This critically acclaimed 2025 movie was actually inspired byMetallica. It’s not unusual for music to inspire movies, as the film and music industries overlap quite a bit. Whether it’s a movie musical likeMamma Mia, a musical biopic likeElvis, or a film whose plot revolves around music likeAlmost Famous,music and film often go hand in hand.
Metallica is one of the most famous heavy metal bandsin music history, so it’s no surprise that they’ve inspired artists in various creative outlets. However, this 2025 horror movie leaned a lot on other genres to tell its story, so it’s unexpected thatMetallica played a role in the storytelling.
Metallica’s “One” Serves As Inspiration For Ryan Coogler’s Sinners
The Song Inspired The Pace Of Coogler’s Film
While Ryan Coogler has mentioned several inspirations behindSinners,including Stephen King’sSalem’s Lot, butMetallica’s song “One” is the most surprising. According to an interview withThe Detroit News, the director says the pace of the film was based on the heavy metal song.
The first 40 minutes ofSinnersare pretty calm, but around the 42-minute mark, things shift, and that’s when the horror elements come in. After that, the movie goes off the rails; vampires come in, andeveryone who was previously having a good night is in danger of being killed.
Coogler got the idea to make the movie this way because of the way Metallica’s song starts off pretty slowly and then goes insane about 4 minutes in. “It just goes bat s— insane, in a way you could have never seen coming,” Coogler explained. “The movie’s basically that.”
Aside from the song inspiring the pacing ofSinners, music plays a major role in the film. While it’s mostly blues and folk music at the center of thesoundtrack forSinners,there are some rock elements too, especially in the film’s score.
Lars Ulrich Even Plays The Drums On Ludwig Göransson’s Score
Ulrich Contributed To A Song From The End Of Sinners
A little-known fact about the score forSinnersis thatCoogler allowed his admiration for Metallica to play a role in it. Ludwig Göransson is the composer behind the horror film, and he is also a Metallica fan. Coogler even said that Metallica changed Göransson’s life.
Because both are such big fans,Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich played the drums on theSinnersscore. According to the officialSinnersscore onSpotify, Ulrich is featured on a song called “Bury That Guitar.” The song is played toward the end of the film, while Smoke and Sammie are fighting off Remmick’s group.
The song plays out exactly like the film does, and Metallica’s single “One.” At some points, the song is soft before building up in intensity to match the energy of the scene. WhileMetallicamay have been an unexpected inspiration, the heavy metal band helped shape Coogler’s film perfectly.
