This week on Broomsticks and Bloodshed, Cory and Rossa descend into the gothic heart of 1970s Blaxploitation horror with The House on Skull Mountain. Set in an eerie Atlanta mansion and steeped in ancestral legacy, the film blends Catholic imagery, Vodou, Hoodoo, and gothic melodrama into a supernatural mystery where blood calls to blood and the dead refuse to stay silent.

We break down the film’s use of ritual magic, wangas, ancestral spirits, possession, and resurrection, separating cinematic exaggeration from real world Vodou and Hoodoo practices. Along the way, we explore the historical and cultural significance of the cast, many of whom were real life activists, artists, and civil rights leaders, and discuss how the film navigates race, lineage, power, and identity in ways that still spark conversation today.

From skull imagery and ritual drums to questions of ancestry and spiritual inheritance, this episode looks at why House on Skull Mountain stands apart from crime focused Blaxploitation films and why its portrayal of Black spiritual traditions deserves a closer, more thoughtful examination.