Voodoo Horror
Explore books, themes, and recommendations in Voodoo Horror.
What is the Voodoo Horror Subgenre?
Like religious or occult horror, voodoo horror takes aspects from a particular religion to create its scares. In this case, that religion is voodoo, typically the voodoo described is Louisiana voodoo, also known as New Orleans voodoo, but elements of Hatian vodou and South American hoodoo may also be present in voodoo horror as the three religions are often confused.
Voodoo is a folk religion based on African traditions. It was adopted by slaves in the United States, particularly in Louisiana, and was influenced by French, Spanish, and Creole culture. In voodoo, a lot of emphasis is placed on gris-gris, a type of herbal protective amulet. Herbal amulets can be made for health, safety, and protection, or conversely, these can also be used to cause harm to one's enemies. Another important aspect of the voodoo faith is ancestor worship, which has been influenced by Catholicism, and voodoo dolls were also an American voodoo practice, although, contrary to popular belief, the voodoo doll was often used for rituals of blessing.
Even in the 1800's, little was known about voodoo, and journalists exoticized and sensationalized the religion by reporting on rumors of animal sacrifices, zombies, and dark spirits. In the 1930's, voodoo went underground, but many elements and misconceptions about the faith were adopted in fiction and film. A common misconception is voodoo is used for hexes and cursing, and that voodoo dolls had pins stuck in them to cause an individual harm. Many of these misconceptions continue to thrive in the voodoo horror subgenre.
Typical settings in voodoo horror are generally regions where the religion, or those that it is confused with, are practiced. Expect to find tales of voodoo horror set in New Orleans or on Caribbean islands. Themes generally involve family, in some way, and generally, this is because of some deep, dark family curse that spans generations. Typically, voodoo horror will have some element of mystery or dark secret involved. The level of violence varies in this subgenre, though, often, voodoo horror tends to be more mysterious and atmospheric than extremely gory or graphic.
Voodoo Horror Characteristics
Level of Characterization: Like many supernatural tales, the level of characterization in voodoo horror varies widely.
Level of Plot: Expect the level of plot in voodoo horror to be moderate to high. Again, this is because of the similarities with the supernatural horror subgenre. The more simple plots will only feature some sort of voodoo spirit or element that plagues the protagonist and is dealt with over the course of the story, and the more complex plots will involve a deeper mystery.
Level of Supernatural: The level of supernatural in voodoo horror is very high because the subgenre uses supernatural elements of the religion to produce the necessary chills.
Level of Scary: The level of scary varies in voodoo horror widely depending on the elements of the religion used.
Level of Violence: Another variable level in voodoo horror, but this subgenre tends to have a low to moderate level of violence. Instead, the chills come from the atmosphere invoked.
Typical Setting: The typical setting of the voodoo horror subgenre is predominantly New Orleans, though a darker and more wild city than imagined in the Southern gothic subgenre. Additionally, Caribbean islands are another common setting, and any other region where voodoo is a widely practiced religion.
Related Horror Subgenres
Due to the setting and atmospheric nature of the subgenre, Southern gothic is a closely related subgenre to voodoo horror. Similarly, supernatural and occult horror are related. One might think that zombie horror would be easily related to voodoo horror, but modern zombies bear little resemblance to the zombies in found in voodoo tradition. So, the two are only tangentially related.
Don't Read Voodoo Horror If You Dislike…
New Orleans as a setting, the gothic style , or the exoticizing of a religion. Because voodoo horror does contain some fictionalized and sensationalized elements of the voodoo tradition, those who are offended by this may be turned off by the genre. Additionally, those who are tired of seeing New Orleans as a setting for horror or those who prefer more graphic horror may be turned off by voodoo horror.