Inside the Mind of Coffin Joe – Arrow Video

After years of teasing a release, Arrow Video have compiled ten feature films from Brazilian director José Mojica Marins, more commonly known across the world as Zé do Caixão/Coffin Joe. For a long time, a large chunk of Marins’ filmography was relegated to standard definition, low-quality DVD releases but Arrow have worked on brand new restorations for nine of the ten films and complimented the release with hours of newly produced bonus features, which include video essays and interviews, as well as countless hours of archival content, including feature length documentaries, audio commentaries, alternate scenes and more. 

Arrow Video’s Inside the Mind of Coffin Joe is my first introduction to the work of José Mojica Marins and his character Coffin Joe, so take a seat and prepare for an in-depth look at the deranged mind of Brazil’s boogeyman, if you dare…

Please note: stills from the films included are not representative of the transfers in Arrow’s collection. Many of these are low-quality stills from prior transfers.

At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul

Director: José Mojica Marins
Screenplay: Waldomiro França, José Mojica Marins and Magda Mei
Starring: José Mojica Marins, Magda Mei and Nivaldo Lima
Country: Brazil
Running Time: 82 min
Year: 1964

In 1964, director José Mojica Marins had helmed two feature films, the western Adventurer’s Fate and the musical drama My Destiny in Your Hands. Wanting to branch out and create something wholly original and groundbreaking for his place of birth, Brazil, Marins set out to direct the first ever Brazilian produced horror picture of all time. That film would be At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul, and would birth one of the most important figures in Brazilian culture of all time, Zé do Caixão, or as he’s known in English, Coffin Joe. 

Marins stars as Zé do Caixão (Coffin Joe), a local undertaker who’s anti-religion and only has one goal in mind, to find the perfect woman to provide him with a child to continue on his bloodline. Unfortunately for him, his wife Letina is unable to do this as she’s infertile, so Joe decides that he’s going to find another woman and kills his wife by forcing a dangerous spider to kill her. Lovely fella, huh? 

The film continues with Joe slowly losing his mind as he continues piling up the bodies in an effort to find that perfect woman he so greatly desires. It’s a fascinating character study and given that it is the first ever Brazilian horror feature, it holds up fairly well. It has this almost carnivalesque quality to the production that I really enjoyed. There’s a fortune teller who opens the film by explaining to the audience that they shouldn’t watch the film, which I found absolutely marvellous. 

It’s definitely not going to be something for everyone, and while I do have my issues with the film, primarily with the pacing in the first half being quite rough and the film not having the greatest of hooks, as it settles in and the latter half picks up, I found myself having quite a good time with At Midnight. While that first half operates more on a “why are we following this awful man doing these reprehensible things without any repercussion?” the rest of the film works more as a downfall for Joe’s heinous actions which felt incredibly satisfying. There’s some optical effects that some might find atrocious, but I found them really charming, which also goes for the transitions between scenes that almost felt like something a Saturday morning cartoon would have between commercial breaks.

Is it a perfect film? Absolutely not. Is it worth checking out? I’d say so, depending on your taste in film. It’s a solid B movie that’s essential for all horror fans out there interested in the history of international horror cinema and would introduce the world to Brazilian’s boogeyman, Mr. Coffin Joe.

This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse

Director: José Mojica Marins
Screenplay: Aldenora De Sa Porto and José Mojica Marins
Starring: José Mojica Marins and Nadia Freitas.
Country: Brazil
Running Time: 108 min
Year: 1967

After the first film gave Brazilian audiences their first look at the nasty Coffin Joe, José Mojica Marins waited three years before giving them a second taste and in 1967, This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse unleashed across Brazilian cinemas. Spoilers for the prior film will be included here, although they’ll be brief. 

When we last saw Joe at the end of At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul, he’d got his comeuppance for his heinous murders and found himself haunted by the ghosts of those he had killed, causing him to lose his mind and becomes disfigured to the town members who discover his body in the mausoleum. After spending a good while recovering in the local hospital and being deemed innocent of the murders that took place, Joe makes his way back into town with precaution from the locals. 

Now, if you were Joe, you’d want people to be on your good side after almost being caught for murdering multiple people, wouldn’t you? Take a guess what Joe’s first action is on the night of his return? To kidnap six women and decide on which one will be the perfect child bearer, of course! With the help of hunchbacked Bruno, Joe puts six women through endurance tests to see if they’ll be the correct woman he’s looking for, by placing all sorts of creepy crawlies into their bedrooms as they sleep and more. Out of the six women in the “running”, Marcia is the only one to remain calm during the events and Coffin Joe decides that she’s the woman he desires. It’d almost be cute if it wasn’t for the kidnapping and potential forced impregnation that was about to occur.  

After some crazy antics, she decides she’s not going to have his child… yet at least. While I’d love to continue describing the insane antics that happen in this movie, I’d really love those reading this to check out the rest of the film. This is all in the opening thirty minutes and there’s so much more to discover. If you can’t tell, I enjoyed this film even more than the predecessor as it decides from the get-go that it’s going to aim for the sky with its absurd premise and it actually portrays Joe as quite the buffoon. 

There’s a remarkable dream (or more appropriately, a nightmare) sequence an hour into the film where Joe is dragged out of bed by a terrifying creature into a graveyard full of skeletons, arms and legs and is dragged into Hell, where he witnesses some of the most insane things imaginable. To explain what would be to give away the fun, but how Marins directs this particular sequence made me fall in love with This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse. It’s the kind of sequence that most directors would spend their entire years trying to craft, and here Marins is doing it with his fourth feature. 

