When we hear voodoo, the first thing that comes into our minds is something that is meant to do harm to others. The film “Drums O’voodoo”, started off with drums playing and we see a group dancing and chanting around a big pot of something brewing. A man comes in a frantic state and asks the voodoo priestess for help to save a woman. The priestess warns off to stay away from her and that she will bring trouble to him if he stays near her. Thomas Catt is presented as the villain of the story and the voodoo priestess is casting a spell to stop him for imposing danger and to send him back to hell. The repetition of “beat them drums” indicates the importance of the drums to the way voodoo works. The film goes into the issue of the church and voodoo and how both religions are opposed of one another.
Thomas Catt is seen threatening Amos over his niece but he is unable to protect her because Thomas information that could ruin his standing with the church people. “Voodoo ain’t all together good, but it ain’t all together bad neither,” being said in the film captures the dilmeina most people have regarding voodoo. The voodoo priestess reveals to the happy couple that her family has a curse bestowed upon them and that the curse will follow if they get married. The film taps into generational curses and how the actions of our parents can affect our future. Thomas Catt is truly a danger to the community and only the priestess voodoo can get rid of him because everyone else is afraid of him. Thomas Catt does receive his karma when he suddenly turns blind inside the church and the people are seen chanting “Lord have mercy”.
“Drums O’Voodoo” was looked through the critical race theory because the film was an all black cast and voodoo was the main subject. When voodoo is brought up it is always linked to bad magic, but not that to some people it’s a religion and a way of speaking to their ancestors. The stereotype that all people living in African-Caribbean countries practice/perform voodoo has been normalized in today’s society. The film viewed voodoo has a regular thing and that people accept it very easily, which is false because people of the church view voodoo as worshiping the devil. We don’t truly know how voodoo works, only how cinema portrays it.
Horror Genre
Horror has always kept us on our those toes and closing our eyes when we suspect something terrifying is about to occur. Viewers enjoy the unexpected, and that is why horror is a very popular genre and will continue to be so as the years go by. People watch thrillers/scary movies with the desire to be frightened and test their limits. Some people enjoy the feeling of their souls leaving their body and entering it again because that evokes some type of emotion. Romance/comedy genres don’t provide the type of emotion and fear that horror does. Scary is when everything around you seems terrifying and you’re pale as a ghost. Any sudden movement or sound has you trembling and wanting to go under the covers and hide, that’s the perception of fear. Once in a while we need a little horror in our lives because it helps with releasing a lot of anger and sadness.
After reading your analysis, I can say that critical race theory is an idea that is still presented today in society and even in movies/TV shows. I believe that this theory is something that is meant to blind the viewers and create a stereotype of different racial groups.
Critical race theory is something that is prevalent in our society even today. This analysis provides a deeper understanding of what that is and I found this quite enjoyable to read.
I thought your analysis was interestng to read with your thorough explanation using critical race theory. I agree with your idea that people like something unexpected which is the reason for the popularity of horror.
Critical race theory is definitely something we see not only in horror films today, but in other genres too. Your analysis was a good example in explaining how it has been shown in movies for a very long time.