You just can't pass Coffin Joe if you are a horror geek. Even as this flick is outdated it's a must see and you will understand that this was a real horror back in those days. It came before the classic The Night Of The Living Dead (1968) and I liked this one more then the over-hyped Romero flick. Maybe NoTLD still stand the time but here we do see a better use of the camera and the overall look was much more creepier. It even clocks in under 90 minutes which makes it excellent. The effects used are also worth checking out. Just see the poking of the eyes or one being drowned. It's filmed in black and white and that may turn geeks away or the aging may be a difficulty but it shows again that not all classics were made in the US. Being one of the first flicks shot by Coffin Joe it's indeed low on some parts he get well known for later but it definitely is a must see.Gore 1/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 3/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5

Searching round online for details about any exciting,wild non-English language Horror films,I became very intrigued about a series of Horror film which I had read a big amount of praise for by a Brazilian director called Jose Mojica Marins , who had created a character called Coffin Joe.Originally thinking that Marins movies seemed to be too "underground" ,I originally decided that due to it looking like there was no way to get hold of the films,I would have to give up on my search in vain.Deciding to have "one last throw of the dice",I went to have a quick search on Amazon UK,where I made a terrific discovery that Anchor Bay had brought out the films in a really classy looking box set,which would at last give me the opportunity to see Marins's famous alter ego for the very first time:Coffin Joe.The plot:Feeling that time is starting to catch up on him ever having the chance to father a child,a reclusive gravedigger called Coffin Joe decides that he must make it a mission for himself to find the "perfect" woman in a small Brazillian village who can become pregnant.Shortly after meeting the now terrified locals,Joe begins to get into deadly fights (where he mostly injures or kills his opponent's with some sharp,extending fingernails and almost hypnotic eyes)with all the townsfolk,due to them not being too keen on Joe's desire to have all of the towns woman be only for him to use in his attempts to mate.Along with the trouble that he faces with the towns folk,Joe also has to deal with the woe of attempting to find "the one",that causes him to meet a good number of woman who he quickly resizes are not the perfect match for him,which causes him to brutally murder each of them.Almost giving up on ever finding a girl who is everything that he desires,Joe eventually uses his charms successfully and ends up meeting a sweet girl who he offers to "kindly" walk back home.Feeling that he has at last found his perfect victim,Joe is stopped in his tracks by the local town gypsy,who warns him that at midnight the ghosts of his past victims will come back from the dead to claim his soul.Originallly brushing off what the gypsy said as being the words of a total nutter,Joe soon begins to notice midnight approaching and starts to wonder if the gypsy words could be truer than he ever imagined.View on the film:Reading up the small bits of trivia on this films IMDb page,I have to say that despite him having a huge amount of pressure over this being a hit due to selling his car and his house (!) to raise the cash for the movie, actor/director and writer Jose Mojica Marins leaves any of the production troubles off the screen as he makes Brazil's stunning first ever Horror film.Whilst one scene in the film featuring cars does suggest that this is taking place in the present day,Marnis makes the atmospheric setting one of the films main strengths,thanks to the town and its people looking like they are from a long lost Gothic novel of the mid-late 1800's,with the excellent grainy black and white photography of the film making each scene feel as if it is covered in mud and decaying before your very eyes.Along with the fantastic look and the chilling setting of the film,Marnis also includes a strong Gothic element to his great performance of the title character,which despite him having the longest nails that I have ever seen, has Joe Carry's himself with a strong sense of Dracula like class and elegance which allows him to close in on all of the beautiful actresses in the film,until he is near enough to unleash his fingernail like fangs to destroy anything which he sees as imperfect.Whilst the slightly dragged out screenplay does make it look like Joe is completely filled with confidence,Marnis introduces a cleverly doubtful side to Joe filled with fear during the films last 30 minutes,as the initial dismissal of what he has been told by an almost Macbeth Witch slowly comes back to haunt and terrify his soul.Final view on the film:A stunning Gothic Horror,with brilliantly atmospheric murky photography and a wonderfully wild and fun performance from Marins.

'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.

At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul (1964) *** (out of 4)First is the series has director/writer Jose Mojica Marins playing the famous Ze do Caixao (Coffin Joe), a foul-mouthed, evil gravedigger who is upset at his wife who can't give him children. He spots a beautiful young woman who he wants as his bride but first he has to get rid of the wife as well as his best friend who just happens to be with the new girl. This was the first official Coffin Joe film I've seen and while it's not as experimental as some of the director's later work, that really doesn't take anything away from this because it's still mighty impressive. Anyone half way familiar with the series knows that Brazil has no film industry so the director was working with a zero budget with non-actors but this actually pays off because it brings an atmosphere that you can't buy with money. The film is very moody due to the low budget and I'd go even further and say that at times it's very poetic and beautiful in its own way. What works the best is Marins himself in the main role. Everything from his look to his talk to his walk is perfect and really paints an evil man and brings him to life. There's no question it was a blessing when the original actor couldn't appear in the role. The supporting cast are all fair to decent but, again, this helps makes the film seem all the more real. The B&W cinematography is actually quite nice as are the locations and various nice edits that happen throughout. The entire film has a perfect feel of death to it and this is what's so unique about the film. This certainly deserves its label as a cult classic even though it does run on a tad bit too much but this doesn't take too much away from an other wise very impressive film.