Hoodoo is a mystery to many, because it had to be. Although many attempted to destroy it, somehow, it persevered.
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Ryan Coogler’s new horror movie, “Sinners”, focuses on a variety of issues that include ethnicity, Southern culture and the importance of protecting your art. But one of the most interesting topics the movie highlights is oppression and colonization through a lens of religion.
When Coogler announced his fifth feature film, I was ecstatic.
As someone who loves the horror genre and specifically Southern gothic horror, as my favorite Ayo Edebiri quote says, “I’m seated. The theater employees are scared and asking me to leave … but I’m simply too seated.”
I was already excited to see a vampire movie focusing on Black characters in the South, but what shocked me was the subplot of the complicated relationship between African Americans and Christianity.
Religion, not the Blues, was forced upon Black people
Growing up in a Baptist community in New York City, Sunday school, choir practices and lengthy Sunday services were part of my regular routine. While I enjoyed it thoroughly as a child, as I got older, it felt more like a chore.
As I started my journey into history and specifically my ancestors’ journey in the United States, I was confused on why my family was content with practicing a religion that was forced on us.
As Delroy Lindo’s character “Delta Slim” says in “Sinners,” the Blues wasn’t forced on us like that religion, we brought this from home.
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While many enslaved populations attempted to bring their beliefs and ancestral practices with them, upon arriving in the United States, Christianity was forced upon them.
Religion and specifically Christianity was used as a means of control. Various slave owners even justified their actions with biblical passages from the Old Testament.
A 2019 museum exhibit at Harvard University highlighted how Christianity in the 1800s was used in this manner. One of the examples, a book published in 1843 titled “Slavery, as it Relates to the Negro, or African Race” by Josiah Priest, defended slavery while using narratives from the Book of Genesis.
Those who participated in their ancestral practices were often severely punished. In turn, these religions were practiced in secret and are often referred to as “closed practices.”
‘Sinners’ demystifies Hoodoo and challenges witchcraft narrative
As I got older, these ancestral religious practices captivated me because it was a connection to those whose names I would never get the chance to know.
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In the film, we see how one of the main character’s uses her ancestral tradition of Hoodoo to not only serve her community, but also save the lives of many.
Hoodoo, the closed ancestral practice that was brought by enslaved populations to the South, often gets a bad rep. Many refer to it as “demonic” or “devil’s magic.” What I greatly appreciated about this film was that it showed Hoodoo for exactly what it is, a religious practice that helps people connect with their ancestral lineage.
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When we first meet Annie, played by Wunmi Mosaku, she is giving herbs and explaining how although she gets paid very minimally, if at all, it’s more important for her to keep others safe through her practices.
While we see her get called a “witch,” many of the characters ultimately respect her and look to her as a guide.
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As the movie continues, Sammie “Preacher Boy” Moore, the son of the local preacher, deals with his father wanting him to focus solely on church and leave “that devil music alone.”
The genre of Blues was created in the Mississippi Delta as a combination of spirituals, work songs and chants created by the formerly enslaved. Due to a variety of myths concerning artists such as Robert Johnson, who is said to have “sold his soul to the devil,” preachers often classified it as “devil music.”
One of the key moments of this movie is when Sammie is confronted by the vampire antagonist, Remmick. In a moment of fear, Sammie begins to quote the Lord’s Prayer. To his surprise, Remmick begins to quote it with him.
The Irish vampire then explains that when men took his father’s land, they forced those words on them, too, but that the prayer still brought him comfort.
Coogler’s movie faces criticism, but also reflects a reality
History often shows many examples of Christianity being forced on communities such as enslaved Africans and American Indigenous communities, we often forget how the religion was forced on other European communities.
As a result of these themes of Christianization, many who chose to watch the movie on its opening Easter weekend were confused and annoyed by the theme.
Grammy-award winning artist Lecrae posted on threads that he believed the film promoted “anti-Christian propaganda.”
He continued to say, “In this movie, Christianity is either irrelevant or oppressive, and power is found in African spiritual practices. Hoodoo, not the Holy Spirit, is the weapon of choice. … He’s fighting evil with evil in the movie, and unfortunately Christianity takes the L for the sake of cultural empowerment.”
In 2020, a phenomenon started to occur where many millennials and Gen Zers started to leave Western religions and sought out ancestral practices – myself included. I was interested in connecting with a practice that wasn’t forced on my ancestors, but instead one they created. Although some still view practices such as Hoodoo as demonic, this film confronts the viewers and makes them get to the root of why they believe that.
Hoodoo is a mystery to many, because it had to be. Although many attempted to destroy it, somehow, it persevered.
As one of my favorite sayings goes, “We don’t worship dead people. We pay homage to our ancestors and understand they live within our DNA. They are the closest thing we have to the spiritual realm.”
Gabrielle Chenault covers Williamson County for The Tennessean, where this column originally appeared. She received a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in political science from Hampton University and a master’s degree in race/social justice reporting from the University of Southern California.
