WAMG Tribute: José Mojica Marins, ‘Coffin Joe’, Has Died

” Oh, and one last favor. If you pass by heaven, give my regards to the angels. But if you end up in hell, give my address to the devil. ” – Coffin Joe in THIS NIGHT I WILL POSSESS YOUR CORPSE

Brazilian horror star and international cult icon José Mojica Marins has died at age 83. RIP Coffin Joe.

Unholy undertaker, evil philosopher, denizen of dreams and hallucinations, Coffin Joe, with his trademark top hat, black cape, and long talon-like fingernails is a horror icon in his native Brazil. Revered as a national boogeyman, Coffin Joe has been immortalized in films, TV shows, radio programs, and comic books. He was the creation of writer-director-star Jose Mojica Marins, whose perversely original and strangely personal filmmaking style has been compared to an unholy blend of Mario Bava, Luis Bunuel, and Russ Meyer.

Jose Mojica Marins took Brazil by storm with the 1963 release of AT MIDNIGHT I’LL TAKE YOUR SOUL where he played Coffin Joe, a sadistic undertaker who despises religion and emotion and is concerned only with finding his idea of the “perfect” woman to continue his superior bloodline. It was the first entry in what would soon become known as the delirious, nightmarish Coffin Joe franchise. That film, as well as the subsequent Marins shockers such as THIS NIGHT I WILL POSSESS YOUR CORPSE (1967), THE STRANGE HOSTEL OF NAKED PLEASURES (1976), HALLUCINATIONS OF A DERANGED MIND (1978) and AWAKENING OF THE BEAST (1983) were not exported to the United States when they were new. These are some of the most bizarre and extreme films in horror history and it would take several decades for American cult movie fans, after suffering through 5^th generation bootleg VHS tapes, to finally see good copies of the Coffin Joe series. Jose Mojica Marins has a loyal, global following but was still not very well known outside his native Brazil. RIP to a horror original .