Inside the Mind of Coffin Joe

[yoloswegmaster]

Cultural icon, anti-establishment statement, sadistic lord of carnival horror! With his iconic long fingernails, top hat and cape, Zé do Caixão (Coffin Joe) was the creation of Brazilian filmmaker José Mojica Marins, who wrote, directed and starred in a series of outrageous movies from 1964 to 2008.

An unholy undertaker in search of the perfect woman to propagate his bloodline, Zé do Caixão made his screen debut with the first Brazilian-produced horror film, At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul. Three years later, his quest would continue in This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse, with Zé embarking on an even more brutal campaign of terror, aided and abetted by his hunchbacked assistant. The Strange World of Coffin Joe, meanwhile, is an anthology of three short horror films featuring a strange dollmaker, a necrophiliac balloon seller with a foot fetish, and a psychotic professor involved in sadistic rituals. Sex, perversion and sadism abound in The Awakening of the Beast as a psychiatrist experiments on four volunteers with Lsd in this surreal examination of 60s drug culture.

Diverging from horror toward satirical black comedy, The End of Man sees a naked stranger emerge from the sea to perform miracles in a nearby town and become a modern messiah whose deeds will affect the whole world. Rarely-seen sequel When the Gods Fall Asleep continues this blackly comic trajectory as our messianic cult figure sets out to right wrongs, expose corruption and end social unrest. The Strange Hostel of Naked Pleasures brings Zé do Caixão back to the screen as the proprietor of an isolated guest house where, on a dark and stormy night, an eclectic group of strangers seek shelter. In Hellish Flesh, Dr George Medeiros is a brilliant scientist, but a neglectful husband whose wife takes a lover and plans to murder George for his fortune, but the doctor is only disfigured and returns with a plan for revenge! Meanwhile, in Hallucinations of a Deranged Mind, the colleagues of a psychiatric doctor driven to insanity by nightmare visions of Zé do Caixão enlist the character’s creator, José Mojica Marins, to convince the patient that Zé does not exist - but all is not as it seems! Finally, in Embodiment of Evil, Marins returns to the role that made his name one last time, as Zé do Caixão emerges onto the streets of São Paulo in 2008, haunted by ghostly visions and the spirits of past victims, and still in pursuit of the woman who can give him the perfect child.

Newly restored from the best available elements and packed with new and archival extras, Inside the Mind of Coffin Joe is a love letter to one of the great iconoclasts of horror, who forged his films in the face of military dictatorship and religious censorship to become Brazil’s national Boogeyman.

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

Brand new 4K restorations from the best available elements
High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of all films
Original lossless mono audio for all films (except Embodiment of Evil)
Optional English subtitles on all films
Coffin Joe: Against the World!, an illustrated collector’s book featuring new writing by Tim Lucas, Carlos Primati, Jerome Reuter, Amy Voorhees Searles, Kyle Anderson, and Paula Sacramento
Reversible sleeves featuring newly commissioned artwork by Butcher Billy
Double-sided fold-out poster featuring newly commissioned artwork by Butcher Billy
12 postcard-sized double-sided art cards

Disc 1: At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul

Brand new 4K restoration from a 35mm interpositive and a 35mm print
Archive audio commentary with writer, director and star José Mojica Marins, filmmaker Paulo Duarte and film scholar Carlos Primati (Portuguese with English subtitles)
Coffin Joe’s Sadean Underworld, a new video essay by film scholar Lindsay Hallam
Damned: The Strange World of José Mojica Marins, the definitive documentary on the life and work of José Mojica Marins by André Barcinski and Ivan Finotti
Bloody Kingdom, José Mojica Marins’ first short film with director’s commentary
The Adventurer’s Fate and My Destiny in Your Hands, excerpts from early works by José Mojica Marins
Theatrical trailer

Disc 2: This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse / The Strange World Of Coffin Joe

Brand new 4K restoration of This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse from the original 35mm camera negative and 35mm interpositive
Brand new 4K restoration of The Strange World of Coffin Joe from a 35mm interpositive and a 35mm print
Archive audio commentaries for both films with José Mojica Marins, Paulo Duarte and Carlos Primati (Portuguese with English subtitles)
Eccentric of Cinema, a new interview with author Stephen Thrower examining the early life and influences of José Mojica Marins
On Tonight’s Horror Show!, a new video essay by film scholar Miranda Corcoran looking at the mythic figure of Coffin Joe within the canon of horror hosts
Alternative ending for The Strange World of Coffin Joe with commentary by José Mojica Marins
Theatrical trailers

Disc 3: The Awakening Of The Beast / The End Of Man

Brand new 4K restoration of The Awakening of the Beast from a 35mm interpositive and a 35mm print
Brand new 4K restoration of The End of Man from the original 35mm camera negative
Archive audio commentaries for both films with José Mojica Marins, Paulo Duarte and Carlos Primati (Portuguese with English subtitles)
The Strange Mind of Coffin Joe, a new interview with author Guy Adams exploring the esoteric aspects of José Mojica Marins
A Woman for Joe, a new video essay by film scholar Alexandra Heller-Nicholas exploring the complex gender politics of Marins’ filmography
Alternate opening titles for The Awakening of the Beast
Theatrical trailers

