THE BLACK AND WHITE OF THE VENGEFUL SPIRIT - HOW CULTURE SHAPES THE WRAITH

During World Fantasy Con I listened in on a panel where there was a discussion of Caribbean fantasy. One of the issues that emerged was the story of La Llarona, the crying woman. It seemed the Latinx version which was brought to Puerto Rico by the Spanish explained the crying ghosts torment was because she killed her children. The Haitian and Trinidadian versions however were that her children were abducted and/or killed by others. This brought to mind the strange case of Candyman where the wraith attacks the blameless inhabitants of a housing project but doesn't strike out against those who murdered him. The recent Netflix film His House is a ghost story related to refugees from an unnamed African country and their attempt to seek asylum in London. What do our ghost stories say about us with regard to vengeance, power and cultural roots? Join us tonight to discuss.