While I can’t say this’ll be for everyone (which I feel like I’ll be saying for a lot of the films in this collection), I had a great time with This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse for the sheer creativity on display, the more coherent narrative and a more refined version of Coffin Joe and his dubious morals. An absolute blast for those into weird experimental horror films. 

The Strange World of Coffin Joe

Director: José Mojica Marins
Screenplay: José Mojica Marins and Rubens Francisco Luchetti
Starring: José Mojica Marins, Vany Miller, Veronica Krimann, George Michel Serkeis, Iris Bruzzi and Osvaldo de Souza.
Country: Brazil
Running Time: 81 min
Year: 1968

Coming from loving This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse, I was extremely excited for the next film in this exhaustive collection from Arrow, titled The Strange World of Coffin Joe. This was put together just a year after the prior film and despite having Coffin Joe in the title, it’s not really a Coffin Joe film, per se. See, the ‘Coffin Joe Trilogy’ consists of the first two films in this ten film box-set, as well as the very last film Embodiment of Evil. All of the other films in between contain Coffin Joe, or a character implied to be him, but they’re not canon in the traditional sense. 

So that begs the question, what is The Strange World of Coffin Joe? Well, it’s an anthology film introduced by Joe, similar to a segment of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. The opening is delightful and we get Coffin Joe delivering an, as usual, bizarre monologue before a musical number created by Marins himself plays to set the tone. There’s three segments included in this anthology, which are The Dollmaker, Obsession and Theory. 

The Dollmaker consists of, well, the titular dollmaker who sells dolls like hot cakes, until some criminals break into his shop and attempt to rob him for his riches. While doing this, they also attempt to sexually assault his multiple daughters before the tables turn on the robbers. It’s a decent segment with a killer ending, but nothing groundbreaking.

Next up is Obsession, the tale of a balloon salesman who becomes utterly transfixed on a woman who passes him every day. Unfortunately for him, she’s engaged and he decides to watch her wedding ceremony from afar before witnessing her murder at her own wedding. Now, normally, you’d think it ends there, this man goes on selling his balloons and everybody (with the exception of the woman) lives happily ever after. That is not how this goes. All I’ll say is this man has a foot fetish and there’s an open casket at her funeral. Spiders even show up like the last two films! It’s sick, but I’ve come to expect that from the work of Marins and it’s not a poorly-directed segment by any means, it’s just not something I’m craving to revisit anytime soon. 

And finally, we have Theory, following a crazy professor (played by Marins himself) who challenges an opposing professor and his wife to a series of cruel, vile tasks to prove his ‘theory’ to them. There’s sex, cannibalism and other forms of sadistic behavior involved, and it’s the most shocking segment here. It’s the best segment of the trio too, and I did find myself smiling when a character looked at Marins’ crazed professor and said “You remind me of somebody…” It’s clear that despite the depraved content in his films, Marins has a sense of humour that does seep through his work that I admire. 

Unfortunately, The Strange World of Coffin Joe didn’t really work for me as a feature, with three segments that feel like director Marins going even further with the content in his films, almost in a shock value sense and while that doesn’t make for a great film, it’s great to see boundary pushing art from this era become more accessible to modern audiences. If you’re looking for a Coffin Joe film, you won’t find it here but those interested in something different from the last two films, there might be some enjoyment to be had for the horror hounds out there.

Awakening of the Beast

Director: José Mojica Marins
Screenplay: Rubens F. Lucchetti
Starring: José Mojica Marins and Mário Lima
Country: Brazil
Running Time: 93 min
Year: 1970

While I wasn’t a huge fan of The Strange World of Coffin Joe, I admired the ambitious nature of going for something completely different to its predecessors. My main question after watching Strange World was “Where on Earth are we going to go next?” Well, for our fourth entry into this collection, Marins decides to switch hings up once again and this time create a feature where Coffin Joe is a character in the universe of the characters we’re following and mostly delves into the world of drugs, primarily LSD and the effects they can have on their users. 

The first portion of this film is devoted entirely to four drug users who are tested on their usage of LSD, and how it makes them act in a controlled environment. Psychiatrist Sergio is convinced that drugs cause sexual behaviour and this study is conducted to prove his theory. Over the course of this first segment, those exact acts occur and the manner in which all of these moments are portrayed are truly bizarre, in a good way! The editing is abrupt, the sequences are shocking and while it does get repetitive after a fair bit, I still found this segment engaging overall. However, towards the halfway mark, things take a turn. 

Marins appears in the film as… himself as people on television debate him on whether or not his films are art, what they’ve contributed to the Brazilian film industry and more. It’s clear that at this point, Marins was tired of how the Brazilian government oversaw every production and from what I’ve heard, Awakening of the Beast was flat-out banned in certain territories due to its content, which wouldn’t surprise me at all. Later on, characters view sequences from Coffin Joe films such as This Time I’ll Possess Your Corpse in a cinema and this meta-aspect of the film is something I really dug, especially given the time this film was released. Nowadays, we’re so used to films having metacommentary but for a director to do this in 1970 is incredibly interesting. 

I’m going to try my best to not repeat myself over and over again but if there’s one thing I can take away from Awakening of the Beast, it’s the fact that it’s wholly unique to the catalogue of José Mojica Marins as a filmmaker. Similar to This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse, the way the film plays with colour, specifically during one segment of Awakening is magnificent and despite a low budget, it never feels like his vision is compromised in any way and that’s something that I adore about him as a filmmaker. 

While it’s by no means brilliant, Awakening of the Beast is an example of Marins toying with the concepts of genre, dishing out a great slice of meta-commentary and most importantly, giving audiences something completely original. I can’t say this will work for everybody and again, it’s not something that I absolutely loved, I still have a great experience with Awakening of the Beast and its last 30 minutes absolutely rock. Give it a shot if it sounds up your alley.

