At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul (1964) User Reviews

Deranged document of an obsessed fiend

[fertilecelluloid · 8/10 · 1 January 2005]

I love the idea of Coffin Joe ("Joseph The Grave"). I love his output. I love that he has channeled his obsessions into movies about deranged, obsessive characters. I can only admire and respect him.

I don't care that his movies are cheap. I don't care that they are slightly inept at times. Ed Wood's movies were cheap and inept, but they were also filled with passion and a neatly formed world view.

They are also rich in texture, designed with love and passion, self-contained and mostly set-bound like early Universal and PRC horror films (STRANGLER IN THE SWAMP, for example).

Jose Majica Marens is a true original and his movies are like nothing else you have ever seen. He enjoys hurling blasphemy at the Catholic church, he likes beating up hypocrites and his Coffin Joe indulges in random violence, rape, scaring women with spiders and general debauchery.

AT MIDNIGHT I'LL TAKE YOUR SOUL has a single-mindedness about it that makes it lovable. Joe wants only one thing -- to find a woman who will bear him a son. Since he's a brutal, loud, angry man, women aren't returning his calls, so he's frustrated. This frustration fuels virtually all of his movies.

Meeting Coffin Joe for the first time can be either a confusing, bewildering experience or the start of a beautiful relationship. It was the latter for me.

two minutes to midnite

[Semih · 7/10 · 18 August 2003]

It's very impressive and ambitious for Jose Mojica Marins to get this project done when he had only 15 cans of negative film stock to start with, 2 of which got stolen leaving him only 13, and not having a main actor so having to play the part himself. Most of locations were indoor sets, except for one outdoor location. Although it may seem like the lack of planning and abrupt decisions could have affected the outcome, it in fact did not. This film has some great work, starting from Jose's performance with his monologues and single take unedited continuous scenes, all the way through the very impressive set and production design and special effects. They actually manually glued glitter on the negative to get that cheap effect of halo around the spirits. I always give credit to people who are willing to get things done no matter what the budget or circumstances. Several hair raising moments make me think that this film must have been really scary for it's time 40 years ago. Overall, this is a brilliant film that is very cinematic and relies on traditional but very effective tricks of the trade to make it work.

Almost like a "the seventh seal" for horror films.

Dark Night of the Soul

[chaos-rampant · 5 August 2008]

This is my first forray into the wonderful world of Coffin Joe, and having read about Marins and his films was still not enough to prepare me. Not because "At Midnight..." is a great film by any set of conventional standards; it's a low-budget affair and it looks like it. What really makes it compelling is how passionate it is in all its blackly surreal glory.

Coffin Joe (Ze Do Caixao) is the atheist, unscrupulous undertaker of a small, religious community somewhere in Brazil. This set-bound place is more of a (at times too) convenient playground for Marins to explore his dark fantasies than any sort of realistic community. Its inhabitants are mere props to be abused, scoffed and laughed at. A sizeable guy who dares to stand up to him gets whipped in the face. His sole preoccupation is to find a woman worthy to bear him a son and thus "continue his bloodline". Coffin Joe strides through this fictional (and perhaps symbolic in Marin's mind) world, mocking the superstitious villagers, defying god, Satan and the dead, sometimes all of them together in a matter of minutes.

If "At Midnight..." is set apart from every other horror movie of its time, it's because the morbid, macabre imagery (skulls, plastic bats, cobwebs, tarantulas; you know the drill) is undercut by a Nietzche-esquire atheism that bites. At times it's as if the whole movie serves as nothing more than Marins' soapbox, his way of venting against the conservative and religious. How much of what Coffin Joe declares in the film are meant to be serious is anyone's guess. However it's exactly the fact that it works so well on a camp level (like a blasphemous Ed Wood flick) that redeems the film from all heavy-handedness.

In that aspect, and as far as what one would expect from an early 60's horror movie, "At Midnight..." is both avant-garde in its own micro-budget, often crude but unashamedly enthusiastic way and surrealistic. Mandatory viewing for fans of cult movies and I hear the sequels are better which I'll have to see for myself.

Somebody Get This Dude A Nail Clipper For Xmas!

