On episode 284 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Dan Bayer to review the latest film from director Ryan Coogler, Sinners, and talk about their favorite horror films of the century so far.

The film world has been buzzing the last two weeks in the anticipation for Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, a Southern gothic vampire musical that in one of the most original, authentic studio films released in sometime. After a strong opening box office and even stronger word of mouth from audiences, receiving an “A” CinemaScore this past weekend, Sinners is being considered one of, if not the best film of 2025 released so far. Ryan and Dan breakdown their extensive thoughts on the film, avoiding spoilers yet diving deep into the complex, exciting world Coogler has built. After they are done reviewing the film, they dive into a discussion over the horror genre for the last 25 years, and how it has evolved and changed over the course of the last two and a half decades. Films mentioned in their conversation ranged from Get Out, Saw, The Ring, The Cabin in the Woods, The Conjuring, Drag Me to Hell, The Others, American Psycho, The Witch, Midsommar, It Follows, Green Room, The Substance, Nosferatu, Suspiria, Titane, and many more.

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This podcast runs 1h17m. We will be back in next week for an extensive 2025 Summer Movie Preview. Till then, let’s get into it.

Music: “Modern Fashion” from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).