Note: The retail pressings of Inside the Mind of Coffin Joe seem to be missing subtitles for Awakening of the Beast, although I was sent discs prior to the first delay where these subtitles were intact, so this wasn’t an issue for me during my initial viewing of the film. Arrow Video will likely create a replacement program in the future, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

The End of Man

Director: José Mojica Marins
Screenplay: Jose Mojica Marins and Rubens Francisco Luchetti
Starring: José Mojica Marins, Teresa Sodré and Roque Rodrigues
Country: Brazil
Running Time: 79 min
Year: 1971

At this point, I had absolutely no doubt in my mind that following up Awakening of the Beast would result in a film completely unlike it, and what would you know, that’s exactly what we get with The End of Man. Out of every film so far, this is the first one I can definitively say isn’t a Coffin Joe film, barring a small introduction featuring the character (although, the same can be said for The Strange World of Coffin Joe, but that film was marketing itself as a Joe feature when this isn’t) and it results in something once again, refreshing for the collection. 

The film opens with a naked man, played by Marins, wandering around the world to the bewilderment of the locals, and it leads to some fairly hilarious sequences. It’s the first film that is primarily presented in colour (although some sequences are in black and white) and along with the change in tone, it helps to differentiate it from the prior films.

As the film goes on, this man is referred to as Finis Hominis and to say that Finis is a departure from the maniacal ways of Coffin Joe would be the understatement of the century. While Coffin Joe revels in the evil actions he takes, Finis is more akin to a messiah and I admire Marins for trying something completely different here. There’s an early sequence with an instrumental cover of Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head that I didn’t expect to hear whatsoever, given the often abrasive scores in Marins’ work.

A lot of the events in the film feel off-the-cuff and loose in a similar way to Awakening of the Beast but I’ve got to say, I much preferred how that film approached its narrative when compared to this, although they’re such vastly different films in virtually every other way that it’s difficult to put them head-to-head. As mentioned before, there’s a lot of humour in this film, especially in regard to the actions of people around Finis that I think, while not subtle whatsoever, is fun to experience.

There’s so many film series, particularly horror ones where each film feels like they’re trying to recapture the magic of that original film and the delightful thing about the Coffin Joe series is how almost every entry is something completely different. Sure, some of them aren’t canon to the narrative across the main trilogy, but out of the five films we’ve received so far, we’ve had two horror pictures (one of which was groundbreaking for its time), an anthology film, an experimental meta-feature and with The End of Man, a surrealist comedy-drama. Name another collection with that much variety, I’ll wait. 

Overall, The End of Man is a nice change of pace from the prior films in the collection, but it’s by far the safest entry on a structural level. As a part of Marins’ filmography however, it’s one of his riskiest endeavours yet. Out of all of the films so far, this is the one that I can see most audience members connecting with due to its more approachable tone, which is why this one didn’t wow me as much as I was hoping. Still, it’s a decent watch that I imagine others will get more out of than I did.

When the Gods Fall Asleep

Director: José Mojica Marins
Screenplay: Jose Mojica Marins and Rubens Francisco Luchetti
Starring: José Mojica Marins, Ângelo Assunção and Guiomar Barbosa
Country: Brazil
Running Time: 77 min
Year: 1972

I wasn’t huge on The End of Man, even though it offered a new and unique glimpse into what José Mojica Marins could do outside of the horror genre and as typical with the collection, I had no idea what was in store next. To my surprise, the follow-up film from The End of Man was indeed, a follow-up sequel. When the Gods Fall Asleep picks up immediately after the events of End of Man, in which messiah-like figure Finis Hominis was revealed to be an escaped patient from an insane asylum. At the end of the last film, he returned to the asylum and while he’s not as much of a focus in this film, it’s very much a sequel.

Unfortunately, this is probably the weakest film in the collection for me so far, and that’s due to one primary reason. It’s too safe! Outside of one sequence involving potential animal cruelty that I found fairly tasteless, the whole film works as a repeat of what came before, even reusing musical cues such as that instrumental cover of Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head! It’s not a terrible film by any means and there’s occasionally the typical Marins absurdist filmmaking, such as a meta warning half an hour into the film stating that there’s some content coming up that will shock audiences, so the filmmakers are not responsible for those who watch the next five minutes. It’s charming in a way, but that sequence contains the aforementioned animal cruelty sequence which was not for me. 

There’s a black-comedy feel to the approach of many scenes, similar to The End of Man but I didn’t find much of this funny in that same way. I can understand what Marins was going for with his continuation of the social satire and commentary of sex and violence, but it feels pretty redundant after we just had a film about this exact same thing, which worked better overall. 

I can only really recommend this one to fans of The End of Man, as viewers swayed off from that film’s drastic shift in tone will not enjoy this one. Again, even at his most typical and formulaic, Marins still has a visual eye that’s hard to dislike, but this film leered a little too much into repetition and shock value that I found myself let down by it. The best thing that can be said about its inclusion is how this is the first time most Western audiences will be able to experience this film, as it’s been considered lost for a long time so props to the team at Arrow Video for tracking this down and preserving the film. I wish I liked this one, but it most certainly wasn’t for me.

1974-1976 overview

After the Finis Hominis films, Marins returned to the world of more traditional Coffin Joe features (well, traditional for him) with The Bloody Exorcism of Coffin Joe, which unfortunately hasn’t been included in this set for rights reasons. I tracked a copy of that film down, as I was curious to see the film prior to checking out the next one included in this set. While I won’t go as in-depth given the fact that it’s not included, I will say that The Bloody Exorcism of Coffin Joe is a good time! It once again showcases Marins playing himself, this time after finishing up on directing the latest Joe feature. 