[ferbs54 · 7/10 · 19 October 2007]

The Brazilian film "At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul" (1963) features a character who is a strong contender for the most hateful, obnoxious, despicable, slimy and loathsome creature in horror movie history. He is Ze do Caixao, a name that, loosely translated from the Portuguese, means Coffin Joe, and he would go on to become a wildly popular figure in Brazilian culture over the years; kind of like an amalgam of Baron Samedi and Freddy Krueger. As played by the film's director, Jose Mojica Marins, Ze is quite unforgettable. Bearded, caped and top hatted, he bullies and browbeats the inhabitants of his small village, and does away with those closest to him, all in his sick pursuit to father a son and continue his bloodline. Perhaps most shocking, in the largely Catholic country of Brazil, he is a taunting atheist, who eats meat on Good Friday and even forces others to do the same! No living person seems able to stand up to Ze. But the unliving...ah, perhaps that's another story.... Filmed on the cheap, this picture still works marvelously, featuring as it does many scenes of casual and brutal violence (wait'll you see what Ze does to his barren mistress), some interesting FX (I love that glittery ghost!), fairly intense acting (especially by Marins and that gypsy witch), and a very freaky score (wails, screams, echo effects, etc.). One scene in particular is very fine; the one in which Ze rails against heaven and hell during a thunderstorm and drunkenly demands that God and all spirits do him harm. Pretty intense stuff. Anyway, that gypsy woman, at the film's beginning, warns us NOT to watch this picture, as it will make us suffer, but I'm glad that I stayed with it. And oh...a modern-day interview with Marins is included on this DVD. If you want to see something REALLY scary, take a look at his fingernails!

Coffin Joe's Charmingly Weird Debut

[Witchfinder-General-666 · 7/10 · 14 November 2009]

'Zé do Caixão' aka 'Coffin Joe' is THE essential character in Brazilian Horror cinema, which isn't very prolific otherwise. The character was single-handedly created and played by Brazilian Horror/Exploitation icon José Mojica Marins, who has, over forty-five years, so far played the role of his life in 14 films (most of which he directed and scripted) as well as a TV series. This first film about the deranged gravedigger in search of a woman to bear him a son, "À Meia-Noite Levarei Sua Alma" aka. "At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul" of 1964 isn't exactly a 'good' Horror film, but it is definitely a highly charming one, which deserves the certain cult-status it enjoys.

The central character, Zé do Caixão (Coffin Joe) is the stereotype of a schlock-horror character (though he often behaves like an everyday bully): a bizarre-looking black-clad fellow with a full beard who sports a top hat, a cape and overlong thumb-nails. Zé (José Mojica Marins), the gravedigger of a small Brazilian town, is generally feared by his fellow citizens, whom he bullies and treats despotically. None of the superstitious and religious townspeople dare to fight back at Zé, who believes neither in God nor in superstition, and who has no scruples whatsoever. Zé has a lovely wife who loves him, but he despises her because she hasn't born him a son. The gravedigger therefore goes out on an unscrupulous search for a woman to bear him a son...

"At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul" has many highly clichéd and stereotypical elements, and due to the low budget, it often looks very cheap. This only increases the camp-factor, however, and gives the film a very particular charm. It has to be said that a low budget isn't necessarily an excuse for a cheap look - after all, the sixties brought forth countless brilliant low-budget Gothic Horror films, including productions from countries like Mexico (with amazing films such as "Misterios de Ultratumba" of 1959 or "La Maldición de la Llorona" of 1962). The particular cheapness of "At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul" is a charming one, however, and though many elements have a cheesy look, it is obvious that writer/director/leading man José Mojica Marins made his first success with a huge love for the genre. Most of the actors are truly amateurish, and probably had no other screen-experience. The film is full of plastic skulls, fake spiders, fake cobwebs, and stereotypical characters (such as a gypsy fortune teller), and though these elements may look amateurish, they simply have to be loved. The film relies on these elements (as well as on the priceless character of Coffin Joe) in order to build up a creepy atmosphere - and, even though it is never suspenseful or even remotely scary, it succeeds in that. As stated above, this is not a good Horror film; in fact, it is highly nonsensical cheese; but it is also a highly charming and weird little film that cult-cinema fans should at least give a try. Personally, highly enjoyed it, and I am now looking forward to see more 'Coffin Joe' films. "At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul" certainly won't meet everybody's tastes, but it is definitely recommendable to my fellow fans of obscure low-budget Horror and Exploitation/Cult-Cinema in general.

Great Cult Horror Movie

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 23 June 2011]

In a small town, the creepy and violent gravedigger Zé do Caixão (José Mojica Marins) is feared by the locals. Zé do Caixão lives with Lenita (Valeria Vasquez), who can not deliver a son to him. Obsessed to have a son, Zé do Caixão harasses Terezinha de Oliveira (Magda Mei), who is the fiancée of his friend Antônio de Andrade (Nivaldo Lima) and kills Lenita with a spider simulating an accident. Then he drowns Antônio and rapes Terezinha expecting to have a baby with her. Terezinha commits suicide but does not accuse Zé do Caixão in his letter. When Dr. Rodolfo (Ilídio Martins) decides to request another autopsy of Antônio, Zé do Caixão burns him to death. The inspector Barretos can not prove that Zé do Caixão is the killer, but on the Day of the Dead, the local gypsy warns him that the dead will take his soul to hell.

