Voodoo

With its traditional animist beliefs and traditions focusing on the veneration of nature and the sacredness of ancestors, voodoo is first and foremost a religion, and as such, has its shrines and altars, its congregations, and its respective priests/priestesses (It however lacks a central institutional authority and a single recognized leader. There is also no orthodoxy, no central liturgy, and no formal creed). Originating in West Africa, voodoo beliefs and practices were brought to New World colonies - notably the Caribbean islands and Central America - by the Atlantic slave trade. Starting in the 17th century, voodoo further hybridized (its African version was already something of a syncretic religion), incorporating elements from the Roman Catholicism practiced by European colonizers as well as influences from Freemasonry.

Voodoo believes in the existence of a single supreme divinity, but a remote, inaccessible one. However, one can interact with spiritual entities known as the "lwa" (also called "loa" or "loi"), that serve as an intermediary between the earthly dimension and the creator divinity. The lwa are believed to communicate with people through dreams and through human possession, and can contact the realm of the dead. Similar to other ancestral religions, voodoo features a large number of magical ceremonies.

Although based on simplistic clichés and tendentious interpretations, the association between voodoo and witchcraft (in extreme cases, they're seen as one and the same), is undeniably powerful and evocative. On the artistic plane, this allure has translated into a substantial body of atmospheric works focusing on this intriguing subject. Given that this website deals with themes of particular interest to horror films, it's inevitable that we would focus on the horrific and disturbing vision of voodoo invariably depicted on the big screen and TV. From that perspective, voodooism basically falls within the realm of black magic, which means this Tag could be considered a subcategory of the "Witchcraft" Tag (keeping in mind that we've opted to use "Witchcraft" as a blanket term synonymous with "Black Magic"). However, the distinctive nature of voodoo iconography (ritual possessions, ruthless bokors, stolen souls, gris-gris, potions, dolls and similar fetishes, etc.) is so compelling that we felt it deserved its own separate Tag.

Note: Films given the "Voodoo" Tag will not receive the "Witchcraft" Tag in addition.