Over the course of Bloody Exorcism, he’s writing the next film while paranormal apparitions occur in his home, and before you know it, Coffin Joe himself appears in a similar fashion to what Wes Craven would do twenty years later with Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. The version I watched wasn’t in great condition and it’d be great to see Bloody Exorcism receive the HD treatment in the future. Its omission from this set is unfortunate, but makes sense due to the rights issues previously mentioned. 

Also around this time, Marins would experiment in the sex comedy genre, releasing The Virgin and the Macho Man in 1974 and Women of the Violent Sex in 1976, while also working on multiple sexploitation features later into his career like Perversion, The Fifth Dimension of Sex and 24 Hours of Explicit Sex just to name a few. In other words, he kept busy and while his work from ‘74 to ‘76 is mostly absent in this set, given the nature of the majority of those films, it makes sense why they’re not included. Still, it’d be nice to see The Bloody Exorcism of Coffin Joe make its high-def debut sometime in the near future.

The Strange Hostel of Naked Pleasures

Director: José Mojica Marins and Marcelo Motta
Screenplay: Jose Mojica Marins and Rubens Francisco Luchetti
Starring: José Mojica Marins, Rosalvo Hunter and Marizeth Baumgartem
Country: Brazil
Running Time: 79 min
Year: 1976

After The Bloody Exorcism of Coffin Joe, it’d be two years before the next Coffin Joe film and this time, Marins would team up with director Marcelo Motta to create The Strange Hostel of Naked Pleasures. The title aptly describes what you’re in for. Opening with a technicolour dance sequence that would make Dario Argento blush, a group of half naked individuals awaken Joe from his coffin with the help of some drummers and bizarre disfigured beings. It’s one hell of an opening and for my money, might be the fastest any of these films have gone crazy, which I’m all here for. Prior Coffin Joe features build up the gonzo elements to lead to a satisfying payoff, but with Strange Hostel, we’re thrown right into the deep end which I adored. 

Sure, it might be absolutely nonsense of the highest order, but the creativity on display feels like a huge return to form after the Finis Hominis duology that came before. The opening credits even showcase this creativity, with their vibrant colours and the cast and crew being credited on tombstones, crosses and other graveyard iconography. If there’s any films on this list that would probably benefit from viewing under the influence, it’s probably this one. Vibrant colours, and an excess of nudity and trippy visuals. If there’s one film I’d compare The Strange Hostel of Naked Pleasures to, it’s probably Jodorowsky’s The Holy Mountain. Not for its thematic content, but more so the out of this world feeling it portrays.

At this point, we as audience members know who Coffin Joe is. The film doesn’t even explicitly mention Joe by name, but we know it’s him because of the hat, because of those fingernails and now, he’s the manager of a hostel. Does this make any sense given the character’s previous actions? Of course not, but that doesn’t matter. It’s a Coffin Joe film, and with this being my eighth film (counting the two Finis Hominis films and Bloody Exorcism), I fully accept the lack of fucks Marins gives when it comes to canon and consistency in the narrative of his features. It’s similar to how I can view certain schlocky Italian features with a level of tolerance for some of the cruder elements of their productions, because when I’m watching a Fulci film involving reanimated corpses fighting sharks, I’d be completely missing the point by poking holes in the logic of what I’m seeing.

It’s one of the most confident features I’ve ever seen from José Mojica Marins (with the help of Motta). While Marins always got listed as a b/z movie filmmaker with unorthodox editing and directing decisions, I think when he’s in his element, his personality as a filmmaker makes up for any technical shortcomings he had and almost makes them unimportant in some ways. Motta’s assistance with the direction can’t be ignored, as it helps to breathe new life into the world of Coffin Joe. The combination of these two working on a project is something I wish happened again, as this is by far one of the strongest films in the entire collection.

Hellish Flesh

Director: José Mojica Marins
Screenplay: Jose Mojica Marins and Rubens Francisco Luchetti
Starring: José Mojica Marins, Luely Figueiró and Helena Ramos
Country: Brazil
Running Time: 82 min
Year: 1977

Just a year after the excellent Strange Hostel of Naked Pleasures, we’d get the next Coffin Joe feature (although, we’re still in the period where none of these films are “canon” and part of the Coffin Joe Trilogy) and Marins would be the sole director again for Hellish Flesh. 

Hellish Flesh follows scientist Dr. Jorge Medeiros who spends all of his time working, trying to perfect his finest work to date: a super form of acid that can burn through an arm in no time. While focused on his craft, his wife Raquel begins to fall in love with another man, and together, they devise a plan to harm him with the new love of his life, the super acid. 

It sounds comical and cartoony and in many ways, is just that. There’s almost no time given to introduce the characters before the inciting incident occurs and in most cases, I’d probably take issue with that but given that Hellish Flesh runs for 82 minutes (including credits), I was more than okay with it. 

As I’ve said with many of the prior films, it’s difficult to really call this a Coffin Joe film and more so, a film with Marins at the helm during the period where everybody saw him only as Coffin Joe, and for what it is, I think it will divide fans. It’s far from the best film in his filmography, but I had fun with the bizarre editing, the campy narrative and its relatively brisk pace. Again, the ridiculous nature of everything helps the many shortcomings of this film, and while it does feel like it’s missing a lot of the trademark Marins gore and nudity that fans will have come to expect at this point, the face melting is fun! 

The most fascinating aspect of Hellish Flesh takes place after the face melting though. You see, when Dr. Jorge is taken to the hospital, the doctors have to perform eye surgery on him, and what you might not know is that Marins needed eye surgery in real life during the late 70s. So, instead of just creating a prosthetic eye, Marins decided to include the actual footage of his eye surgery! It’s difficult to watch knowing how real it is, but once again, shows Marins dedication to his craft that I really admire, even if I think it’s crazy to include something like that in a film.

