.
A Contemporary Spin on a Well-Known Vampire Legend
Returning to the mythology of Dracula, The Invitation (2022) is an interesting redux of (or arguably even a sequel to) Bram Stoker’s novel, set a century after the events of the original story. Evie Jackson (Nathalie Emmanuel) is grieving the recent loss of her mother. After taking a DNA test, she meets with a British relative who invites her to a wedding in Carfax Abbey in England. Once there, she begins having encounters with the bourgeois guests who can’t seem to stop firing a slew of microaggressions. Soon, though, these interactions become increasingly strange as Evie discovers the vampiric menace lurking beneath the surface.
Acting like a hybrid of Get Out (2017) or Ready or Not (2019) meets Dracula, The Invitation dabbles in racial politics. It cleverly masks the real, supernatural evil at play through the casual, out-of-touch British socialites. Like Jordan Peele’s debut, the microaggressions that Evie experiences may be, on one level, harmless, but their culmination in the reveal of the inevitable Prince of Darkness adds an extra thematic coating to the sinister proceedings. To a certain extent, The Invitation gets to have its cake and eat it too with this double layer of evil. What’s here is a brisk genre mashup that hides no illusions about its inspirations while bringing modern-day social issues to the gothic horror of old.
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners is now streaming on HBO Max!
Release Date: April 18, 2025.
Directed by Ryan Coogler.
Written by Ryan Coogler.
Produced by Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler, & Sev Ohanian.
Executive Producers: Ludwig Göransson, Will Greenfield, Rebecca Cho, Pete Chiappetta, Andrew Lary, & Anthony Tittanegro.
Main Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Wunmi Mosaku, Delroy Lindo, Jack O’Connell, Jayme Lawson, Omar Benson Miller, Li Jun Li, Yao, Helena Hu, Lola Kirke, Peter Dreimanis, Saul Williams, Andrene Ward-Hammond, David Maldonado, & Buddy Guy.
Cinematographer: Autumn Durald Arkapaw.
Composer: Ludwig Göransson.
Production Company: Proximity Media.
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Runtime: 137 minutes.
Rated R.
