It's a great time to be a horror fan, as the genre has been thriving for years. 2025 was certainly no exception, with titles like Ryan Coogler's Sinners among some of the best horror movies in recent memory. The vampire movie, which is streaming with a HBO Max subscription, was a massive hit, and Remmick actor Jack O'Connell recently spoke to CinemaBlend about the project's wild success.
Sinners crushed at the box office, and is a favorite for Awards Season, recently winning the Golden Globe for Cinematic Achievement. Jack O'Connell has another scary role coming with the upcoming horror movie 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, and while speaking with him about his role in the Nia DaCosta's sequel, I asked how he feel about beloved Sinners, including his performance and song "The Rocky Road to Dublin." He told me:
Very heartwarming. And it just makes me feel - I find it promising that so many people went to support the movie. And knowing Ryan [Coogler] personally, it, in hindsight, it doesn't surprise me. He's very good at what he does.
Points were made. Ryan Coogler has a stellar reputation, thanks to his projects like Creed and the Black Panther movies (which are streaming with a Disney+ subscription). So in retrospect, it makes total sense that folks turned out at theaters to help make Sinners such a success story. Still, O'Connell seems to find it hopeful the way that so many people saw the horror flick in theaters ahead of it becoming available to stream.
Sinners was a hit with critics and audiences alike, with the movie getting praise for its emotional story, stunning visuals, and terrifying vampire battles. Sinners' ending also provided an emotional gut punch, with most of the undead being killed off, leaving just Stack and Mary to go through decades together.
Sinners has also made the rounds online, with folks creating content about moments like Grace Chow's decision to let the vampires in. Additionally Jack O'Connell's performance in "The Rocky Road to Dublin" has also been made into countless memes and TikToks, thanks to what a bop that traditional Irish song is... especially while a mob of undead is dancing to it in front of the Juke Joint. Overall, the horror flick has really pierced the pop culture landscape, and it should be interesting to see what other trophies it takes home this Awards Season.
As previously mentioned, Jack O'Connell is once again playing a horror villain in Nia DaCosta's 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. The movie directly catches up with Ralph Fiennes' Kelson and Alfie Williams' Spike and directly following the events of the last movie, which saw the latter character adopted by a cult of violent Satanists called The Jimmys. O'Connell's Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal is the terrifying leader of this violent group, and he'll once again bring horror (and laughs) to audiences as a result.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple will hit theaters on January 16th as part of the 2026 movie release list. In the meantime, Jack O'Connell's work in Sinners can be re-watched over on HBO Max.
