At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul
Director – Jose Mojica Marins (Hellish Flesh, Awakening of the Beast)
Starring – Jose Mojica Marins, Magda Mei, and Nivaldo Lima
Release Date – 1964
Rating – 3.5/5
There is literally hundreds of movies I’ve wanted to watch over the years and have never found myself in the position to check them out. A good bit are movies I’ve seen in documentaries floating around when I was in middle school or high school. Some I had heard about from other horror fans and the movie is hard to come by. There is a few movies that I learned about from Cinemassacre’s Monster Madness that ran for several Octobers.
One set of films that really caught my eye was the Coffin Joe films and how James Rolfe described them. I was so fascinated by them but I could never find myself with the funds to fork out for the amazing box set. Synapse recently released the official Coffin Joe trilogy in a box set and single released the first two films At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul and This Night I’ll Posses Your Corpse. They were kind enough to send those my way for review.
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows mortician Ze Do Caixo (Marins) who does not fit in with his small town. He speaks out against religion and will cut anyone down that steps in his way. He lives with his wife and is obsessed with having his very own son but his wife is barren. He kills her with a spider and makes it look like an accident before raping his friends wife. She could not live with herself over the rape and kills herself robbing Coffin Joe of his son.**Spoiler Alert**
What really pulled me into the Coffin Joe universe was the mood and atmosphere. The film looked like it had a story to tell and the character of Coffin Joe walked you through every minute of it. When I finally got the movies to review I was not disappointed.
The acting in this one is no consistent. Jose Mojica Marins absolutely killed it as Coffin Joe. He was chilling, domineering, and controlled every scene he was in. I have never seen an actor take center stage like Marins did with his portrayal of Coffin Joe. Sadly, the supporting cast is nowhere near his level so most of the scenes are uneven or awkward to watch.
The story for this one is so fucking simple but leaves a lasting impact especially when you consider it was released in 1964. The film touches on death, anti-religion, anti-Christianity, and rape which was generally not discussed in film at that time. The story was very shocking but it had substance to go along with it.
Finally, the film does have some blood and some solid practical effects but it is not gory. There is some blood and solid effects but that is the extent of that. Overall, At Midnight I’ll Take You Soul is a film that truly needs to be seen to be believed. It looks great and the character of Coffin Joe should be on everyone’s list for favorite villain. Check it out.
This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse
Director – Jose Mojica Marins (The Profane Exhibit, End of Man)
Starring – Jose Mojica Marins, Tina Wohlers (Amantes, Amanha Se Houver Sol), and Nadia Freitas
Release Date – 1967″Rating – 3/5
When I first learned of Coffin Joe several years back when I was watching Cinemassacre’s Monster Madness I was more excited for the sequel than anything. In the Coffin Joe segment James Rolfe went over the first two films which sold it on me but it was when he went into how the second film ended that I knew I had to see it.
Sadly, I never had the opportunity to check it out. The box set was just too expensive for me to sink the money into and I couldn’t stand the thought of buying the movies one at a time so I put it off until one of those box sets lowered in price. Lucky for me my friends over at Synapse Films released three of the Coffin Joe films in a nice box set and was kind enough to send them my way. Thanks guys!
**Spoiler Alert**The film, once again, follows Ze do Caixao who has fled town and is now living in another small town similar to the old. The people in town fear Ze do, aka Coffin Joe, who is still looking for that one woman to give birth to his son. He has his hunchback assistant Bruno to capture women where he brings them back to their dungeon and tortures them so they can find the one to bare his son. He is able to find the perfect woman to carry his seed but her father hires a gang to kill Coffin Joe but fail. In the mean time, the woman dies sending Coffin Joe spiraling into madness.**Spoiler Alert**
This movie was more of what we saw in the first film which was a bit of a let down until the final act of the film when things go bat shit crazy. I believe Jose Mojica Marins knew that the film wasn’t much different from the first film and decided to throw the viewer for a loop with the second.
The acting in this one is identical to the first film. The supporting cast shows little to no experience in front of the camera and are clearly there just to be there. However, Jose Mojica Marins shines once again. His theatrics hold the show and mesmerize the viewer. I honestly believe that these films would be shit if it wasn’t for him.
The story for this one is more of the same as the previous films before all hell breaks loose at the end. This portion is utterly bonkers and makes no sense but I love it. I had to rewind it several times to make sure I did, in fact, see what I saw. This more than made up for the repetitive beginning.
Finally, the film has some blood and minimal practical effects but it is very story driven. Overall, This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse is a worthy sequel to the classic Coffin Joe film. Please check this out.
Embodiment of Evil
Director – Jose Mojica Marins (At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul)
Starring – Jose Mojica Marins, Jece Valadao (Razor in the Flesh), and Adriano Stuart (The Besieged House)
Release Date – 2008
Rating – 2.5/5
Tagline – “The master of horror is back”
There is a lot of confusion about the Coffin Joe films. Most believe that there is several Coffin Joe films. These people are correct but most of these have nothing to do with one another with the exception of At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul, This Night I Will Possess Your Corpse, and Embodiment of Evil. These three films make up the Coffin Joe trilogy while the others vary in what they are.
The only true follow up to At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul and This Night I Will Possess Your Corpse is the 2008 film Embodiment of Evil. This is the only Coffin Joe film available on blu and the final film in the dvd box set from Synapse Films.
**Spoiler Alert**The film picks up forty years after gravedigger Ze do Caixao has been arrested and sent to prison. He is finally released and is soon reunited with his follow Bruno who takes him to their secret dungeon with his followers. His followers abduct and torture women in order to find one suitable enough to give birth to Coffin Joe’s son. Soon, the local authorities find a trail of bodies and hunt Joe down while he tries to impregnate a gypsy.**Spoiler Alert**
I was weary about this installment in the Coffin Joe series. How would the character hold up after a forty year hiatus? Would the same theatrics and story be just as entertaining in color and placed in a more modern setting? The answer is no. It wasn’t.
The acting in this one is better than the original films in some ways and worse in others. The supporting cast in this one is a huge improvement over the other films. Most of the cast has experience in front of the camera and it shows greatly. Sadly, Jose Mojica Marins has lost his spark and excitement for the role and it shows. Age has taken its toll and Marins is unable to bring that energy and passion that made Coffin Joe stand out all those years before. It was the characters charisma and arrogance that made these films so damn enjoyable.
The story for this one is the original story tossed in a modern horror setting. The search for a woman to deliver his son has been the basis for most Coffin Joe tales but Embodiment of Evil takes it into the era of torture porn and torture dungeons. This, oddly enough, works for the film but turns stale very quickly due to the flat characters and the slow paced Coffin Joe.
Finally, this one is the goriest of all the Coffin Joe films. The film has tons of great gore and amazing practical effects. Sadly, a good portion of the kills are done off camera but they more than make up for it with some great gore.
Overall. Embodiment of Evil could have went the distance if it was made earlier in Jose Marins’ career. He lacked the charm and charisma that made those films so much fun and lacked characters to pick up the slack. The story was solid and the effects were top notch but the overall presentation was lacking. Skip it.
