Zombie: Haiti’s Long-Standing Tradition (Enhanced DVD)

Bringing a person back from the dead in Haiti is a practice of the traditional religion of voodoo. Hollywood movies have made a sensation out of such practices, but in Haiti the reality of zombies and voodoo practices are taken extremely seriously. Using voodoo, a Haitian priest or priestess is able to re-animate the dead and bring them back to a form that is somewhere between living and dead. This is why zombies are called the undead.

This documentary film explores these religious practices and shows how pervasive they still are, even in modern Haitian society.  It Haiti, voodoo is recognized as one of the official religions.  Because of the voodoo beliefs, which include that the bones of deceased persons possess magic, the burial practices include using iron doors and locks to keep the dead people safely trapped in their graves and to prevent any grave robbers from taking the bones to use them in ceremonies against any other living family members. Body snatching is common in Haiti so these extra security measures are necessary so that deceased family members can rest in peace.

There were laws put into place to outlaw the practice of voodoo, but this did very little to change the traditions. Intentionally creating a zombie is a crime equivalent in penalty to murder. Voodoo practices gave the poor people of Haiti a tradition of their own. Slaves held this secret above their masters.

Steeped in superstition, ritual practices of voodoo are explored in this documentary film according to mythology inherited from Africa that allows a voodoo magician control the dead, bringing them back to life, to do their bidding.

Zombie: Haiti’s Long-Standing Tradition