{"id":27808,"date":"2024-01-17T01:57:59","date_gmt":"2024-01-17T09:57:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=27808"},"modified":"2024-01-17T01:57:59","modified_gmt":"2024-01-17T09:57:59","slug":"blasts-from-the-past-blu-ray-review-inside-the-mind-of-coffin-joe-1964-2008-box-set","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=27808","title":{"rendered":"Blasts from the Past! Blu-ray Review: INSIDE THE MIND OF COFFIN JOE (1964-2008) BOX SET"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This Blu-ray box set is currently available from Arrow\nVideo.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Back in 1964, independent writer\/director Jos\u00e9 Mojica Marins created the first Brazilian horror film. He also starred in the movie as the main character, a sinister figure known as Z\u00e9 do Caix\u00e3o aka Coffin Joe. Despite its low budget, the movie was successful and helped establish the character, who soon became a popular TV host. This and other titles helped cement the filmmaker\u2019s reputation as something of a horror maverick (even though he did make pictures in a variety of genres).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, the character wasn\u2019t particularly well respected in Brazil and little known to the rest of the world. Many of his productions were graphic, presented less-than-flattering views of Brazil and were made under a military dictatorship, resulting in numerous conflicts with his government. Yet over time, horror movie enthusiasts from other countries became fascinated by Marins and his very unique pictures with counterculture overtones, eventually resulting in cult status. Marins is now more respected and well-known outside of his homeland than in Brazil. Arrow Video has decided to pay tribute to a filmmaker (he passed away in 2020) who captured the imagination of the horror fans by restoring and releasing 10 of his pictures in the new Blu-ray box set Inside the Mind of Coffin Joe<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These films were cobbled together and completed by the filmmaker with limited funds and under great duress, so they don\u2019t appear quite as polished as your typical Hollywood title. However, the 4K restorations from the best available elements (including camera negatives and\/or interpositives) are certainly better than expected, with some titles looking quite striking. Overall, these movies look as good as they ever have (or perhaps ever will) in this Blu-ray set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The first Blu-ray contains the black and white creeper At\nMidnight I\u2019ll Take Your Soul<\/em> (1964), which marked the debut of nasty,\nsmalltown undertaker Coffin Joe. The story is relatively simple, with Marins\u2019\ncharacter dressed in black with a cape and top hat, along with disturbingly\nlong fingernails. It seems that the atheistic villain hates religion, openly\nmocking those who follow Catholic rites. Obsessed with immortality through the\ncreation of a perfect male child, he murders his infertile wife and stalks\nwomen he considers worthy of his lineage. This involves dispatching various\nladies and threats while undertaking his mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned, the movie is anything but subtle with Coffin\nJoe frequently yammering about his beliefs (often contradicting himself over\nthe course of the film series). However, the movies do possess visual style and\nseveral memorable moments. The slayings, which include eye-gouging and other\nbits of nastiness are grotesque for the time, and even though his garb is a bit\nsilly, the lead is a menacing villain. His views, which bear some similarity to\nthose espoused by Friedrich Nietzsche (and later the Nazi party), are chilling\nto hear. The filmmaker also uses close-ups and has both Coffin Joe and his\ncentral foe (and old gypsy fortune-teller) directly address the camera in a\nsurprisingly effective manner. There\u2019s nothing subtle about the character (one\nwonders why anyone wouldn\u2019t just leave immediately anytime he enters a room),\nbut it\u2019s an original and effective film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Extras on this disc include an archived audio commentary\nfrom writer, director and star Marins, as well as an informative documentary on\nthe man called Damned: The Strange World of Jos\u00e9 Mojica Marins<\/em>. It gives\na general overview of the filmmaker and his career, noting that his parents ran\na movie theater and that essentially living at a theater likely informed who he\nwas and what he wanted to do in life. He made his films out of a self-made\nstudio homebase in Sao Paulo and often cast his friends as leads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Viewers also learn about how the filmmaker managed to\nstretch his production budgets and the difficulties he encountered getting\nprojects finished and released. When Coffin Joe became familiar to audiences in\nthe country, Marins essentially went into method acting mode to promote his\ntitles. This would include giving reporters the impression that he really was a\nmadman. It also seems that Marins put all of his personal money into his films\nand sometimes was forced to sell his shares in the movie to complete them. As a\nresult, despite a few projects being financially successful, he never really\nattained much wealth over his lifetime. It\u2019s all interesting to hear and gives\na clearer sense of Marins\u2019 extreme efforts to reach audiences. There is also an\nearly short from the filmmaker and excerpts of other productions, as well as a\ntrailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This Night I\u2019ll Possess Your Corpse<\/em> (1967) was a\nsequel that sees Coffin Joe being saved by doctors after the events of the\nprevious film and returning to his hometown. His acts become even more extreme\n(if that is even possible) when he employs a henchman, kidnaps a group of\nwomen, takes them to his home and forces them to endure a series of demented\ntests to prove themselves worthy of his seed. One of the ladies who fails his\ntrials vows to return from the dead and seek revenge. Despite being an atheist,\nCoffin Joe becomes increasingly paranoid, having nightmarish visions and\neventually falling prey to the supernatural threat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The story is exploitative, but it has an over-the-top charm\nand stylishness to it that keeps one watching. The slayings are even more\nelaborate and exaggerated. And while shot in black and white, the dream\nsequence is a full-color odyssey into Hell featuring bizarre and fascinating\nvisuals. Viewers witness Coffin Joe surrounded by demons, icy (yes, icy!)