Zombie

Where to Find Zombies – Haiti, Hollywood and Home

Zombies are the “undead.” Someone with supernatural powers – a witch, demon or the like – is typically responsible for the reanimation of these walking dead.

The beauty of a zombie for movie purposes is that a creature with no fear of dying will have no conscience. For that reason, zombies will do the bidding of their master. And if movies are to be believed, there’s no limit to what a zombie will do.

Zombies have long been the stuff of horror films and scary stories. The majority of zombie movies focus on the fact that these beings will do anything. They’re often portrayed as flesh eaters and they kill in the most horrific manners imaginable.

Philosopher David Chalmers divides zombies into three categories. There are those philosophical zombies who look and act just like real people, but have no conscience. There are also the Haitian zombies, resurrected by voodoo. And finally, there are Hollywood zombies – those characters who play in the often B movies. We’ll only be looking at Chalmers Hatian and Hollywood zombies, but you can find more of his discussion on zombies at http://consc.net/zombies.html.

The Zombie of Caribbean History

The Islands are home to a variety of spooky histories, including the role of voodoo on the island and its inhabitants. The voodoo knew few boundaries of what was right and wrong. If legend is to be believed, raising the dead to do the work of the voodoo masters was a common enough occurrence.

There are some who insist that zombies are real in Haiti but that the truth is much different from the stories Hollywood hands out. According to one theory, zombies are actually not yet dead, but have slipped into a trance that was induced by drugs, and is then held in that trance.

It’s also suggested that those chosen to be zombies are not chosen by accident, but as a punishment for crimes against a Haitian underworld society. You can read more about these theories at http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti/bookreviews/davis1.htm.

The fact remains that voodoo priests are an important part of the history of the region. Whether or not zombies did or do exist is a matter of opinion. It’s just like ghosts in other parts of the world – until you’ve seen, you’re not likely to be a believer.

Zombies in Hollywood

There have been zombies in Hollywood for almost a century. Most credit the 1932 movie “White Zombie” as being the first attempt to enact these creatures for entertainment’s sake. Traditionally, zombies of movies are flesh-eaters who seem to be partial to brains.

Not all zombies are frightening. In fact, the movie “Hocus Pocus” offers a look at a zombie who helps the heroes battle the evil witches. Billy was killed by his witchly lover Winnifred Sanderson, after she caught him with her sister, Sarah. She poisoned Billy, then sewed his mouth closed with a dull needle so that he couldn’t tell his story, even in death.

But when Winnifred brought Billy back from the dead to help her trap the three children who had stolen her evil book of spells, Billy helped them instead. He eventually manages to removed the stitches and even dares to call Winnifred names.

But Billy is the exception in the world of Hollywood zombies. Most are frightful creatures with no morals. They are fearsome creatures that frighten everyone they come into contact with.

The most frightening thing about Billy was his breath!

Zombies in Your Neighborhood

You may very well see an array of zombies in your own neighborhood during the next Halloween season. Remember that you can’t escape a zombie. In fact, your only hope is to offer up treats that will keep the little zombies satisfied!