The Bloody Exorcism of Coffin Joe
Encyclopedia
The Bloody Exorcism of Coffin Joe (original title
: Exorcismo Negro) is a 1974 Brazilian horror film
by film director
José Mojica Marins. Marins is also known by his alter ego
Zé do Caixão (in English, Coffin Joe). It is one of several Marins' films that feature Coffin Joe as a major character, although it is not considered part of the “Coffin Joe trilogy” (At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul
, This Night I Will Possess Your Corpse, and Embodiment of Evil
).
Filmed in Marins' trademark b movie
style, including the use of inconsistent visual and sound editing, a bizarre audio track, and extremely low budget effects.
He arrives at Alvaro's. He is met there by Mr. Julio, father of Alvaro, tending his flowers. Marins is taken to the house and greeted by Alvaro, his wife Lucia, and their three daughters: Betinha, Luciana, and Vilma. Vilma is soon to be married to her fiancee Carlos.
Soon odd things occur around the house and property such as winds blowing and horses being frightened, and that night Mr. Júlio frightens everyone when he begins tearing off his shirt and declaring in a frenzied voice that has come to collect a debt. Marins investigates the house that night and finds a locked hallway, but is attacked by flying books and the lights turn off. Betinha sees tarantulas and a snake in the Christmas tree. During these events the scene cuts to a strange woman who carries a white cat and is surrounded by occult
figurine
s and symbols, and has a framed portrait of Coffin Joe behind her on the wall.
Lucia admits at Marins that Vilma is promised to a local witch in the marriage to Eugenio, who is the son of Satan. Vilma is actually the daughter of the witch, but Lucia obtained her as a newborn due to her husband's infertility and faked the pregnancy with the promise to raise Vilma and return her as an adult for the marriage to Eugenio. The recent occurrences in the house are the result of the witch's anger at Vilma's engagement to Carlos.
Carlos is injured in a mysterious car accident and Lucia faints fearing it to be the action of the witch. The scene then shows the witch biting the head off a rooster as a sacrifice
. Marins then returns to his room and hears Vilma moaning in the next room. He finds Vilma wandering naked and she strikes him on the head.
Marins wakens in a room with a black mass in progress. He sees the red-gowned hooded figures of Luciana, Mr. Julio and the witch, as well as Vilma and Eugenio side by side. The constant sounds of tortured screams fills the room. After the dancers raise their arms, some sparks fly and Coffin Joe appears. Marins is shocked to see his creation in flesh and blood, shouting rants and pronouncements typical of Coffin Joe, such as “may the blood of those who don't deserve to live burst out of their bodies!”, and “may lightning burn the scum!”.
Coffin Joe walks up a staircase of human bodies to witness the festivities, mainly topless women dancing exotically to the constant screams of torture and terror that fill the background. When the wedding starts, Coffin Joe places the rings on Carlos' and Vilma's fingers, announcing “may pain and blood spread among us!”. The scenes that follow are a series of vivid depictions of torture
, mutilation
, dismemberment
, and live cannibalism
. After forcing Marins from the room, the ceremony takes place, Marins hearing it from the next room. When Marins hears the screams of the youngest daughter Betinha being taken to the ceremony in order to be sacrificed, he returns with a crucifix
he found fallen from the wall, and brandishes it saying “I believe in God!”, preventing Betinha's murder. He then uses the crucifix to quickly exorcise
the family members of their influence from Coffin Joe.
Marins and Coffin Joe struggle. After Marins is knocked to the ground, a transparent image of Coffin Joe is seen leaving Marins' body. The witch and Eugenio both die as results of Marins' impromptu Christian
pronouncements.
Marins wakes in his room clutching the crucifix. He goes to check on the family members and sees Mr. Julio setting the table for Christmas dinner, Vilma and Carlos in a loving embrace, and Betinha and Luciana opening presents. Marins silently takes his leave as they sing Christmas carols.
The film ends with a shot of Betinha's face with a serious expression. The camera zooms in to the reflection in her eye which shows Coffin Joe who is laughing amid the sounds of tortured screams.
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
: Exorcismo Negro) is a 1974 Brazilian horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
by film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
José Mojica Marins. Marins is also known by his alter ego
Alter ego
An alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...
Zé do Caixão (in English, Coffin Joe). It is one of several Marins' films that feature Coffin Joe as a major character, although it is not considered part of the “Coffin Joe trilogy” (At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul
At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul
At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul is a 1963 Brazilian horror film, by filmmaker/actor José Mojica Marins. Marins is also known by his created alter ego Coffin Joe . It is also Brazil's first horror film, and it marks the first appearance of Marins' character Zé do Caixão...
, This Night I Will Possess Your Corpse, and Embodiment of Evil
Embodiment of Evil
Embodiment of Evil is a 2008 Brazilian horror film by Brazilian film director José Mojica Marins. Marins is also known by his alter ego Zé do Caixão . It is the third installment of his Coffin Joe trilogy...
).
Filmed in Marins' trademark b movie
B movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
style, including the use of inconsistent visual and sound editing, a bizarre audio track, and extremely low budget effects.