While I can’t say that I was in love with it and it’s a noticeable drop in quality from the excellent Strange Hostel of Naked Pleasures, Hellish Flesh is a perfectly adequate film from Jose Mojica Marins that has its fun moments, but doesn’t reinvent the wheel enough to stand out that much. Recommended to fans of campy horror, although the sleaze is definitely toned back compared to prior outings.

Hallucinations of a Deranged Mind

Director: José Mojica Marins
Screenplay: Jose Mojica Marins and Rubens Francisco Luchetti
Starring: José Mojica Marins, Jorge Peres and Magna Miller
Country: Brazil
Running Time: 83 min
Year: 1978

One year passes, another Coffin Joe film releases. This time, we’re going to experience the Hallucinations of a Deranged Mind! While each fan has their own favourites, I’d heard that this was well regarded amongst most fans which had me intrigued at the very least. 

The film’s opening credits play while a man playing the bongo circles a woman in a bikini, complimenting the utterly bizarre synth score that accompanies the footage. Immediately, I was thinking “Are we in for another Strange Hostel?” and the answer to that question is difficult to answer.

You see, while this is a feature length film, only around 35 minutes of the footage included was shot specifically for this film. As a manner of releasing a new film so soon after the prior entry, Marins decided to include deleted or censored footage from four prior Coffin Joe films to comprise the bulk of this feature.

What this results in, is arguably the most experimental feature in his entire career. Sure, some of the footage you’re seeing consists of extended sequences from those earlier films, the deranged, unhinged style of editing that Marins was known for makes these sequences unsettling in all of the right ways. 

The plot of Deranged Mind follows a doctor who’s tormented by a series of nightmares in which Zé do Caixão himself, Coffin Joe, comes to steal his wife Tania. Now, how does he attempt to stop these horrific nightmares? By contacting the real José Mojica Marins, of course! Marins plays both himself and Joe in Deranged Mind, which should come as no surprise to viewers of prior Coffin Joe films, which also experimented with meta aspects involving Marins and the character of Joe. 

While I can absolutely see people taking issue with this being a “filler” film, I quite enjoyed this one for how utterly bonkers it was. The hallucinations that plague Dr. Hamilton are a perfect show-reel for the madness included in this series of films and if you’re somebody who wants to understand who Coffin Joe is without sitting through all of the prior nine features that include him, I’d argue that this works incredibly well as a solid mixtape, of sorts, to highlight and introduce you to the insanity on display.

As previously mentioned, the narrative takes a back seat here and for that reason, I completely understand why fans love this one so much. It’s a film that I can understand somebody calling a lazy attempt at cashing in on the character of Coffin Joe, while also understanding somebody else calling it the most ambitious, experimental and out there feature of Marins entire career. 

Absolutely not for everybody, Hallucinations of a Deranged Mind is the most José Mojica Marins film that José Mojica Marins ever made. If you can’t tell, I enjoyed this one quite a bit, although it’s far from perfect. But really, looking for perfection in a Coffin Joe film might be missing the point entirely…

Between Deranged Mind and Embodiment of Evil

After Deranged Mind, in 1979, Marins would direct Perversion, an exploitation film starring Coffin Joe that’s unfortunately not included in Arrow’s collection. Outside of a few extremely low-quality rips on YouTube without English subtitles, Perversion is a hard film to track down and one can only hope that it receives a high definition, English-friendly release one day.

Outside of Perversion, Marins continued to work in the sexploitation genre throughout the 80s and ended up working in television, hosting the Brazilian television series Cine Trash, which from what I can tell was similar to Elvira’s Movie Macabre, having a popular figure in the cult horror scene host horror films. 

When it comes to Coffin Joe, however, it wouldn’t be until 2008 that we’d receive the next, and final instalment in the Coffin Joe saga…

Embodiment of Evil

Director: José Mojica Marins
Screenplay: Jose Mojica Marins and Dennison Ramalho
Starring: José Mojica Marins, Milhem Cortaz, Rui Rizende and Jece Valadão
Country: Brazil
Running Time: 93 min
Year: 2008

Almost thirty years after Hallucinations of a Deranged Mind, Marins announced work on a third film in the Coffin Joe trilogy, finally completing the narrative that began in At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul and At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul. That film would be titled Embodiment of Evil. Usually, when you hear that a classic director is returning after years away from the camera, it’s best to fear for the worst. Look at horror auteurs like Dario Argento and John Carpenter. They’ve created some of the greatest genre films of all time, in their heyday. Now, when they make a film, it’s… not so good. 

I went into Embodiment of Evil cautiously, excited to see what a modern film starring Coffin Joe would be like, but prepared for the possibility that it might not live up to the highs of the franchise or more importantly, those original two films. Thankfully, Embodiment of Evil fully delivers on what fans of Zé do Caixão always wanted from the final film in the Coffin Joe trilogy. 

Embodiment of Evil picks up 40 years after the events of At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul, where Joe has spent that entire time in a mental ward, but he’s finally let loose on the public and is immediately greeted by a familiar face, his hunchbacked servant Bruno. Bruno takes him to a scuzzy hideout where he’s greeted by a group of Coffin Joe die-hard fans, who will do anything that Joe asks. 

Anybody who remembers how the first two films went probably has an idea on where this is going. Coffin Joe wants to find the perfect woman to bear him a son, and will do anything in his power to achieve that goal. It’s faithful to the original two films in a way that I didn’t expect, with the added benefit of being a film made in 2008, where film censorship was far removed from how it was in the late 60s. 

