Indústria Cinematográfica Apolo, 1964

starring and directed by: José Mojica Marins

the plot: Coffin Joe (Marins) is an undertaker in a rural Brazilian town who is obsessed with two things: atheism and immortality. Decked out in a cape, top hat and long, gnarly fingernails, Joe terrorizes the locals while searching for the perfect woman to bear his son and continue the Coffin Joe bloodline for eternity. He murders the many women who he deems unfit for the honor. In the process, Joe is more or less cursed by a gypsy but manages to shake off all crime accusations against him. To the casual observer, Joe seems to be an unstoppable force of nature, but the title of the movie suggests someone’s soul will be taken at midnight. Will Coffin Joe get his comeuppance?

why it’s good: Unlike much of the crap churned out by the B-movie horror genre, this film is a real piece of quality. “At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul” represents the first horror movie made in Brazilian history, and while it’s guilty of schlock and plays out in the sort of fiery melodrama commonly found in tele-novelas, it’s a genuinely spooky and atmospheric affair with a heaping dose of originality. Coffin Joe, the monster at the center of the picture, isn’t a monster in the traditional sense of the word. What scared Brazilians of the ’60s more than Dracula or zombies was Joe’s unabashed atheism. His drunken rants against God in a foggy cemetery set the tone for what can only be described as a parade of dread. “At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul” (as well as its sequel, “This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse”) is easily on par with Hollywood’s golden age of horror, taking its visual cues from the films of James Whale and Tod Browning.

why you should own it: You’ve never seen a horror movie like this. Beyond its obvious merits of quality, Marins evokes the sort of character you’re going to want to hang out with from time to time. So powerful was the persona of Coffin Joe that the public of Rio often mistook Marins for the character he portrayed in so many movies, TV shows and comic books, and you’ll want to get in on that action, too. The Coffin Joe films have been in and out of print in the United States over the years. They are currently out of print but are still widely available on the Internet from Fantoma, either individually or in a terrific box set that comes with comics and liner notes.