"À Meia-Noite Levarei Sua Alma" is a great cult horror movie from the also cult-director José Mojica Marins, a.k.a. Zé do Caixão in Brazil and Coffin Joe overseas. This is a low-budget rough film supported by a good story and performances with passion, dialogs with blasphemy and lots of gore. Further, this film is ahead of time with a very disturbing story for 1964, but recommended only to very specific audience. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "À Meia-Noite Levarei Sua Alma" ("At Midnight I Will Take Your Soul")

Coffin Joe; A GREAT CHARACTER!!

[fluffhead34 · 6/10 · 19 January 2007]

***MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS***(Mild)

I saw "Coffin Joe: At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul" last Friday (1/12/07) on IFC's new "Grindhouse". I have to say that I laughed my ass off through the whole picture. Notbecause it was dumb or not an authentic horror film, I'm sure is was quite frightening in 1964 and probably the first horror film made in Brazil. What was so amusing to me was the character of Coffin Joe,known to the townspeople as "Ze do Caixao". Director, writer and star Jose Mojica Marins created one of the most memorable characters that I've ever seen in horror films, or any films for that matter. At the beginning of the film, we are warned by a gypsy fortune teller to leave the theater if you are not sure of your courage, after 2 minutes she says "too late! it's midnight! stay if you think you are brave!" The story opens on a Friday night when the Catholic tradition is to abstain from meat, I believe that Brazil is almost exclusively Catholic. So, Coffin Joe being an atheist, sits at his window eating a leg of lamb and laughing as he watches the Catholic precession go by, SO EVIL! Later at the local tavern he forces a local to eat from another leg of lamb. Soon his sins become much larger and murder is just one of them. I loved the camera work, especially the close ups of Joe's eyes with one eyebrow raised. Joe is the town's undertaker, funeral director, and gravedigger all in one, and dresses in a black suit with a cape and a top-hat. Joe/Jose's long curled fingernails (real), complete the picture! I recommend this film to anyone who loves camp or open to the bizarre!

One Of Horror Cinema's Finest.. REST IN POWER Coffin Joe

[samxxxul · 10/10 · 12 July 2020]

I'm still reeling from the passing of unprecedented Horror icon José Mojica Marins, aka Coffin Joe and I can say that repeated viewings of Cat III films, Giallos, Art Theatre Guild releases, Lynch and Joe's movie got me through one of the darkest periods of my life and it has become more eerier in my memory as time passes.

The strange & depraved saga of Brazilian horror icon Coffin Joe began here with showmanship, brutality, Shakespearean theatrics, & blasphemy and what a way to introduce your singular sensibility to audiences, with the first scene In your first movie (AT MIDNIGHT I'LL TAKE YOUR SOUL, 1964) saying viewers to be warned.

This is hellacious composite utterly unique to Brazil's Cinema Novo - a movement in Brazilian Cinema represented by Ruy Guerra, Glauber Rocha, Nelson Pereira dos Santos, Luis Sergio Person, to name only a few. The "Cinema Novo" was influenced by the Italian neorealism and the French "Nouvelle Vague" but achieved its own identity while Jose was a standout at that time.

Again, compared to later horror films that feels dated, but nevertheless Coffin Joe's films from that year cleverly done and of such a high quality in order to make them withstand the comparison with special effects in other horror films at the time and even today.

José Mojica Marins introduces us to one of horror cinema's most despicable figures, Zé do Caixão (aka: Coffin Joe), A creepy mortician Terrorizing a small community as he searches for the perfect woman to bear him a child and fulfill his sadistic desires. Marins is keen to fill his film with rich symbolism and striking visuals; but also finds time for some visceral horror. The opening scenes are memorable as I mentioned earlier and later the films builds into some truly memorable and surreal sequences that, when combined with the atmosphere, do manage to be quite frightening.

This low budget madness is supported with eerie score by Salatiel Coelho &Hermínio Gimenez. The cinematography by Giorgio Attili is filled with a lot of passion, blasphemy, and a lot of blood. Moreover, this film is well ahead of time with the grossest fingernails ever committed to the screen.