The closest thing I could compare Embodiment of Evil to in a modern context is the torture porn sub-genre of horror, except this goes far above and beyond what most of the flagship titles in that genre end up showing. People think of Eli Roth’s Hostel or James Wan’s Saw as insanely violent and gory films, but when you watch them, they don’t actually show all too much and it’s instead down to the brutal editing that makes you think you’re seeing something more graphic than is actually being shown. 

Is it a great film? Well, not really, but the case could be made for all of Marins’ features being pretty poor. Is it a good Coffin Joe film? Well, I’d say so. It’s one of those rare occasions of somebody returning to the thing that made them popular and doing it justice, even if that means by continuing to be depraved, repulsive and outlandish in ways that only fans of cult horror would enjoy. 

Embodiment of Evil is a fitting send-off for the character of Coffin Joe, and while it’s not something I’d consider great or fantastic by any means, there’s enough that it offers to please hardcore fans of Marins and Zé do Caixão.

To enjoy any film in the Coffin Joe series, or Jose Mojica Marins’ body of work, you have to set your expectations accordingly. You have to know what you’re in for, know that Marins revels in creating outrageous trash or Z grade cinema. If you’re alright with that, then you’ll have a great time with his work. 

For me, the boxset had its ups and its downs. There’s the highs of The Strange Hostel of Naked Pleasure and This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse, but then there’s the lows of When the Gods Fall Asleep and The Strange World of Coffin Joe. Thankfully, the lows aren’t downright awful, but bland. One thing that can be safely said about Jose Mojica Marins is that he was dedicated to his craft and pleasing his fans in a way that few filmmakers ever have been. 

Even if a lot of his films left a lot to be desired from, it’s clear that the character of the undertaker Zé do Caixão meant the world to him. When you Google the man’s name, the first images that pop up are stills from the Coffin Joe films or Marins with the trademark fingernails. He lived and breathed the character in a way that most other people would probably get sick and tired of doing, but he embraced it and that’s something I find admirable. 

I can’t say for sure that everybody that picks up this collection will love it, due to how extreme and experimental some of the films end up becoming. There’s also a few things holding it back from being the definitive Coffin Joe set, such as the exclusion of The Bloody Exorcism of Coffin Joe (although, given the rights issues, it’s understandable) but for those like me who were unfamiliar with the character and were open to experiencing some of the most bizarre cult horror films of all time, I think there’s a lot to enjoy here. 

Inside the Mind of Coffin Joe is the perfect encapsulation of Marins’ work as a filmmaker, spanning multiple different genres such as groundbreaking horror features, experimental art-house cinema, more traditional comedies and more, giving viewers a true look inside the mind of one of Brazil’s most influential, yet underrated filmmakers out there. As I’ve said throughout the reviews, there’s a lot in this collection that won’t appeal to everybody, but I think genre fans will have a hell of a time exploring ten seminal works from José Mojica Marins. Even if they don’t fully work for you, as was the case with a few of them for me, there’s no denying the sheer personality and unique flair that Marins offered as a filmmaker, so seeing all of these titles compiled together for the first time is important not just for film preservation, but for those looking to branch out and experience films that might not have traditionally been on their radar.

Rest in Peace José Mojica Marins (1936 – 2020)

Inside the Mind of Coffin Joe releases on January 15th by Arrow Video on Limited Edition Blu-ray. The release is housed in your typical box from Arrow Video with an assortment of physical goodies picked above. These include posters, art-cards, a collector’s book and more. It looks to be a truly jam-packed release for fans of physical media. With the exception of Embodiment of Evil, all of the features include brand new 4K restorations that look fantastic. Each film also comes with their original mono audio tracks, with exception to Embodiment of Evil, which includes a DTS HD MA 5.1 track, as well as a 2.0 stereo mix. On a visual level, each film looks fantastic here and while certain discs house multiple films, there’s no compression issues that I noticed and I can safely say that these are the definitive releases of the work of Coffin Joe. Each film includes English subtitles. The following extras are included:

• 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 Paulo 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

At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul extras 

Archive audio commentary with writer, director and star José Mojica Marins, filmmaker Paulo Duarte and film scholar Carlos Primati (Portuguese with English subtitles) – The first in a series of archival audio commentaries included on this release is a pretty decent listen. It has Marins detail the shoot, how the introductory sequence was filmed after everything else and dives into Coffin Joe’s motivations. The commentary opens with Marins that it’s “for the fans” and he isn’t wrong, it’s a solid dive into the shoot of the first film.

Coffin Joe’s Sadean Underworld – In this new 12 minute video essay, Lindsay Hallam discusses the influences on the character of Coffin Joe, including German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. It’s an interesting watch and also operates as a solid history lesson on Brazil’s military dictatorship.

Damned: The Strange World of José Mojica Marins –  This archival 65 minute documentary is a solid watch. Released in 2001, this operates as an overview on Marins’ career up to this point, with particular interest in the Coffin Joe films. Marins is fascinating to listen to and he says many outlandish things, such as not liking Batman because “he liked Robin a little too much”, the fact multiple actresses died on set of one of his films or when he details how he was extremely poor at one point, which led to him directing a bestiality flick. You read that right. Eye-opening is an understatement when it comes to this documentary. It’s definitely not going to convince people who aren’t a fan of Marins to admire or respect him, if anything, people will probably come out of this documentary with a lesser opinion of him, which is a rare feat for a documentary. Typically, you’d expect the man behind the horror figure to be a lovely person in real life, but Marins seemed as crazy behind-the-scenes as he was on screen. I would have liked the documentary to explore some of the Joe films a little more, but it’s a serviceable watch overall.  There’s a lot of time dedicated to showing clips from the films, and with a runtime of 65 minutes, it would have also been nice to have more time spent with interviews, but as it stands, it’s a fine documentary. Just be wary of what Marins has to say, it’s pretty out there.