Disc 4: When The Gods Fall Asleep / The Strange Hostel Of Naked Pleasures

Brand new 4K restoration of When the Gods Fall Asleep from a 35mm film print, the only known existing element
Brand new 4K restoration of The Strange Hostel of Naked Pleasures from the original 35mm camera negative
The Demonic Surrealism of Coffin Joe, a new interview with scholar and filmmaker Virginie Sélavy exploring the parallels between the work of José Mojica Marins and the European and South American surrealist movements
Delirium, Surrealism, and Vision, a new interview with author Jack Sargeant
Apostle of Evil, a new interview with Dennison Ramalho (co-writer of Embodiment of Evil) about his early connection to Coffin Joe
Mojica in the Snow: Tonight I Incarnate at Sundance!, footage of Marins attending the Sundance Film Festival in 2001
A Blind Date for Coffin Joe, a short film by Raymond “Coffin Ray” Castile
Theatrical trailer for The Strange Hostel of Naked Pleasures

Disc 5: Hellish Flesh / Hallucinations Of A Deranged Mind

Brand new 4K restorations of both films from the original 35mm camera negatives
Archive audio commentary for Hallucinations of a Deranged Mind with José Mojica Marins, editor Nilcemar Leyart, Paulo Duarte and Carlos Primati (Portuguese with English subtitles)
Aesthetics of Garbage: José Mojica Marins, a Complicated Icon, a new interview with filmmaker Andrew Leavold (The Search for Weng Weng) examining Marins' place in the Marginal Cinema movements of the 60s and 70s
Beyond Good and Evil, a new video essay by film critic Kat Ellinger
Theatrical trailers

Disc 6: Embodiment Of Evil

Original lossless Dts-HD Ma 2.0 and 5.1 audio options
Archive audio commentary with producer Paulo Sacramento and co-screenwriter Dennison Ramalho (Portuguese with English subtitles)
Learning from the Master, a new interview with screenwriter Dennison Ramalho
Fantasia Film Festival Premiere Footage, archival footage of José Mojica Marins at the film's premiere
Apprenticeship of Evil, an archival interview in which Ramalho pays tribute to José Mojica Marins and looks back on their friendship
Official Making Of and Experimental Making Of, two archival featurettes about the production
Deleted scenes with commentary by director José Mojica Marins
Visual Effects: Purgatory, an archival featurette with commentary by director José Mojica Marins
Storyboards, an archival featurette with commentary by director José Mojica Marins
Theatrical trailer

[Glowingwabbit]

Wow!!!! Even though it's missing Exorcismo Negro (my favorite) this is easily the release of the year! Such an important filmmaker finally getting his due on Blu-ray.

[JamesF]

We tried to get Exorcismo Negro too, but it's with a different rights holder who didn't want to play ball, alas.

[Glowingwabbit]

We tried to get Exorcismo Negro too, but it's with a different rights holder who didn't want to play ball, alas.

That sucks. Still this set look amazing. Great job!

[Finch]

I've never seen those but loved Indicator's Mexico Macabre set. Are the Coffin Joe films in the same ballpark stylistically and overall quality, etc?

[swo17]

I haven't seen all of the films in question to compare, but my impression is that the Coffin Joe films are seedier (like, exploitation in the '50s vs. the '70s)

[Finch]

Thanks, swo!

[Matt]

If the Mexico Macabre movies had “shoestring” budgets, Marins had “twine” budgets. Vivid imagination and sharp eye, but possibly a little trying and not to all tastes (analogous in appeal, maybe, to Jean Rollin or Lucio Fulci, but not at all similar in style to either).

I’ve never been a fan but Arrow’s lavish presentation here is tempting even to me.

[dwk]

This set has been delayed to January 16th.

[Orlac]

This set has been delayed to January 16th.

Though not on Arrow's site yet.

[dwk]

The date change comes from MVD, Arrow's US distributor, not just Amazon. I wonder if Arrow delayed it so it falls outside an upcoming B&N 50% off sale. Pretty sure they did that with a set last year, 'though I can't remember what set it was.

[Finch]

Was it Shawscope Vol 2?

[dwk]

Maybe, I honestly cant remember. Hell, it could have been two years ago and the set was Shawscope Vol. 1. The only thing I can remember is the UK version came out on time, while the US version came out a couple weeks after the B&N sale.

[Finch]

The subtitles for The Awakening of the Beast disappear completely at the 33 minute mark and no one's found a way of getting them back as per several users who've already reported this back to Arrow's CS (the subs for that film's commentary track are intact, however). It only appears to affect this one film but the same issue also occurred on one extra on their second (I think) Spaghetti western sets.

[swo17]

The Adventurer’s Fate and My Destiny in Your Hands, excerpts from early works by José Mojica Marins

I know they aren't advertised this way, but these are basically given the "all that survives" treatment (less than a reel's length from each film, and really ropey looking), which is a little odd when Adventurer's Fate at least appears to have been released in full on a Portuguese DVD at some point. I get that this film would be nowhere near the main draw of this set but I'd still be curious to see the full version.

Actually, from what we're presented here, I'd be even more interested in seeing the full version of My Destiny in Your Hands though I can't tell if the rest of that film might actually be lost. EDIT: I do see a Letterboxd review in Portuguese where someone suggests they saw a VHS rip running around an hour and a half

[jheez]

Replacement Program

[Robin Davies]

Has anyone received a replacement disc yet?

[Cash Flagg]

No, I assume Gold Backers fall into the same category as those who bought directly from Arrow?

[Cash Flagg]

My replacement disc arrived today.