Brazilian cult horror film series ‘Coffin Joe’ scares its way to Lincoln Center

What horror icon brandishes long, curly fingernails that claw at your soul and never give it back? If American nightmare Freddy Krueger comes to mind, think again—there was a Brazilian creepster that existed long before Kreuger started realizing Americans’ fear of being slashed to death. Not only does he possess long keratin structures—he also dons a black suit, cape, and top hat that complete his image as a Brazilian terror icon. And now he’s coming to haunt Lincoln Center on Saturday with an all-day marathon of the acclaimed Coffin Joe Trilogy.

Creator José Mojica Marins dedicated an entire series to this symbolic figure, a madman who goes about killing anybody that gets in the way of his obsession with “continuity of blood”—that is, his desire to sire a perfect child with a particular bride. It was all so shocking that “Awakening of the Beast,” one of the three features playing this Saturday, was banned in Brazil until 1986.
Even from the beginning of the trilogy, “At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul” (Brazil’s very first domestic horror film), it is apparent that Marins’ films are marvelously freaky, bloody, and disgusting—done in a jerky “cut and paste” style.

“What is existence? It is the continuity of blood,” says Joe directly to the viewer. The movie causes further chills as a clairvoyant gypsy begs viewers to not watch the film, as Joe’s two long fingernails come toward the screen with the intention of poking not only his victim’s eyes but the audience’s too. The movie eventually enters a spiral of insanity, coincidences, and downright scary happenings. The inexpensive production quality contributes to the gritty tone that would make anyone jump. The audience never knows when a shocking image will pop up on the screen.

So before filmgoers saw aliens walking through a Brazilian birthday party in “Signs,” there was Coffin Joe—waiting to sever your fingers, haunt your dreams without even entering them, and then remove your lifeless soul. Freddy’s finally met his match.