Schlocktoberfest XV – Day 7: At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul

At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul (1964)

Country of Origin/Production: Brazil

Trailer:

*Spoilers Throughout*

What’s This About: Coffin Joe is the town’s most villainous undertaker. However, he just wants to settle down with the right woman—as long as she gives birth to a son, that’s all Coffin Joe needs to be happy.

Here are some of my observations as I watched the film:

So this is the infamous Coffin Joe I’ve always heard about? I’m kidding. No one outside of Brazil has ever heard of such a character. And Brazilians born after 1977 probably don’t know who he is either.
He kinda looks like Dr. Demento.
The opening credits are unusual because it’s showing clips of the actors in the film (I’m assuming) in the scenes where they are being beaten or tortured while highlighting their names. Kinda spoilers if you ask me.
Good eerie music. Digging this so far. Random blood-curling screams added to the mix for good measure. Evil cackling as well.
Old gypsy woman comes on the screen and says “I wish you all a terrible evening, my dear, brave little friends!” C’mon lady, this is Schlocktoberfest, you can’t make promises like that.
Could the props department make a better human skull? Or buy one from a medical depot or something? This one that the gypsy is holding is clearly made of papier-mâché.
Now she’s warning the folks watching who have never been to a funeral and have never seen the corpse at a wake. I would wager most adults would’ve seen at least one cadaver at a funeral at least once in their lives, so this leaves mostly kids. Am I watching a movie made for little ‘uns?
Now she’s telling us not to watch this movie. And that we should go home. Lady, I paid the for the ticket already and frankly, I sat through all of Satan War, Things, Heavy Metal Massacre and Ishtar, so I think I can handle it.
This widow at her husband’s funeral is blaming her husband for leaving her. Hey, til death do you part baby!
Coffin Joe then shows up and tells her not to worry, he provided the best of his services. I’m assuming he’s an undertaker and just an undertaker.

Coffin Joe’s lunch is ruined because his female assistant/wife Lenita, didn’t give him meat on holy Friday. He then storms out and states: “I’ll eat meat today, even if it’s human flesh!” So he’s going to Arby’s?
He is one surly undertaker. I’ve never met an undertaker but I’m sure they are just complete rays of sunshine and happy-go-lucky people.
Now Joe is eating his lamb right in front of the church procession outside his home and making sure they see it! That scoundrel!

Coffin Joe meets up with Terezinha and Aristades who is walking Terezinha home to her fiancé Antonio, who Coffin Joe says is his best friend so he convinces Aristades to let him escort Terezinha home instead. Within minutes, Coffin Joe professes his love for her and that she should be with him. He goes to kiss her and she bites his lip and he backs off. Thought this guy was super evil?
Now Coffin Joe goes to the local bar and orders some idiot to go back to Joe’s house to fetch him the rest of his lamb dinner so he can eat it at the bar. Coffin Joe isn’t evil—he’s just a giant asshole.
The only thing scary about Coffin Joe is his unibrow and his long sharp fingernails. Otherwise, he’s a rather average looking Latino man with a full beard who wears a black cape and black top hat. It’s kinda like how John Carradine dressed as Count Dracula back in the 40s.
He stabs a fellow poker player who accused Joe of cheating (he was) with a broken bottle on the hand. But then calls for the doctor to take care of the guy. He then picks some other random patron to eat his sinful Holy day meat! And this is the town boogeyman? Biff Tannen was more intimidating.
One patron has had enough of Joe’s tomfoolery and tries to take down Joe. Joe’s eyes then become more veiny and then he goes on a berserker rage of whipping the dude before the doctor intervenes.
“I have enough work with those who die of natural causes. You can be sure: I’ll charge double to bury anyone I kill!” Not the best business model there Joe.
Coffin Joe then goes home and knocks out Lenita with raw ether. He then ties her up to a bed and releases a tarantula on her to kill her. Not sure why he wants her dead other than she annoyed him.

