Do You Know Your Zombies?

by Dina Rae

With the so-called zombie apocalypse approaching, one must be educated about the two different kinds of zombies before prepping for defense.

First, there is the most common and believable: the human that turns into a zombie because of mental collapse, disease, infection, and/or radiation. They stagger around dazed and confused and cause panic in others.

Second, there is the man-made monster kind, the kind that Hollywood and horror authors like me tend to capitalize on. It is this kind I want to talk about today.

Man-made zombies continue to fascinate the world. Jeffrey Dahmer drilled holes and poured acid into his victim’s heads in the hopes of creating his own zombies. His madness didn’t work.

But are these supernatural monsters even real?

According to Wade Davis, author of The Serpent of the Rainbow, zombies are real and are a product of the Voodoo religion.

Mr Davis was originally hired by a pharmaceutical company to find out about the drugs Voduists used in their death rituals. He believed that datura, also known as zombie’s cucumber, was a plant that could medically make one who ingested it appear to be dead for a certain length of time.

Sounds like the stuff Juliet used to fake her own death. Could Shakespeare have known about the magical zombie-making plant?

Datura — or sometimes cimora, a close relative of datura’s — eventually wears off, but leaves the victim in a state of confusion, highly susceptible to the art of persuasion.

Presto! A zombie slave is at the captor’s disposal.

Mr Davis didn’t just find his datura flower; he witnessed zombie phenomena as he immersed himself within the Haitian culture.

And I have followed in his footsteps with my release Bad Juju, a unique blend of horror, romance, and fantasy. Other than The Serpent and the Rainbow, I read volumes of other Voodoo material and watched hours of TV specials.

Some of the terms I learned can be found below:

• Bokor: A wizard who practices black magic, a zombie maker.
• Loa: deity/spirit
• Ghede Family: A family of loas known as the spirits of the dead. Three barons rule the family: Baron Samedi is the loa of resurrection, Baron Kriminel is the most feared loa associated with cannibalism and souls, honored on The Day of the Dead, and Baron LaCroix is the loa of the dead and sexuality.
• Poppet: Voodoo doll
• Ti-bon-ange: Or “little good angel” — the part of the soul that represents a person’s individuality.
• Gros-bon-ange: Or “great good angel” — the part of the soul that is collected into a reservoir of the Cosmos or spirit world.
• Baka: Voodoo spirits in animal form.
• Loup Garou: werewolf
• Djab: a devil
• Dessounin: Death ritual that separates the gros-bon-ange from the body.
• Bizango Society: Secret society of Vodouists. They have Freemason-like qualities such as aprons, secret handshakes, oaths, hierarchy, and symbols. Legend states they change into animals at will. They are known for stealing black cats and boiling them to death for Voodoo services. They drink each other’s blood from a human skull chalice.

With the zombie apocalypse approaching, you need to be prepared. So if your knowledge of man-made zombies is lacking, Bad Juju is here to help.

About Bad Juju

Jake LaRue lives in Wisconsin, in foster care with his abusive uncle. His situation seems helpless until new neighbor Lucien Nazaire, a Haitian fleeing from his homeland, invites Jake into the world of Voodoo.

The power of Voodoo is addictive. Jake brings his classmate Henry Novak into the fold — a boy with Asperger’s Syndrome who fixates on historical events, most recently the 2010 Haitian earthquake. The boys grow passionate about the dark side of Voodoo, casting spells on those they hate and lust to dire consequences.

It couldn’t get worse… until Henry convinces his family to volunteer in Haiti’s reconstruction after the earthquake. Their mission turns into a nightmare when he mysteriously walks off of the campsite.

Purchase from Amazon for £2.99.

About Dina Rae

Dina lives with her husband, two daughters, and two dogs outside of Chicago.  She is a Christian, an avid tennis player, movie buff, and self-proclaimed expert on several conspiracy theories. She has been interviewed numerous times in e-zines, websites, blogs, newspapers, and radio programs. When she is not writing she is reading novels from her favorite authors: Dan Brown, Anne Rice, Stephen King, Brad Thor, George R.R. Martin, and Preston Childs. She also freelances for various entertainment blogs. You can find her on her website, blog, or twitter.

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