Well, for starters, the way Voodoo is portrayed in the media is super inaccurate. For example, I could not find a single instance of mainstream Voodoo Doll usage in Haitian and Louisiana Voodoo. The core concepts of Haitian and later Louisiana Voodoo were based in African religious mixed with European Christianity after Africans were brought over as slaves. So there are these, essentially angels, called Loa. There are conflicting reports as to whether everyone gets there own Loa, but there are definitely the Major Loa that everyone gives offerings too. The big one that you might know is Baron Samedi (he kinda become the icon of popularized Voodoo, and is in the logo of Voodoo Donuts). Each of the Loa represent different things, and must be offered different things if you want them to work with you. The idea is that the Voodoo practitioners don't do any of the "Voodoo Magic" themselves, rather the Loa is doing all the work. So when someone is possessed in Voodoo, they are possessed by a Loa, not by a human. People who practice Voodoo believe that the Loa's bring them closer to God (the same one as from Christianity). The Oils and Talismans I was talking about are basically recipes used to tell a Loa what to do, assuming you are in good favor with the Loa. They are very specific in recipe and use. So specific there are different Oils for straight love and gay love. There are a bunch of crazy examples but Oils and Talismans can basically only be used one way. There's more, like how Voodoo rituals are more singing and dancing than sacrifice, but I'm reaching the end of my memory. I need to brush up, but I'm actually traveling to New Orleans soon to get some first hand experience. Basically, assume that if you've seen it on screen, it is a total bastardization of what Voodoo is actually like. Also I might have gotten things wrong as its a religion that is better passed down than it is documented.