The Southern vampire lore behind Oscars favorite 'Sinners'

The Oscar‑nominated film “Sinners” isn’t the first vampire movie to draw its power from the American South — and it won’t be the last as the Academy Awards spotlight the genre’s resurgence. The region’s deep Southern Gothic roots, from the haunted streets of New Orleans to the moss‑draped corners of Savannah, have long shaped stories of desire, danger and the undead. Over centuries, European vampire folklore blended with Creole and African mythologies, creating a uniquely Southern mix of superstition and fear. The AJC’s Najja Parker explores how these cultural layers helped define the South’s supernatural identity — one that continues to fuel today’s vampire shows, movies and modern genre storytelling. Credits: AJC | AP | “Sinners” / Warner Bros. | “Interview with the Vampire” / Warner Bros. “Interview with the Vampire” / AMC | “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” / Twentieth Century Fox | “True Blood” / HBO | Marcie LaCerte for the AJC | Getty Images | Bibliothèque Nationale de France | Historic New Orleans Collection