BBC Radio 1 film critic Ali Plumb said: “The last time anything to do with a horror won best picture was The Silence of the Lambs in the early 1990s. That is a long time ago.”
He said it was good to see Sinners get “this broad a series of accolades and thumbs up from across the whole industry”.
It is “more than just a horror”, he added. “Although obviously vampires are obviously involved, there’s so much more to it.”
BBC culture editor Katie Razzall said: “It is to my mind the perfect blend of revenge thriller and sexy, decadent, musical journey through America’s race issues, good against evil, the power of music – and redemption.
“Who knew that combining vampires, KKK racists, ex-gangster twins (both played by Michael B Jordan), Mississippi delta folklore and blues history would pay off so spectacularly?”
The previous record total of 14 nominations was achieved by All About Eve in 1951, Titanic in 1998 and La La Land in 2018.
Sinners’ total this year has been boosted by the addition of a new award, for best casting, although the number of categories has fluctuated over the years.