Nearly 20 years later, in 1980, a man claiming to be Clairvius Narcisse reappeared in the city of L’Estère. Clairvus was pronounced dead shortly afterwards by two American doctors, held in cold storage for a day and subsequently buried. Clairvius’ symptoms included a severe fever, fatigue and coughing up blood. In 1962, at the age of 40, he was admitted to the Schweitzer Hospital, which was operated by American medical staff. One of the most famous cases in history of an alleged ‘real life’ zombie is that of Clairvius Narcisse, a Haitian man born in 1922. This aspect of Haitian folklore is thought to be of West African origin, and today is widely associated with Haitian Vodou practices.
The zombie is said to be under the control of the bokor and can be used at the bokor’s will. Zombies have long been a part of Haitian folklore, and traditionally have been believed to be deceased people who are revived by a ‘Bokor’ or sorcerer. Halloween is around the corner, so let’s get spooky with this real-life story of a Haitian man alleged to be a zombie that came back to life.