Bloody Kingdom, José Mojica Marins’ first short film with director’s commentary – As no sound remains for this early film by Marins, it’s accompanied by audio commentary. Shot in 1948 on 16mm when he was only 12, it’s an interesting look at his first time behind the camera. 

The Adventurer’s Fate and My Destiny is in Your Hands, excerpts from early works by José Mojica Marins – Also included are these two excerpts from Marin’s early features prior to At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul in low-quality rough prints, but it’s nice to see these included still. The Adventurer’s Fate is a western and the excerpt runs for around 12 minutes, while My Destiny is in Your Hands is a musical drama where the excerpt runs for about 15 minutes. While it’s hard to really judge the films on small snippets, they both seem relatively competent features that would be a decent watch for any fans of Marin’s work.

Two theatrical trailers are included.

This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse / The Strange World Of Coffin Joe extras 

Archive audio commentaries for both films with José Mojica Marins, Paulo Duarte and Carlos Primati – Following on from the prior archival track, the This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse commentary is another insightful one that’ll please fans, with Marins touching on the troubled production of the film and The Strange World of Coffin Joe’s track talking about similar things for Strange World. Hearing him talk about how much trouble he got into for The Strange World of Coffin Joe, due to its content, is delightful and you can tell he really loves the controversy garnered from his art. Two solid tracks that’ll please hardcore fans. 

Eccentric of Cinema – In this new behemoth of an interview, Stephen Thrower discusses the early life and influences of Coffin Joe himself, José Mojica Marins. Running for 87 minutes, Thrower dives into every aspect of Marins as a filmmaker as well as the character of Coffin Joe. It touches on Joe’s philosophies, the history of groundbreaking and confrontational horror films and whether or not Marins’ mental state, a point of contention amongst critics during Marins’ rise to fame. It’s a fantastic interview and Thrower is full of knowledge on every aspect of Marins that I think it’s the best extra on the entire disc. Absolutely recommended, just make sure you grab a snack and a drink before sitting down to take this one in!

On Tonight’s Horror Show! – In this new 17 minute video essay by film scholar Miranda Corcoran discusses Coffin Joe in the context of television horror hosts, which began rising in popularity in the 1950s. It dives into how huge of an impact the character Coffin Joe had in Brazil, being treated like a real boogeyman for parents with unruly children, telling them “Coffin Joe will get you if you don’t go to bed!” which is pretty hilarious. Vampira is discussed as the first true TV horror host, and I didn’t know much about her prior to this video essay, so like the prior video essay, it’s a great history lesson for those interested! Corcoran also touches on how Joe’s popularity led to Marins becoming a Brazilian TV horror host throughout the 1990s. A really solid watch, highly recommend this one!

Alternative ending for The Strange World of Coffin Joe with optional commentary by José Mojica Marins – A disclaimer is shown before pressing play explaining the original ending being unapproved by Brazil’s military dictatorship. In this ending, Joe is punished for his sins and it’s… an oddity for sure. I’m very glad that this wasn’t the final ending, because to be honest, it stinks. It’s nice to see it included nonetheless. 

Theatrical trailers are included for both films on the disc.

The Awakening Of The Beast / The End Of Man extras 

Archive audio commentaries for both films with José Mojica Marins, Paulo Duarte and Carlos Primati – Similar to the prior archival audio commentaries included on the release, both of these tracks are informative listens and once again, they offer an unfiltered and honest look back at both films. 

The Strange Mind of Coffin Joe – In this new 18 minute interview, Guy Adams explores the esoteric aspects of José Mojica Marins from a neurodivergent perspective in a way that I found really enjoyable and fascinating. Adams gives a brief overview on Marins background, what brought him to create Coffin Joe and how the character could have been used as a reaction to Marins’ prior experiences in life. It’s a really delightful interview, I’m usually a fan of Adams’ interviews for Arrow titles and this is no exception. Another great interview that’s worth watching.

A Woman for Joe – This brand new 18 minute video essay by film scholar Alexandra Heller-Nicholas discusses the gender politics of Marins’ filmography and his usage of the rape-revenge trope in his work. It works as an overview of specific Marins films, such as At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul, This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse and The Strange World of Coffin Joe, highlighting the female perspective in each of these. As usual with Heller-Nicholas, this is a great video essay that’s an insightful and interesting watch. 

Alternate opening titles for The Awakening of the Beast – These alternate titles include the original title for the film (The Ritual of Sadists), which was changed due to censorship reasons. 

Theatrical trailers are included for both films on the disc. 

When The Gods Fall Asleep / The Strange Hostel Of Naked Pleasures extras 

The Demonic Surrealism of Coffin Joe – In this new 25 minute interview, Virginie Sélavy touches on the parallels between Marins’ films and the surrealist movement in European and South American, discussing the influences that filmmaker Luis Buñuel had on Marins’ work. The dream sequence in This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse is brought up as an example of Marins making surrealist cinema and I was glad  to hear somebody discuss that sequence as it might be my favourite scene in any Coffin Joe film, period. Another excellent interview that’s worth watching.

Delirium, Surrealism, and Vision – In this new 13 minute interview, Jack Sargeant takes a look at Marins’ work, how Joe delivers anti-philosophical messages directly to the audience, how Marins breaks the fourth wall consistently throughout his work as Coffin Joe and more. Given the meta aspects of the films included in this set, it was really nice to see somebody tackle that aspect of his work. Check this one out!