"What is life? It is the beginning of death. What is death? It is the end of life! What is existence? It is the continuity of blood. What is blood? It is the reason to exist!" - Zé do Caixão.

Needs to get his nails clipped

[macabro357 · 6/10 · 9 July 2003]

(aka: AT MIDNIGHT I TAKE YOUR SOUL)

Supposedly the first Brazilian horror movie ever made, it definitely is the 1st Coffin Joe film ever made. And no, I don't consider it a 'masterpiece' like another reviewer had stated, earlier.

Joe is a maker of coffins who goes around with a top hat and long fingernails. He's also a sadist and a bully who intimidates all those around him and plays upon their superstitions.

Some sadistic acts Coffin Joe commits include cutting off the finger of a card cheat during a poker game, horsewhipping another in the saloon where they all drink and congregate, killing his infertile housekeeper with a tarantula because she can't bear him a son, and then killing the boyfriend of a woman he lusts after with a fireplace poker.

This is not the kind of guy I'd want in my neighborhood. I guess he was considered the Freddie Krueger of his time (since the Coffin Joe series was very popular in Brazil) but without the camp humor Wes Craven gave to that series.

Anyway, a gypsy woman warns Joe that his end is near and that at midnight, the dead will rise up and take his soul. It's only after Joe prevents a local doctor from filing a police report by gouging his eyes out and then setting him on fire, that we know Joe will soon meet his maker.

The ending scene where the townsfolk find him dead of fright with his face all deformed and twisted, seems anti-climatic to me. Joe deserves a far worse fate than what director Jose Mojica Marins gives him here. He got off too easy, imo.

And as stagy as the film looks, it's not all that bad. The film stock they used looks like it was taken from the 1940s, not the 1960s, giving the film an older feel to it than it actually is. It enhances the atmosphere, imo. And yeah, the gypsy woman's skulls look like paper-maché and not the real thing. I guess they couldn't find real ones or the budget was too small.

But no matter…it entertained me enough with the politically-incorrect sadism that Marins gives to the leading character, that I'm gonna give it a 6 out of 10 for a decent first entry into the series.

At Midnight I Will Take Your Nailclippers.

[BA_Harrison · 5/10 · 31 May 2015]

At Midnight I Will Take Your Soul marks the debut of Brazilian director José Mojica Marins' cult character Zé do Caixão (AKA Coffin Joe), a sadistic undertaker who will go to any lengths to find a woman to bear his son (it's not easy to find a willing mate when you're a leering, sadistic creep in dire need of a stylist—those nails, that hat, the cape: they've just got to go!). To understand the film's importance in the annals of horror, one must put it into context: when it was originally released in 1964, the amoral nature of Marins' bizarre creation would have been extremely shocking to its native, largely Catholic audience—a truly disturbing villain who pushed the boundaries of taste.

However, in today's cinematic climate, where blasphemy is no longer such a taboo, and violence has been pushed to extremes, At Midnight I Will Take Your Soul no longer possesses such an impact…

As played by Marins, Zé comes across like a camp cape-swishing pantomime villain, more likely to elicit laughter than fear. His wanton behaviour is almost comical, as he proceeds to do whatever the hell he likes, raping and killing at will, the locals cowering in fear rather than forming a lynch mob and dealing with the fiend en masse, as they could so easily do. The film also features such trite spooky elements as a wizened old gypsy hag who warns Zé of his impending doom, a stuffed owl screeching from a tree, a raging thunderstorm, a foggy graveyard, and a ghost surrounded by badly animated glitter. One or two moments still hint at the power the film would have had on its original release—the brutal beating of Zé's friend's fiancée, Terenzinha, is surprisingly vicious, and the savage mutilation of a man's hand with a broken bottle was clearly explicit for the era—but there's almost nothing here to cause concern for modern day horror fans, making this one of interest only to cult movie addicts interested in seeing outdated oddities for the sake of completion.

5/10 for making me laugh a bit.

Truly twisted,surreal and hallucinatory masterpiece.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 10/10 · 19 July 2003]

Jose Mojica Marins "At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul" is the first horror film shot in Brazil.Coffin Joe(Ze Do Caixao)quickly became a kind of national hero and a star of screen and television.The plot is simple:Marins plays an unholy undertaker who terrorizes a small,religious and conservative Brazilian village.He scoffs at their religion and superstitions and threatens them physically as well.The film is truly atmospheric-there are skeletons,candles,bats,spiders etc.There is also plenty of mildly shocking violence to satisfy fans of grisly horror.Coffin Joe looks very creepy-he dresses in a black suit,black cloak,and black top hat.This wondefully mean and hateful character provided what,at the same time,was the most blasphemous,ugly and sinful motion picture the people of Brazil had ever experienced.So if you're a fan of Mario Bava's Gothic shockers give this film a look.10 out of 10.