\ncaves, tortured souls, body parts writhing through walls and much more. It\u2019s a\ntruly surreal scene that is worth the price of admission alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Extras on this title include an archived commentary with\nJos\u00e9 Mojica Marins. Additionally, there is a documentary on Coffin Joe, his\nappearances in film and on TV, examining the character and some of his\ncontradictory behaviors. Another critic who is neurodivergent explains how he\nbecame fascinated with the Coffin Joe universe and his personal take on Marins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also on this Blu-ray is The Strange World of Coffin Joe<\/em> (1968) is an anthology that features Coffin Joe as its wraparound narrator. A couple of the tales are effective. The first one involving criminals who arrive at the home of a dollmaker and assault his attractive but dangerous daughters. It ends with a fun and grizzly sting. The final tale deals with cannibalism and includes one of the most unnerving and grotesque moments in the filmmaker\u2019s entire catalog. It was ultimately the target of censorship from the Brazilian government and a more upbeat ending demanded by censors is included as an extra. Like the other films, the nasty villains aren\u2019t very convincing in their arguments and rationale, but otherwise the stories are efficiently told. Trailers are also included.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Disc 3 begins with The Awakening of the Beast<\/em> (1970),\na curiosity that was outright banned by the Brazilian authorities and never\nreleased. It was only decades later after the fall of the dictatorship that the\npicture was returned to Marins and he was able to find some distribution. The\nmovie isn\u2019t even a horror picture, but a story about a psychiatrist describing\nrampant drug use in Brazil, including the awful and shocking acts committed by\nvarious individuals in poor neighborhoods. Numerous acts depicted aren\u2019t\nexplicit but are unpleasant to witness. As the film progresses, it begins to\nsuggest that the drugs themselves aren\u2019t the cause of the violence, but rather\nthe forbidden and cruel desires of average individuals that are simply brimming\nto the surface. It\u2019s a rough watch. Coffin Joe makes an appearance in one of\nthe dream sequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bonuses include an archived filmmaker commentary and a video\nessay by a film scholar who examines the genre politics in his films,\ndeciphering the occasionally confusing messages that are present. There is also\na featurette detailing Marins turn into his truly strange and surreal cinematic\nexploits of this era. Alternate opening titles are also included.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Also on disc 3 is The End of Man<\/em> (1971). This is\nMarins\u2019 attempt at an arthouse movie that includes strongly satirical\novertones. It\u2019s also the first full-color title in the set. This reviewer was\npleasantly surprised by the project and believes that it might be the strongest\nfilm from the writer\/director. He plays a quiet and mysterious figure called\nFinis Hominis who emerges naked from the ocean and wanders into Sao Paulo. The\nodd figure interacts with various citizens, often standing up for the neglected\nand downtrodden. The figure begins to build a following and eventually becomes\na messiah figure. Marin\u2019s performance is effectively subdued here, the\ncharacter is far more likable than other roles he\u2019s embodied and the movie has\na fun little sting in the tail. It ends up being a very polished, enjoyable and\nthought-provoking effort. Again, this picture features a Marins commentary, as\nwell as trailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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While the previous film wasn\u2019t a big hit, his follow-up\nproject was the sequel, When the Gods Fall Asleep <\/em>(1972). It picks up\nthe central character\u2019s story as he returns to Sao Paulo to inspire Brazilians\nand help them find their true calling. He also sets out to help a very specific\nmedical institution that is on the brink of financial collapse. The movie has a\nbig scope (there are some impressive shots of massive crowds and civil unrest)\nand provides a few amusing moments, but isn\u2019t as effective as the original. The\nsurprise is gone and things feel a bit repetitive in this chapter. Apparently,\nit was another box-office flop for the filmmaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This title is present on the set\u2019s 4th<\/sup> disc.\nThere isn\u2019t a commentary track for this effort, but there is a film scholar\ninterview in which she explores the similarities between the films Marins and\nEuropean and South American surrealist movements. It\u2019s one of the best and most\ninformative discussions included. Additionally, there is a fun interview with\nthe co-writer of the 2008 film Embodiment of Evil<\/em> about his experiences\nworking with Marin, another critical examination of his work, and footage of\nMarins attending Sundance in 2001 for a retrospective screening of At\nMidnight I\u2019ll Take Your Soul<\/em>. At one point, he converses with R.E.M.