About this page: The original words and jokes on Houngan Bob's page have not been rewritten or “improved.” They are part of the page. The design around them has been refreshed, and a clearly marked 2026 addendum has been added to continue his collection of Voodoo wandering loose in popular culture.
Houngan Bob's Original Page • Preserved as Written
Hoodoo Voodoo
Voodoo Sayings and Phrases that Have Nothing to Do with Voodoo:
- "Who do you voodoo?" - This phrase is often used to playfully question someone's mysterious or enchanting abilities.
- "You do that voodoo that you do so well." - A line from the song "You Do Something to Me" by Cole Porter, often used to describe someone’s magical or captivating skills.
- "Voodoo economics" - A term popularized by George H. W. Bush to describe Ronald Reagan's economic policies, implying they were based on magic or unrealistic assumptions.
Songs Mentioning Voodoo:
- "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" by Jimi Hendrix - A classic rock song with powerful guitar riffs and lyrics that evoke mystical imagery.
- "Voodoo" by Godsmack - A song with haunting melodies and lyrics that reference voodoo rituals.
- "Voodoo" by Nick Jonas - A pop song that uses voodoo as a metaphor for being enchanted or mesmerized by someone.
- "Black Magic Woman" by Santana - While not directly about voodoo, it references a mystical woman with magical powers.
- "Marie Laveau" by Bobby Bare - A country song about the famous New Orleans voodoo queen, Marie Laveau.
- "Voodoo People" by The Prodigy - An electronic dance track that uses voodoo imagery in its lyrics.
- "I Put a Spell on You" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins - A song that talks about casting a spell to keep someone close.
- "Witchy Woman" by Eagles - A rock song that describes a bewitching woman with mystical powers.
- "Voodoo Lady" by Ween - A quirky, upbeat song that references a mysterious woman with voodoo powers.
- "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones - Though not explicitly about voodoo, it references various occult and mystical elements.
Movies and TV Shows Where Voodoo Was Involved (Supposedly):
- "Live and Let Die" (1973) - A James Bond film featuring voodoo rituals and a character named Baron Samedi, inspired by the Vodou loa of the same name.
- "The Princess and the Frog" (2009) - A Disney animated film set in New Orleans that features voodoo elements and a character named Dr. Facilier, also known as the Shadow Man.
- "American Horror Story: Coven" - A TV series that features a storyline involving New Orleans voodoo, including characters based on historical figures like Marie Laveau.
- "Angel Heart" (1987) - A thriller that involves voodoo practices and a mysterious investigation.
The List Refuses to Stay Dead • Added in 2026
A Few More Places “Voodoo” Wandered Off To
Bob was right about one thing beyond dispute: popular culture has been putting the word “voodoo” on almost anything mysterious, spooky, Southern, Caribbean, magical, inexplicable, or wearing too many beads for a very long time. So, in that same spirit, here are a few more sightings.
More Phrases & Musical Mischief
- “Voodoo science” - Physicist Robert L. Park used the phrase as the title of his 2000 book about junk science, pseudoscience, and scientific claims that wander away from evidence. Apparently Voodoo eventually got blamed for bad methodology, too.
- Gris-Gris by Dr. John (1968) - Dr. John's debut album introduced his Night Tripper persona and wrapped New Orleans music in psychedelic, conjure-heavy theatricality. If any record belongs on Bob's “voodoo wandered into pop culture” shelf, this one has a permanent seat.
- “Voodoo Chile” by Jimi Hendrix - The sprawling sibling to “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” on Electric Ladyland, because apparently one Voodoo Child was simply insufficient.
More Movies Where Voodoo Was Involved... Supposedly
- White Zombie (1932) - Bela Lugosi, Haiti, zombie laborers, hypnotism, and an early Hollywood helping of “voodoo.” It is widely treated as a landmark in the screen history of zombies and Haitian-Voodoo imagery.
- I Walked with a Zombie (1943) - A beautifully atmospheric Caribbean horror film in which a nurse turns to a local Voodoo priestess while trying to help her patient.
- Child's Play (1988) - Yes, Chucky. The original film gives Charles Lee Ray a fictionalized Voodoo ritual to transfer his soul into the Good Guy doll. Voodoo has therefore also been held responsible for murderous plastic toys.
- The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) - Wes Craven's Haiti-set horror film mixes zombies, “voodoo,” pharmaceuticals, and nightmare imagery into one extremely 1980s package.
- Eve's Bayou (1997) - A Louisiana Southern Gothic story with second sight, family secrets, and a requested “voodoo” curse. Unlike many horror caricatures, the film's spiritual world is woven into a much richer portrait of Black Southern family life.
- The Skeleton Key (2005) - Frequently remembered by viewers as a “voodoo movie,” but the ritual system named in the film is actually Hoodoo. This earns it an especially honored place under Bob's word: supposedly.
Important little footnote beneath all the silliness: popular entertainment routinely mixes Voodoo, Vodou, Hoodoo, witchcraft, zombies, curses, “black magic,” and general spooky business into one enormous cinematic gumbo. They are not interchangeable. This page is about the references, stereotypes, jokes, titles, and pop-culture uses of the word, not a claim that those portrayals accurately represent living spiritual traditions.
Receipts for the 2026 additions:
American Physical Society on Robert Park's Voodoo Science;
GRAMMY.com on Dr. John's Gris-Gris;
Turner Classic Movies on White Zombie and I Walked with a Zombie;
AMC on Child's Play;
Disney's official Princess and the Frog page;
and contemporary/reference summaries for The Serpent and the Rainbow, Eve's Bayou, and The Skeleton Key.
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Old Spellmaker was here. We have witnesses.
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