Camp, low-budget horror with moments of utter surreality and gruesome violence

[tomgillespie2002 · 7/10 · 20 October 2012]

Now known as the beginning of the 'Coffin Joe Trilogy', Jose Mojica Marins' supernatural horror has garnered a loyal cult following through it's camp sets, it's grainy, low-budget photography, and the wildly sadistic acts of violence by it's anti-hero, Ze do Caixao (or Coffin Joe - to translate - played by Marins). Dressed all in black, with a long cape, top hat and full beard, Coffin Joe has become an iconic figure amongst die-hard horror fans, and his (outlandish) presence is undeniable. Joe is an undertaker, and rejects all ideas of Christianity or faith (he literally laughs in the face of it), so his dark demeanour is the embodiment of evil, and ultimately, Satan.

At Midnight... kick-starts Joe ultimate quest to find a suitable wife who will bore him a son, therefore cementing his precious blood-line for years to come. His current wife Lenita (Valeria Vasquez) loves him, though she cannot give him a son. Infatuated by Terezinha (Magda Mei), the fiancée of his best friend Antonio (Nivaldo Lima), he tries to seduce her, but she rejects his advances, leaving Joe infuriated. Convinced that Lenita is the thing standing between him and Terezinha, he ties Lenita to the bed and lets her get bitten by a venomous spider. But Joe learns that the things he wants in life must be taken rather than earned, and he begins a killing spree in the face of a prophecy that deems him to die on the night of the Day of the Dead.

Beginning with huge lashings of style, Marins introduces his actors in the opening credits by showing them dying later in the film. It's an interesting approach, and almost as if Marins wishes us to view the characters as the walking dead, as we already know their fate. There are freeze-frames, trippy texts, and an almost industrial soundtrack layered with shrills and screams. It's all very theatrical, akin to a pantomime at times, with the clichéd gypsy fortune teller talking directly to camera and warning the audience that they should not watch the movie. But it was this old-fashioned approach, and the almost ineptness of its execution, that made this such an enjoyable experience.

We have fake cobwebs, spiders, and a gypsy witch with a shrieking laugh combined with moments of utter surreality, and a surprisingly gruesome streak given its age (Joe removes a doctor's eyeballs, mashes the fingers of a rival poker player with a broken bottle, and flogs a man half to death). It's no surprise Marins is a national treasure in his native Brazil, as he single-handedly brought the horror genre to his country after starting his career with westerns and dramas. The final instalment to the trilogy was just made in 2008, so its quite impressive given that his character is memorable enough to stretch over four decades. Next up will be the deliciously-titled This Night I'll Possess Your Corpse (1967).

www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

Based on everything I knew about it, I thought this one was destined to be a winner

[bensonmum2 · 4/10 · 13 May 2006]

Over the years, I've gotten pretty good at spotting movies I know I'm going to enjoy. While many of these don't turn out to be in my Top 10 or anything, I generally find these movies enjoyable at a minimum. That's not the case with At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul. Given its cult following, subject matter, and recommendations from trusted individuals, I thought this one was destined to be a winner. I couldn't have been more wrong.

At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul is the first of the Brazilian Coffin Joe films. Jose Mojica Marins is Zé do Caixão, the mortician in a small town he holds sway over through physical and psychological threats. He's not above committing murder to get his way. The film has a lot of surreal imagery going for it that is interesting to look at. It's too bad that it's all for naught as the film is so deadly dull. All the interesting set decoration and eye candy in the world can't save it. Zé makes an interesting character, but he hardly looks like the big tough guy, bullying around everyone in town. He's more like a skinny little kid playing dress-up with a cape and top hat who throws tempter tantrums when he doesn't get what he wants. I still don't understand why a couple of the husky Brazilian townsfolk didn't get together and beat the snot out of Zé. Finally, there's the ending. After and hour and some odd minutes of At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul, I hoped my experience could be salvaged by a strong finale. Again, I was disappointed. That has to be one of the more unsatisfying endings I've seen recently.

Despite what I've written, I haven't given up on Coffin Joe just yet. I still plan to give This Night I Will Possess Your Corpse a chance. I only hope its better.

