Ryan Coogler‘s “Sinners” is much more than a bloody showdown featuring vampires. The supernatural thriller is anchored in music, specifically the blues.

In the film, in theaters now, Michael B. Jordan plays Smoke and Stack, twin brothers who return to their hometown in the 1930s Mississippi Delta, seeking a fresh start. Miles Caton plays their young cousin Sammie, a sharecropper and the pastor’s son, who has a deep connection to music. He dreams of becoming a blues musician, so the twins recruit him to perform at their new juke joint. There, his preternatural musical ability sets off a chain of supernatural events.

To craft the music for “Sinners,” which became a character of its own within the film, Coogler called on his go-to collaborator, composer Ludwig Göransson. Göransson, who also serves as an executive producer, began sending Coogler songs early on in the development process.

At first, Ludwig...