<\/em>\nfrontman Michael Stipe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Blu-ray also contains The Strange Hostel of Naked\nPleasures<\/em> (1976), a very odd and surreal effort that sees Coffin Joe return\nfor a brief appearance in a tale of travelers stopping at a hostel and\nexperiencing surreal horrors. The tale is weird and wild but slow-moving,\nfilled with even more philosophical ramblings than hoped for and suffers from a\ngeneral lack of tension or urgency. There are also trailers on this disc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Disc 5 contains Hellish Flesh<\/em> (1977), a very campy,\ncorny effort that manages to somehow provide more fun than his other releases\nfrom this part of his career. Marins plays a work-obsessed scientist (who must\nhave an extraordinarily difficult time doing lab tasks with his extended fingernails)\nwhose wife takes on a lover. She and her beau plot to murder the protagonist\nfor his fortune (he\u2019s\u2026 well\u2026 somehow, also very wealthy, which is also a bit\ncomical). However, their plot of killing him by dousing him with acid goes\nwrong when the disfigured husband survives. Then, the lover spends all of the\nwife\u2019s money and she begins to feel immense guilt for her actions. Admittedly,\nthis tale probably would have worked better as a 30-minute segment in an\nanthology. But it is fun and utterly ridiculous to watch, with some enjoyable\nconniving between characters and gooey moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This title includes an entertaining discussion with a\nfilmmaker about Marins\u2019 work and trying to determine what category exactly his\nfilms fall under. Exploitation, arthouse, horror or all of the above? There\u2019s\nalso a video essay on the moviemaker\u2019s views on good and evil in his films, as\nwell as trailers.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Also on the disc is Hallucinations of a Deranged Mind<\/em>\n(1978). The plot is intriguing, as it follows a psychologist struggling from\nissues due to watching the character of Coffin Joe. He encounters Marins\nhimself, who insists that his character is fictional, but the doctor has\ndifficulty distinguishing the difference between reality and fiction. It\u2019s an\ninteresting concept and has a creepy moment of two, but the movie is largely\ncomposed of compilation clips from earlier films by Marins. The disc includes\nan archival commentary with Marins and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final \u201cCoffin Joe\u201d film, Embodiment of Evil<\/em>\n(2008), is one the 6th<\/sup> and last Blu-ray and serves as a finale for\nthe character. As the years have passed, the evil mastermind has gained a\nderanged and violent group of followers who want his plans to come to fruition\nand will do anything to see his male heir be born. This is an extremely\nviolence and graphic effort filled with scenes of torture. Personally, this\nreviewer prefers the campy and surreal touches of the previous entries, but on\na technical level the low-budget feature is well-produced and I suppose it is\nsuccessful in grossing-out even the most jaded of genre viewers. The disc\ncontains a producer and co-writer commentary track, footage from the premiere,\ndeleted scenes, an archival featurette on the visual effects, as well as\nstoryboards, publicity materials and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The films of Jos\u00e9 Mojica Marins are an acquired taste, but\nas a newbie watching many of them for the first time, I can appreciate his\nskill at creating unique films with a personal touch on a limited budget. And a\nfew of them are genuinely strong, with others providing campy laughs or at\nleast a surreal trip or two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arrow Video has done a wonderful job putting the set\ntogether. These films look surprisingly sharp and this is probably as good as\nthese titles will ever look. The extras are wonderful and extremely detailed.\nIt\u2019s fun to listen to various theories from guest speakers on Marins, his work\nand his legacy. They are often contradictory and have differing opinions on\nwhat it all means, but there are many inconsistencies in the films themselves\nso it isn\u2019t too much of a bother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you like international or very, very eccentric horror,\nthe Blu-ray box set Inside the Mind of Coffin Joe<\/em> will deliver all that\nyou could ever want from the filmmaker, as well as all (and more) that you ever\nwanted to know about this eccentric Jos\u00e9 Mojica Marins and his life in the\nmovies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This Blu-ray box set is currently available from Arrow Video. Back in 1964, independent writer\/director Jos\u00e9 Mojica Marins created the first Brazilian horror film. He also starred in the movie as the main character, a sinister figure known as Z\u00e9 do Caix\u00e3o aka Coffin Joe. Despite its low budget, the movie was successful and helped […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":27822,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1836,1920,2928,3067,3365,4580,6902,9051,9842,11031,20597,22316,22762],"class_list":["post-27808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dvdblu-ray-reviews","tag-arrow-video","tag-at-midnight-ill-take-your-soul","tag-blasts-from-the-past-blu-ray-review","tag-blu-ray","tag-box-set","tag-coffin-joe","tag-embodiment-of-evil","tag-hellish-flesh","tag-inside-the-mind-of-coffin-joe","tag-jose-mojica-marins","tag-the-end-of-man","tag-the-strange-world-of-coffin-joe","tag-this-night-ill-possess-your-corpse"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27808"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27808\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}