Before zombies shuffled through shopping malls or sprinted through wastelands, they meant something very different. Black Zombie, a new documentary from writer-director Maya Annik Bedward, recovers that story. It just set a September 11 theatrical release date via Kino Lorber.
The film starts in Haiti. It traces the zombie from its roots in Haitian spiritual traditions and colonial history. Then it follows the creature’s journey into Hollywood, and argues the whole way through that something got lost in translation. Bedward revisits landmark films along the route. White Zombie, Night of the Living Dead, The Serpent and the Rainbow, each one gets examined through a cultural and historical lens. The zombie, she argues, was born from enslavement, spiritual belief, and resistance. It deserves a far more serious reckoning than pop culture has given it.
The interview lineup is impressive. Bedward gathered cultural historians, artists, and genre legends, Yves-Grégory Francois, Mambo Labelle Déesse, Tom Savini, Zandashé Brown, and Slash, who also serves as an executive producer on the film.
Black Zombie premiered at SXSW 2026. It has since screened at Hot Docs and Blackstar Film Festival, with Fantasia next on the calendar. The festival run has been strong throughout.
It opens in select theaters September 11, right at the start of Halloween season.