Plot
Playing himself, and having filmed the final scene of his most recent movie, Jose Mojica Marins gives an interview discussing his plans for his next film. After an interviewer askes Marins about the true existence of Coffin Joe, Marins replies “Coffin Joe does not exist”. A camera light then explodes. He states he will leave for vacation at the country home of his friend Alvaro to write the script for his next film, which he plans on calling “The Demon Exorcist”.He arrives at Alvaro's. He is met there by Mr. Julio, father of Alvaro, tending his flowers. Marins is taken to the house and greeted by Alvaro, his wife Lucia, and their three daughters: Betinha, Luciana, and Vilma. Vilma is soon to be married to her fiancee Carlos.
Soon odd things occur around the house and property such as winds blowing and horses being frightened, and that night Mr. Júlio frightens everyone when he begins tearing off his shirt and declaring in a frenzied voice that has come to collect a debt. Marins investigates the house that night and finds a locked hallway, but is attacked by flying books and the lights turn off. Betinha sees tarantulas and a snake in the Christmas tree. During these events the scene cuts to a strange woman who carries a white cat and is surrounded by occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
figurine
Figurine
A figurine is a statuette that represents a human, deity or animal. Figurines may be realistic or iconic, depending on the skill and intention of the creator. The earliest were made of stone or clay...
s and symbols, and has a framed portrait of Coffin Joe behind her on the wall.
Lucia admits at Marins that Vilma is promised to a local witch in the marriage to Eugenio, who is the son of Satan. Vilma is actually the daughter of the witch, but Lucia obtained her as a newborn due to her husband's infertility and faked the pregnancy with the promise to raise Vilma and return her as an adult for the marriage to Eugenio. The recent occurrences in the house are the result of the witch's anger at Vilma's engagement to Carlos.
Carlos is injured in a mysterious car accident and Lucia faints fearing it to be the action of the witch. The scene then shows the witch biting the head off a rooster as a sacrifice
Sacrifice
Sacrifice is the offering of food, objects or the lives of animals or people to God or the gods as an act of propitiation or worship.While sacrifice often implies ritual killing, the term offering can be used for bloodless sacrifices of cereal food or artifacts...
. Marins then returns to his room and hears Vilma moaning in the next room. He finds Vilma wandering naked and she strikes him on the head.
Marins wakens in a room with a black mass in progress. He sees the red-gowned hooded figures of Luciana, Mr. Julio and the witch, as well as Vilma and Eugenio side by side. The constant sounds of tortured screams fills the room. After the dancers raise their arms, some sparks fly and Coffin Joe appears. Marins is shocked to see his creation in flesh and blood, shouting rants and pronouncements typical of Coffin Joe, such as “may the blood of those who don't deserve to live burst out of their bodies!”, and “may lightning burn the scum!”.
Coffin Joe walks up a staircase of human bodies to witness the festivities, mainly topless women dancing exotically to the constant screams of torture and terror that fill the background. When the wedding starts, Coffin Joe places the rings on Carlos' and Vilma's fingers, announcing “may pain and blood spread among us!”. The scenes that follow are a series of vivid depictions of torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
, mutilation
Mutilation
Mutilation or maiming is an act of physical injury that degrades the appearance or function of any living body, usually without causing death.- Usage :...
, dismemberment
Dismemberment
Dismemberment is the act of cutting, tearing, pulling, wrenching or otherwise removing, the limbs of a living thing. It may be practiced upon human beings as a form of capital punishment, as a result of a traumatic accident, or in connection with murder, suicide, or cannibalism...
, and live cannibalism
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
. After forcing Marins from the room, the ceremony takes place, Marins hearing it from the next room. When Marins hears the screams of the youngest daughter Betinha being taken to the ceremony in order to be sacrificed, he returns with a crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
he found fallen from the wall, and brandishes it saying “I believe in God!”, preventing Betinha's murder. He then uses the crucifix to quickly exorcise
Exorcism
Exorcism is the religious practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed...
the family members of their influence from Coffin Joe.
Marins and Coffin Joe struggle. After Marins is knocked to the ground, a transparent image of Coffin Joe is seen leaving Marins' body. The witch and Eugenio both die as results of Marins' impromptu Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
pronouncements.
Marins wakes in his room clutching the crucifix. He goes to check on the family members and sees Mr. Julio setting the table for Christmas dinner, Vilma and Carlos in a loving embrace, and Betinha and Luciana opening presents. Marins silently takes his leave as they sing Christmas carols.
The film ends with a shot of Betinha's face with a serious expression. The camera zooms in to the reflection in her eye which shows Coffin Joe who is laughing amid the sounds of tortured screams.
Cast
- Agenor Alves
- Alcione Mazzeo as Luciana
- Ariane Arantes as Wilma
- Geórgia Gomide as Lúcia
- Jofre Soares as Júlio
- José Mojica Marins as Himself/Coffin Joe
- Luiz Karlo
- Marcelo Picchi as Carlos
- Marisol Marins as Betinha
- Rubens Francisco
- Walter Stuart as Álvaro
- Wanda Kosmo as Malvina