Interesting Indie Supernatural Thriller

[suspiria10 · 30 October 2002]

I was scouring the local mass media a/v store when on a cart I saw a title that caught my eye. Shaped like a coffin was this box set sitting with one of his twins. Being a horror fan I couldn't help but be interested (It looked very similar to a Misfits box set some moons ago).The title of this set was simply "The Coffin Joe Trilogy". My mind raced back to all those years of Fangoria stockpiled in the back of my mind. I grabbed, I bought and I loved every minute of the set. The first film which ,according to the notes on the inside, is a phenomena in Brazil. The character Coffin Joe is the local cinema boogeyman (ala Fred Krueger)and yet again teaches us that the lack of a budget only stimulates creativity. 8/10

Hamlet of Doom

[vortex_lip · 7/10 · 29 August 2008]

If there's one thing that stands out in "À Meia-Noite Levarei Sua Alma", it's the quantity of "dark" in the film. There are more shadows than light in every scene, and the shadows are so black as to be living ink, and so palpable that they threaten to engulf everything in its path.

That being said, Mojica was the perfect fit for the lead character, Coffin Joe. Unbelievably, no one wanted to play the this role; everyone thought the movie was so over the top as to be ridiculous, and turned it down. This turned out to be a blessing, as Mojica wound up playing Joe himself, ultimately turning this film into the classic that it has come to be. He delivers every line with such vindictive zeal I can only compare him to a Shakespearian "Hamlet of Doom". Every line rolls off his tongue with menacing resonance, each one bellowed ever more defiantly and louder than the last. Joe is one of my favorite anti-heroes, and I look forward to watching the other Coffin Joe films in Mojica's collection.

-vl-

At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul (1964)

[jonahstewartvaughan · 7/10 · 16 October 2023]

Cult Cuts Volume 42. Shocktober 2023 Week 2)

#2/4: At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul (1964)

(7/10): A solidly chilling and atmospheric shocker!

As the main claim to fame for Brazilian horror, the Character of Coffin Joe is Brazil's most prominent figure in horror.

At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul is the first film in a series of films that are based around the character of Coffin Joe, a despicable gravedigger and mortician who is part of a dark bloodline that he has an overwhelming desire to follow.

Coffin Joe, or Zé do Caixão in Portuguese, sets off to torment a small peasant community in search of the perfect woman to bear his child and no one can stand in his way but as innocent bodies begin to pile up judgment upon the ruthless man comes during the Day of the Dead in the form of a local Gypsy Woman.

The man who plays Coffin Joe is fantastic in his role as an ominous, imposing and ruthless individual and he carries with him a slight sense of Dracula-esque presence with his black cape and his seductive yet cruel personality.

The film is completely in Black and White which aids in giving it a more gothic and traditional feel, I know some of it could be just the limitations the film crew had when shooting but sometimes it's an stylistic choice.

It's got a very grim and dark atmosphere to it coupled with a surprising amount of gore as one man has his fingers cut off, another is drowned in a tub and what is probably the most gruesome is an eye gouging by jabbing his long fingernails into the eyes of a man.

At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul is also just a fantastic title as it rolls off the tongue pretty well.

It's an proper, atmospheric shocker that is another great recommendation for the Halloween season despite its relative obscurity.

Brazilian horror legend is born

[guisreis · 8/10 · 31 May 2021]

A real cult classic. Fearsome frightening sadistic and mysoginous bully murderer psycopath undertaker Joe, obsessed by producing offspring, has no moral barrier while persuing his goal (an extreme Nietzschean understanding that the strongest must do what they want). Even the closest people who love him and with whom he has friendship relations are not safe. He has no fear of god, devil, ghosts, death, magic, curse or superstition; he is the one who other are afraid of and brags about it. Well, almost... there is a witch who is at least as spooky as he is. Despite low budget, the pioneer Brazilian horror movie provides a nice creepy atmosphere and internal coherence. Though its bizarreness, it has a real aesthetic importance.

The birth of a Brazilian cultural hero

[Red-Barracuda · 6/10 · 21 February 2012]

This is the first film featuring the Brazilian horror icon Zé do Caixão (or Coffin Joe to most people). Its director and star José Mojica Marins brain-child and it is nothing if not a true original. In it, Marins evil character is a gravedigger who has the populace of a village in mortal fear of him. He seeks a woman to bear him a child and goes about this is a manner involving murder an mayhem.

