It should be required viewing for horror fans and people who like zombie movies.

While modern-day blind spots burden the film, 'Black Zombie’ stays true to its motivation: lifting the cloche on the erasure and exploitation that founded one of horror’s most iconic figures.

In the ruins of a sugar plantation, this cultural multi-hyphenate performs a ritual dance, his rich voice beckoning the spirits — and viewers — like a hymn, like a restorative balm.

Black Zombie is sure-footed with its connections between the Haitian slave trade and popular culture’s zombie mythos. It seems less sure of what to make of the shift in zombie films from slow-footed slaves to fast-moving predators.