Culture and Horror // Black Traditional Practices in Media

For decades, the portrayal of non-white practices and religions in Hollywood has been subpar to offensive. Whether Hollywood has attempted to tackle Indigenous American practices, Hoodoo, Santeria, or Vodun, these spiritualities are almost always portrayed in an extremely harmful, negative way. The utilization of marginalized religions in media often comes at the expense of demonizing those who practice or are part of said religious practices. Thus, skewing the concept of these belief systems for media consumption. This has led to misinformation, racism, and, more importantly, the misportrayal of these non-white beliefs and practices. 

Hoodoo

Looking specifically at Hoodoo, a Black American practice born in the southern region of the United States during slavery, it has had its fair share of misrepresentation. Until the release of Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, Hoodoo had not received overwhelmingly positive representation in Hollywood, especially when portrayed by non-Black directors and writers. Black creatives, on the other hand, while not receiving the accolades they deserve, have been portraying Hoodoo respectfully in their works for years. When looking at the treatment of Hoodoo by Black film directors, writers, especially those who write in the Southern Gothic genre–a genre that blends themes of racism, the decay of the South, misogyny, and magical realism, a new world is introduced, and the practice itself is humanized. It is handled authentically. 

Before Sinners, I first saw a unique portrayal of Hoodoo in the short film Wake, by Bree Newsome. Wake depicts a woman who, after the death of her father – whom she killed –performs a ritual to find a husband. Utilizing elements of Hoodoo like dirt, nature, and household materials, she conjures a deity who grants her exactly what she wants, leading to problems later on.

While Newsome’s portrayal of Hoodoo and Black American/African spirituality can be seen as a negative, I didn’t necessarily view it that way. It serves as a cautionary tale: respect the spirits and the land, and when reaching out to the other side, be clear about what you ask for. Newsome’s short film also highlights themes of religion and misogyny, specifically centering the plight of Black women in religious, patriarchal communities. My introduction to the handling of Hoodoo by Black creatives did not stop at Wake. I looked further into the Southern Gothic genre, and came across Eve’s Bayou and Daughters of the Dust. 

Southern Gothic Themes

Both Eve’s Bayou, directed and written by Kasi Lemmons, and Daughters of the Dust, directed and written by Julie Dash, both Black women, also utilize Southern Gothic themes, while also managing to keep a very neutral view of Hoodoo and African spirituality.

In Daughters of the Dust, we see the embodiment of Hoodoo through the character Nana Peazant. The film follows a Gullah family as they prepare to leave Gullah Island for the mainland. Nana Peazant is the matriarch and is a free slave who continues to practice and perform traditional African practices, including Hoodoo. While the rest of Nana Pezant’s family wishes to leave the island, Nana has a connection to the land, which is an extremely integral aspect of Hoodoo. Connection to the land, is connection to the ancestors, and Nana’s reluctance to leave whilst staying loyal to her traditions personifies the practice as well–meaning she becomes a breathing vessel of Hoodoo. The movie portrays Hoodoo as an object that exists not only in the land but also in the very heart of the people, as we see with Nana. 

Similarly, Eve’s Bayou portrays Hoodoo as an element that drives the narrative as both a neutral yet cautionary force. In characters like Mozelle, the ‘Black Widow’, we learn that she is a Root worker (another name for a Hoodoo practitioner), and also contains the sight – the ability to know the future. The titular character, Eve, also has the sight. For the duration of the movie, Hoodoo plays a role in the background as a tool to warn the family of future tragedies. 

Hoodoo and Culture

Both movies handle Hoodoo in a way that gives it both respect and autonomy, for it manifests itself in the very flesh of the characters. It is integral to the survival and preservation of the families in both films. In these films, Hoodoo does not appear as a strange, demonic magic that enhances the horror or thriller aspect. It is a very real living component of the culture, oftentimes falling in the backdrop of racism, misogyny, and the decaying and turbulent establishment of the US American South. It is a driving force integral to the narrative of the Black main characters’ survival.

While Hoodoo can also exist in the horror genre, as seen with Wake or even Sinners, when handled by Black writers, the inclusion is not meant to demonize. As mentioned earlier, Wake serves as a cautionary tale highlighting misogyny and the striving for independence gone wrong. In contrast, the use of Hoodoo in Sinners presents it in a protective light and underscores its deep connection to the ancestral realm.

Authentic Version of Hoodoo

We see this with the character Annie, who prepares mojo bags to save those she loves and often speaks of the ancestral plane, even appearing there toward the end of the movie. This portrayal of Hoodoo is very similar to its portrayal in both Eve’s Bayou and Daughters of the Dust. All three of these films, written and directed by Black writers, display once again a genuine and authentic version of Hoodoo while maintaining core themes of Black Southern Gothic media: racism, oppression, and both the idolized and decaying vision of the South. 

Hoodoo as a practice has no guidebook. In households from Texas to Louisiana to Mississippi, practitioners vary the way they practice Hoodoo. However, media portrayal has, for years, skewed the perception of the practice, oftentimes impacting how Black American people see it.

Ryan Coogler has brought Hoodoo into mainstream media, portraying it respectfully. It gives me hope that in the future, more Black creatives will have a wider spotlight to showcase our traditions and cultures in a positive light.