At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul is a very strange film. To some degree the weirdness may be attributable to its Brazilian origins. Marins output aside, there simply has been extremely few horror movies from this country. This means that the strange preoccupations on show here are isolated examples of horror from a Brazilian perspective. Hence the strange notion of an atheist horror villain who laughs in the face of god fearing villagers seems quite bizarre to western audiences but most probably had a lot more relevance within the context of the much more religious culture of Brazil. The upshot is that this character and these films are very strange indeed, and therefore are perfect fodder as cult movies. Even taking this into account though it would still have to be said that the story is often highly illogical and senseless. It has the feel of a comic-book in this sense. The people in Coffin Joe's world don't really act in a very normal way to say the least.

For my money the sequel This Night I'll Possess Your Corpse is a better film though. In that one Marins had a little more budget, several more ideas and a better understanding of pacing a film. As a result it is a better expression of the basic ideas first given voice here. Nevertheless, this remains a curious and bizarre item that's well worth checking out if you have a taste for the more idiosyncratic side of the movies.

Cool Old-School Cheezy Brazilian Horror...

[EVOL666 · 8/10 · 17 April 2006]

I actually really dug the sh!t out of this one. The character of Coffin Joe is just such an all-around dick, that ya just gotta love him. He just don't give a f!ck - he'll whip ya, poke your eyes out, rape your girl - it just don't matter to him, cuz like ol' Joe'll tell you himself - when he wants something, he gets it...

Coffin Joe is the local undertaker and a pretty creepy cat with his black suit, cape, top-hat, and long and pointy fingernails. He goes around bullying and beating up the locals whenever he sees fit and nobody does anything about it. Seems that Joe's pimp-hand is pretty strong around his parts. When his barren wife can't produce him a child, he decides to kill her. He thinks his best friend's fiancée is hot, so he kills him too. When the fiancée won't have anything to do with him, he rapes her. She ends up killing herself out of shame. Now if this all sounds real morbid - it kinda is (in a "funny" sort of way...), but don't fret - ol' Joe will get his too...

Definitely dated but what can you say for a zero-budget Brazilian flick from 1964? I think the subject matter and the way it is handled must have been pretty racy for the time, and I got a real kick out of Joe's "don't-give-a-damn" attitude. Not a true "masterpiece" by any means, but a strange and quirky early horror entry from an area that wasn't real well-known for their horror film contributions. Also the film doesn't really drag so it's pretty easy to get through. I'd say to have a few drinks and give this one a shot - I really enjoyed it..8.5/10

not for the squeamish, but worth a watch for the adventurous

[Quinoa1984 · 7/10 · 11 April 2016]

You might expect that a horror movie from the 50s or 60s won't age well if it comes from not just a low-budget but from Brazil, but this is directed and acted with a really unique take on what an undertaker... does, basically. It follows the travails of Coffin Joe, who finds women and, well, I shouldn't say too much about what happens except that it really involves his wife who he tries to eliminate, and then sets his eyes to make sure his seed gets into the gypsy fiancée of his good friend.

A lot of the appeal comes down to how Marins is as an actor, but also how he makes his low budget work for him. I don't think a studio budget, even from Corman or other, would do for this; this is more along the lines of what Bunuel had to work with in Mexico in the 50's. But what's keen is just how creepy this character is, how devilish and evil and so much fun to watch. This isn't to say it all works, and it may be the kind of early-foreign Grindhouse fare that is hard to categorize, but like Bunuel it also has its knives out in regards to religion (though not in the ways you'd expect).

At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul is grotesque, brutal, campy, illogical, arguably both pro AND anti-woman (but also just as arguably anti-religion, or anti-a-hole-atheists who laugh in the face of, um, witches), surreal, and fun when it's not too weird. also gotta hand it to the director/star for the Day of the Dead finale, which bumps up this rating a full star.

Boring

[zetes · 4/10 · 9 August 2003]

Well, my curiosity about Coffin Joe is now satisfied. And, boy, am I glad I didn't waste money on Fantoma's box set of the trilogy! Thank you, Netflix! It's a dull, dull horror film about an undertaker who doesn't cut his fingernails and terrorizes a small Brazilian town. He wants to have a son by a young woman, his friend's girlfriend, and he stops at nothing to accomplish that goal. It's not scary at all, nor is it very visually interesting. Horror is a genre that has historically been very innovative and inventive, especially when the filmmakers are working on a shoestring budget, but this has, for the most part, the production values of a soap opera. It does have a pretty good finale, but the rest of the film is rather worthless. 4/10.

A Must-See for the Rob Zombie Set!

[shacklyn · 8/10 · 7 July 2007]

You have to be a fan of niche horror films to like this one. The film is very noir, and features a lot of low-budget effects that many current directors would love to replicate.

The movie is Brazilian, filmed in the early 60's, spoken in Portugese, subtitled, and filmed in black and white. The director seems to have been influenced by a lot of the old Hollywood classics, like Dracula (Legosi) and White Zombie.

