By WILLIAM J. WRIGHT
George A. Romero changed horror cinema forever with 1968’s Night of the Living Dead. However, the now-classic film ditched the zombie’s roots in West Caribbean folklore and religion for visceral shocks and cannibalistic gore in a reinterpretation that has all but erased the trope’s origins. Discover the true history of zombies and their pop-culture makeover with BLACK ZOMBIE, a new documentary film from director Maya Annik Bedward, premiering Friday, April 24, at Toronto’s Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema.
Co-hosted by Hot Docs and RUE MORGUE, the screening starts at 9:15 p.m. ET. Then, revel like the undead at the official afterparty at the Paradise Grapevine Winery from 11:15 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. So, shamble on down to the dance floor and rip into some free snacks! (Please RSVP!)
Can’t make it on Friday? Catch BLACK ZOMBIE at the TIFF Lightbox Cinema 1 on Saturday, April 25. The curtain rises at 11:00 a.m.
And if BLACK ZOMBIE has piqued your interest in the truth behind one of genre’s most prevalent but misunderstood motifs, take a deeper dive with Vodou and Black Zombie: In Conversation, presented by Third Culture Media at the Blackhurst Cultural Centre on Sunday, April 26. Join practitioners Erol Josué and Mambo Labelle Déesse as they explore the history, spiritual foundations, and living practice of Vodou.
