Brazillian horror is something I am very inexperienced with but after watching this film I think that will change. The Coffin Joe character created in this film is so great to watch. The man has hatred towards everything and doesn’t believe in God or the Devil. He only believes in the lifeforce or the blood. He searches for a perfect woman to bear an immortal child and he’ll kill anyone who gets in his way.  At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul is easily one of the most horrifying films I’ve seen in a while. It’s shot in dark corners and has a really eerie vibe. It almost has a grindhouse feeling to it, the film itself is definitely unpolished and that only lends itself to more scares. If this film had been made on a large budget it wouldn’t be half as scary.

At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul is a low-budget horror masterpiece. It was shot by director Jose Mahica Marins who also stars as our evil lead Coffin Joe. The film is shot with a sort of spookyness that would inspire later horror films like Night of the Living Dead. It’s easy to see some of the earlier influences of shock horror films on Midnight. In Brazil the access to horror must have been low at the time so I think there is an influence of such films as Frankenstein on this one because they do have a similar look however, that film was never this horrifying. Midnight takes the horror genre and breaks every rule. In 1963 I couldn’t think of many horror films that had taken religion and openly mocked it with an almost atheist point of view from our lead. It’s really brave of this film to take religion and basically say it doesn’t exist but it’s only the ideas of fools. I am a religious person myself and I felt that was an insanely brilliant move.

The films finest moments are some of the kills though. For it’s time I can’t think of many films more gory or beautifully bloody than Midnight. Maybe Eyes Without a Face. The kills in this film are remarkable. From eye gouging that would make Fulci proud to a man being drowned. It’s so well done in this film for a shoestring budget.  There are so many classic kills in this film it would make any person obsessed with horror blush. As a horror fan it’s an absolute joy to watch and as a fan of film in particular it’s interesting to see how some of these effects were done in the early 60′s.

My favorite part of At Midnight and probably anyone who watches the film though would have to be the final act. The Day of the Dead. Coffin Joe must take a woman home. He thinks she may be the one to bear his child. Everyone is afraid to go out on the Day of the Dead. Coffin Joe and the lady are walking where they meet the Gypsy that we see earlier in the film she warns him of some things to come and they are played out brilliantly. The final 15 minutes or so of this film is some of the finest horror I think I’ve ever seen.

Everything about At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul is perfect. The film is overflowing with spooky moments. It’s the type of film that creep a horror veteran out. This was my first experience with the Coffin Joe story and I definitely will be checking out the rest. If the other films are this good then I think I may have another favorite horror character. It’s such a brash horror film and I think it really needs to be seen by more horror fans. It’s history as being one of the first Brazilian horror films along with the Coffin Joe character’s actions make this a must see for any fan of film in general. It’s a joy to watch. This is as classic as horror gets.

9/10

Next Entry will continue with The Nightmare on Elm Street Series with number 5 the Dream Child.

~ by resdog55 on May 5, 2010.