For its time, this movie must have been an outrage. At the same time that Connery was playing it cool as Bond in Goldfinger, this movie was out there - depicting graphic violence, murder, and rape. The violence is very stylized, and the plot is very straightforward.

A local mortician, who runs around with a psychotic expression, long fingernails, a cape, and a top-hat, thumbs his nose at local authority and religion. He's grown tired of his wife, who is barren, but he lusts for his best friend's girlfriend, who he hopes can bear him a child. This all leads to violent run-ins with the locals, gratuitous violence, and murder. There's even the requisite scene with the local, creepy fortune-teller, who warns the characters of trouble on the horizon.

Over half the scenes are like watching something out of a Rob Zombie video. This movie is far from scary. In fact, I found myself laughing through most of it. The close-ups of the actors' faces are priceless.

To rate this movie is somewhat difficult. As a niche horror movie, I have given it 8 out of 10; although, most people would rate it as a 2 or a 3 - due to its shoestring budget and horrible overacting.

If it's a cheap horror movie, chances are I have seen it. That being said, I haven't seen anything quite like this one. If you enjoy cheap horror movies like 10,000 Maniacs, Bloodsucking Freaks, or Color Me Blood Red, you should enjoy this movie.

A pretty good Brazilian Coffin Joe flick!

[Boba_Fett1138 · 7/10 · 10 June 2012]

Really, I'm not a big Coffin Joe, or Zé do Caixão, fan at all but I must say that this movie, which was the first one to feature the character, is simply a pretty good genre flick. Not that it's truly anything great but everything considering, things could had been far worse and the movie is pretty enjoyable for what it is.

Coffin Joe, or Zé do Caixão as his official Portuguese name is, is a popular Brazilian horror character, that appeared in a whole bunch of movies and other stuff and always got and still gets played by José Mojica Marins. You might say that he is the Brazilian Vincent Price/Peter Cushing/Christopher Lee. And this movie also definitely feels a bit like a good old fashioned Cushing or Price horror flick!

It really simply is a good old fashioned genre movie! Seems to me that the filmmakers had seen a whole bunch of British genre flicks from the same era and decided to have a go at the genre themselves. And I must say that they did a pretty good job with setting up a similar type of atmosphere and characters. Only big difference is that this movie is shot in black & white but despite this the movie still manages to create a very similar type of atmosphere, also by featuring a very typical genre type of story in it.

There isn't all that much to its story really but it mostly relies on the Zé do Caixão character, who works out as a great main character for the movie. It's interesting that the movie its main character is actually being the villain but he has a lot of charisma and plenty of other stuff about him that make him a likable and interesting enough character to follow.

The movie truly has some great genre moments in it, though still most of the movie its horror comes purely from its atmosphere. Having said that, it also still is being a movie with plenty of violence and gore in it as well but because the movie is shot in black & white, nothing ever comes across as too shocking. It's not a complaint really, since the black & white cinematography gives the movie plenty and is a big part of its quality and power.

Everything considering, such as the fact that this is a low budget, early Brazilian genre flick, it's being a pretty good movie to watch, with some truly good genre moments in it!

7/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Waste of Time

[rstef1 · 2/10 · 3 July 2006]

Having read the positive reviews on this site, and anxious for something different, I thought I'd give this film a try. What a mistake.

For starters, the film moves at a snail's pace, with a lot of dialog and scenes being endlessly repeated. Though the film only runs 81 minutes, it feels like a lot longer. I cannot understand how this earned its small cult following.

The budget seems almost non-existent. Sets and costumes look really cheap, and the special effects are tragic. In the close ups, before he kills his victims, Ze's eyes become bloodshot and lined, but in mid-range shots we can clearly see that they are perfectly white. And the procession of the dead at the end looks merely laughable. The ghost of Antonio is outlined in bad animated dots that look they belong in the film Xanadu. The rest of the ghosts have to settle for being shown in negative, with Terezinha smoking. Wow.

Jose Marins, as Coffin Joe/Ze, and the actress who plays the witch, overact like there is no tomorrow. There is not a piece of scenery left unchewed in their scenes. Both are really playing to the back rows, unfortunately this is a film, not theater. The rest of the cast, realizing they are unable to keep up with these two hams, simply do not bother acting at all.

I will give the film a star for trying. Like Ed Wood before him, Jose Marins clearly has a love for this type of movie, and wrote it, directed and starred in it with gusto. A misplaced and overzealous gusto admittedly, but gusto nonetheless.