Following its premiere at SXSW earlier this year, Kino Lorber has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Black Zombie, Maya Annik Bedward's comprehensive horror documentary that focuses on one of the genre's most misunderstood monsters.
Per Deadline, who reported the news earlier today, Black Zombie traces the origin and evolution of zombies from Haitian spiritual traditions to fixtures of Hollywood horror, examining the cinematic and historical context and reclaiming their deeper cultural significance as powerful symbols of survival and resistance:
Black Zombie digs beneath the blood-soaked spectacle of modern horror to uncover the zombie’s buried and unsettling origins. Long before it became associated with flesh-eating ghouls, the zombie was a living metaphor for slavery: not a monster, but the ultimate victim of colonial power. A symbol of stolen agency was recast as an object of fear, while Black spiritual traditions were distorted, sensationalized, and erased. Part cultural reckoning, part horror remix, Black Zombieexposes how a figure born from enslavement, spiritual belief, and resistance was transformed into one of pop culture’s most profitable monsters.
Directed and written by Bedward, Black Zombie will reconsider iconic films like White Zombie, Night of the Living Dead, and The Serpent and the Rainbow, with interviews and insights from cultural historians, artists, and genre legends including Yves-Grégory Francois, Mambo Labelle Déesse, Slash, Tom Savini, Zandashé Brown, and more.
Here's what Bedward has to say of Kino Lorber's acquisition in a new statement:
“I’m thrilled to partner with Kino Lorber on the release of Black Zombie […] The film explores the power of images to shape our understanding of history, culture, and race, making it especially meaningful to work with a distributor so deeply engaged with cinema’s past and present. Their passion for films that challenge, illuminate, and expand our understanding of the world makes them an ideal partner for bringing this story to audiences across the U.S.”
Black Zombie will hit theaters in the U.S. this fall, followed by a digital, educational, and home video release. Stay tuned for more.