Apostle of Evil – In this new 10 minute interview, Embodiment of Evil co-screenwriter Dennison Ramalho discusses his early connection to Coffin Joe, such as seeing Marins portray the character as a horror host on Brazilian television and how the imagery of Joe terrified Ramalho as a young child. It’s clear how impactful Marins’ work was to Dennison and it leads to an energetic and insightful interview. 

Mojica in the Snow: Tonight I Incarnate at Sundance! – This archival footage of Marins attending the Sundance Film Festival in 2001 runs for around 15 minutes and is a neat inclusion.

A Blind Date for Coffin Joe, a short film by Raymond “Coffin Ray” Castile – This short film from 2008 is a fun little watch. Director/actor Raymond Castile looks so much like Coffin Joe from the early films that it’s kind of uncanny. The short follows Joe going on a blind date trying to find the perfect woman to bear him a child, similarly to the original Coffin Joe films. It’s played entirely for laughs and given the short 10 minute runtime, it never outstayed its welcome and I found it pretty amusing.

A theatrical trailer for The Strange Hostel of Naked Pleasures is included.

Hellish Flesh / Hallucinations Of A Deranged Mind extras 

Archive audio commentary for Hallucinations of a Deranged Mind with José Mojica Marins, editor Nilcemar Leyart, Paulo Duarte and Carlos Primati – As is the case with the prior tracks, this is another good listen from those involved. Fans of the film will want to check this commentary out. 

Aesthetics of Garbage: José Mojica Marins, a Complicated Icon –  In this new 31 minute interview, filmmaker Andrew Leavold dives into the exploitation roots of Marins’ filmography, as well as some of the cinematic movements that he found himself in such as Brazilian Marginal Cinema. Leavold is a great interviewee, and throughout the interview, he’s dressed in a cape and top hat, as a homage to the character of Coffin Joe. It’s a fun overview of Marins’ career that’s absolutely worth checking out.

Beyond Good and Evil – In this new 15 minute video essay, Kat Ellinger touches on Friedrich Nietzsche’s influence on the work of Marins. While this feels a little similar to a prior essay on the first disc, it’s an interesting watch nonetheless. 

Theatrical trailers are included for both films on the disc.

Embodiment of Evil extras 

Audio commentary with producer Paulo Sacramento and co-screenwriter Dennison Ramalho – This audio commentary with producer Paulo Sacramento and screenwriter Dennison Ramalho is a pretty decent listen, although Marins’ absence is felt, especially after listening to the prior audio commentaries where he was included. Still, it’s an alright listen and has enough anecdotes about the production that I’d still recommend giving it a listen.

Learning from the Master – In this new 37 minute interview, Dennison Ramalho details the production of Embodiment of Evil, working with Coffin Joe himself after being such a huge influence on him. As with his interview on the previous disc, this is an energetic and insightful watch and given Marins’ recent passing, it’s great to hear another key figure in the production touch on how everything went down. 

Fantasia Film Festival Premiere Footage – 13 minutes of archival footage of José Mojica Marins at the film’s premiere, recorded in 2009. Like the Sundance footage on the disc with Strange Hostel, it’s a neat inclusion and it’s nice to see the film’s premiere preserved forever. 

Apprenticeship of Evil – In this archival 84 minute interview from 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dennison Ramalho and Fantasia Fest’s Mitch David pay tribute to José Mojica Marins, who passed away a little before this interview was conducted. It’s delightful, charming and at times, quite an emotional viewing but overall, a great celebration of Marins as both a filmmaker and a person. A great inclusion.

Official Making Of and Experimental Making Of, two archival featurettes about the production – These two archival making-of featurettes are a good watch, with the first running for 31 minutes and operates as a more traditional behind the scenes look at the film, with an alternate, experimental making-of also being included. Running for 13 minutes, this definitely feels more in line with the way Marins would create a behind-the-scenes featurette on a film of his. It’s great to see both of these ported over from prior releases.

Visual Effects: Purgatory – A two minute archival featurette showcasing the visual effects used in a sequence in the film, with commentary by director José Mojica Marins.

Storyboards –  Another two minute archival featurette, showcasing storyboards with commentary by director José Mojica Marins.

12 minutes of deleted scenes are included, with commentary by director José Mojica Marins. These are a fine inclusion, although it makes sense why they were cut from the final version of the film. Marins commentary is a pretty fun listen, as always.

A theatrical trailer is included for Embodiment of Evil.

I wasn’t provided with the physical goodies such as the poster, the art cards or the collector’s book, unfortunately, but as is the case with prior Arrow Video titles, I assume that all of the physical elements are up to Arrow Video’s typical high standards.

Inside the Mind of Coffin Joe is a hell of a way to start 2023 for Arrow Video. Ten films, stunning new transfers, a feature length documentary, tens of hours of extras, both new and archival such as commentaries, interviews, video essays and deleted scenes all presented in a limited edition packed with goodies that’ll please any fan of Coffin Joe or José Mojica Marins. It’s a near-definitive release of the majority of the Coffin Joe films that exist, both the original Coffin Joe trilogy and most of the loosely connected features involving the character.

Arrow Video have been hitting it out of the park recently with their supplemental content, but Inside the Mind of Coffin Joe might contain the most in-depth extras that the company have ever produced, with multiple feature-length interviews that tackle every aspect of Marins and the character of Coffin Joe that you could ask for, video essays touching on his influences, the genres Marins inhabited and countless archival extras that have been thankfully preserved on these brand-new releases.

While I’d have to say proceed with caution given how outlandish and outrageous some of these films can get, those who are familiar with what they’re getting into or have been waiting for a collection of the Coffin Joe films for years will be pleased with Arrow Video’s winner of a package and like their stunning 2023 releases for the Child’s Play, Psycho and Hellraiser series, Arrow have went above and beyond in delivering the best Coffin Joe collection to date.

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