Before zombies were shambling through shopping malls or sprinting through wastelands, they meant something very different, and Black Zombie is finally telling that story.
The official trailer for writer-director Maya Annik Bedward’s documentary just arrived, alongside confirmation that the film opens in NYC and LA theaters on September 11 via Kino Lorber.
What the Film Is About
Black Zombie traces the zombie from its roots in colonial Haiti and Black spiritual traditions, origins that were systematically distorted and erased by early Hollywood, all the way through to its current status as one of pop culture’s most profitable monsters. The documentary revisits landmark films including White Zombie, Night of the Living Dead, and The Serpent and the Rainbow through a cultural and historical lens, weaving together archival footage, vérité scenes, and interviews with cultural historians, artists, and genre legends.
Interviewees include Yves-Grégory Francois, Mambo Labelle Déesse, Tom Savini, Zandashé Brown, and Slash, who also serves as an executive producer on the film.
Bedward describes her intention plainly- “This film is my expression of gratitude to the knowledge keepers who have safeguarded these traditions and carried these histories forward. It is an invitation to look again at a figure we think we know and to confront the histories buried within it.”
The Festival Journey
Black Zombie world-premiered at SXSW 2026 and has since screened at Hot Docs and Blackstar Film Festival, with Fantasia International Film Festival up next.
Black Zombie opens in select theaters September 11, 2026.
