As the investigation unfolds, the detectives discover that the killer is using the sins as a twisted motif for his murders. The victims are all found with gruesome and disturbing scenes, each representing one of the sins.

Fincher’s vision, paired with Darius Khondji’s cinematography, created a visual language that felt rotting and claustrophobic. The "index" of this film’s impact can be measured by how it influenced the aesthetic of the late 90s and early 2000s. From the jittery, hand-scratched opening credits by Kyle Cooper to the desaturated color palette, the film feels like a living breathing nightmare. It moved away from the "slasher" tropes of the era, focusing instead on the procedural grind and the philosophical weight of evil.