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.

In this week’s episode of Broomsticks and Bloodshed, Cory and Rossa plunge into the feverish world of Häxan, the silent-era blend of scholarship, superstition, and shocking imagery that redefined cinematic witchcraft. We explore its historical sources, its unforgettable sabbat visions, and the real witchcraft practices buried beneath the hysteria. From demonology manuals to torture chambers, we examine how fear shaped the medieval imagination and why Christensen’s film still echoes through witch cinema today.

https://youtu.be/Qca-1Aolo3Y?si=AaLrinOl1V9BmSBl

This week on Broomsticks and Bloodshed, Cory and Rossa trek into the icy folklore of 1950s Finland to explore The White Reindeer, a haunting blend of shamanic magic, vampiric hunger, and the crushing loneliness that transforms Pirita from a restless bride into a shape-shifting predator.

We dig into the film’s stark Arctic landscapes, its surreal ritual sequences, and its deeply human fear of desire gone feral. Then we take a close look at how the movie’s depictions of Sámi magic compare to authentic practices, and why this tragic folktale still resonates in modern witchcraft conversations.

Join us as we break down the legend, the symbolism, the spellwork, and the chilling beauty that makes The White Reindeer one of the most striking witch films ever put to screen.