1985. Geraldo Rivera ventures to the island of Haiti for ABC news, this time investigating reports of zombies in real life. We learn that 90% of the population still practices voodoo, the ancient folk religion originally brought from Africa. The clip begins with footage of a Gede festival, amongst the graves and crypts of a graveyard. We then move to a man who every Spring cleans off his own gravestone, after he was declared dead 23 years ago, following a lengthy illness. We then turn to scientific analysis to understand the ‘zombie powder’ that is in use for some of these ceremonies.
Voodoo is still much practiced in Haiti and other places around the world. There is no central authority in the religion, and the differences between practitioners, sorcerers, and traditions can be great.