Are zombies real?

There are some cultures that believe in the existence of real zombies.  But not only are there cultures that believe in the existence of zombies, but there are people in these cultures that are said to be able to create zombies.  The most prominent example of this belief can be found in Haitian voodoo, where real cases of zombies have been investigated.

How are zombies made?

The legends… Some Haitian vodou folklore says that zombies are created by a person called a Bokor.  It is believed that the bokor is a type of sorcerer that can turn people into zombies by capturing part of their souls, making them slaves to the bokor.  As a zombie, the person loses all knowledge of who they are and is under complete slave-like control of the bokor.

The reality… While at first thought these stories may sound simply like old legends and myths, it should be pointed out that these beliefs are far from old tales passed down to children.  Many people of this culture believe in the existence of the bokor and zombies, and their have actually been reports from the area of real zombies.  These stories have been investigated by scientists and researchers for truth with what many people may find surprising results.   What they’ve found is that there does seem to be the possibility that zombies do actually exist and are real.   It is believed that the bokors have found a special concoction of ingredients which they use to acheive this result.

It is believed that the bokor mixes together a special potion that turns can turn a person into a “zombie”.  One of the key ingredients in the secret potion is tetrodotoxin which is collected from the puffer fish. Tetrodotoxin is an extremely dangerous neurotoxin which can cause death – or make someone appear dead.  Once the bokor has the intended zombie poisoned in this state, the person is buried.  Although to everyone that knows the person it will appear as though they are dead, the truth is that they are in fact alive – although only the bokor knows this.  Once buried, the bokor will then perform another ritual resurrecting the person from their “death” state.  The ritual involves giving them another powerful drug which keeps the person in a disoriented state.  If the person has survived the initial poisoning, subsequent burial, and second poisoning, the person is in such a state that they essentially become a zombie under the bokor’s control.

If I were a zombie…