While strolling around town, Joe stops a father who was being slightly too hard on his crying son. Joe is obsessed with bloodlines and legacies and he tells the father not to hurt his own son because he’s the continuation of his blood. Not sure why Joe cares so much about this.
Antonio suggests that Joe join him and Terezinha to get their fortunes told by the gypsy. Joe reluctantly agrees and unironically says “It’ll be fun to see two superstitious saps under the spell of a witch!”
These fortunes are nothing of the kind. Misfortunes is more like it.
Joe is insulted and angry at these terrible fortunes.
So the gypsy won’t accept payment for the fortunes because they foretold death. First of all, there’s not a gypsy in all of time who would refuse money and second, if they are going to die as the gypsy foretells, they won’t need much money where they’re going.
“Drinking is the best way to ward off evil spirits.” Saúde Coffin Joe, however, it does not ward off terrible movies.
After waxing poetic about life and fear and religion, Coffin Joe then assaults Antonio while he’s talking. He drags him to the bathtub and turns the water on. While Antonio comes to in pain, Joe then strangles him under the water. Guess he gets to charge Antonio’s family double for the funeral services.
Terezinha comes home and finds the dead Antonio in the bath.
Coffin Joe is now talking to the police, giving a statement and the cop tells him that he will remain a suspect until the autopsy is complete. I don’t know if Joe was arrested or gave himself up freely but as an undertaker/killer, you would think he would’ve killed Antonio in a better way like he did Lenita or at the very least used his skills as a mortician to cover up his murder.
Plus the whole town knows Joe is a sadistic bastard, there’s very little chance that the cops don’t already suspect Joe of every crime in town from murder to jay-walking!
You’ve got quite the cajones showing up to your best friend’s funeral after you killed him Joe.
Joe buys a bird from the tavern-keeper. He then brings it over as a gift for Terezinha. See, he’s not such a bad guy after all.
Terezinha again wards off Joe’s amorous advances but this time his eyes go all veiny again and he proceeds to beat her up.

He then tells her that she will bear him the son he always wanted. Then it’s implied that he rapes her since she is shown aggressively squeezing the parakeet he bought her to death.
After the ordeal, she threatens her own life to spite him. But he laughs it off.
Coffin Joe is at the cemetery and yelling and taunting the ghosts. Especially of his dear friend Antonio, telling the spirits that he raped her and there’s nothing Antonio can do about it. Coffin Joe don’t give a fuck!
Then the local gypsy warns him about his evil ways. Jeez, when the old gypsy woman is telling you that you should cease your evil ways, you know that’s bad.
Welp, Terezinha hung herself.
A lot of death in this small Brazilian burg.
The doctor either was put in a trance by Joe or has the world’s worst defensive reaction time as Joe slowly pokes his eyes out with his claw-like fingers. No struggle at all. AT ALL!
I mean the least that that doctor could’ve done was put his hand parallel across his nose to block the eye poke. Do they not have The Three Stooges in Brazil?
Now Coffin Joe poured some flammable liquid on the doctor and sets him ablaze! I gotta say, Coffin Joe isn’t a very creative killer for having the awesome nickname Coffin Joe.
Now Coffin Joe is at home being tormented by the voice of Terezinha. And then he starts lamenting that he never had a son. Well dude, if you stopped being an asshole to the whole town, maybe you would’ve been able to settle down again with a nice lady. But nope, you’re just a weird dickhead.
Now he wants Terezinha to come and take his soul away. Joe, we got over 20 minutes left, plenty of time to slaughter more. Don’t give up now.

Actually, if his ultimate goal is to have a son, then why is he killing people for little to no reason? Shouldn’t he be (and I hate to say this but) a serial rapist?
Half of this movie’s run time is having Coffin Joe rant and rave into the night. All sound and fury, signifying nothing.
So is Joe charging people double for the victims he’s killed? I doubt it since that would obviously implicate him. Such a dumb concept. Maybe it was a bad translation or something.
Again, why this town full of pussies is frightened or even intimidated by this clown is a huge issue I have with this flick.
Now Joe has his eyes on the young Maria, the bartender at the local bar. Much to the chagrin to her uncle who challenges Joe. Joe gets crazy eyes and shoves a tiny crown of thorns from a Jesus statue into his face. Again no one has any skills of blocking, ducking, bucking, weaving, or even flinching away from danger. Also, why are you even within 2 feet from Coffin Joe when you know he’s a violent sadistic psychopath? I wouldn’t walk on the opposite side of the street as this dude.
A new woman enters the bar looking for lodging. We know where this is headed. Funny that the film killed off the only two out of four women and have to introduce a new one with 17 minutes remaining.
And of course Mr. Sourpuss wants to escort her to her friend’s house when everyone else is too scared because it’s Day of the Dead. Like I said this town is nothing but pussies.

And of course the whole town doesn’t make a peep when she agrees to go with him. COWARDS!
Damn cackling gypsy jump scare!
And why hasn’t Coffin Joe killed the gypsy yet? She’s his chief adversary and one who challenges him the most.
After leaving Marta at her friend’s house, Joe contemplates that he may have a chance with Marta if he plays his cards right. You mean instead of raping her he might try romantic courtship the civilized way? Say it ain’t so, Joe?!
Great googlily-moogily a black cat!
Joe is paranoid walking in the woods and he pulls out a pistol and starts shooting. He had a gun this whole time?! Why?!
Joe goes to start up his pipe and I think it’s the ghost of Antonio offers him a candle to light the pipe. Obviously, this freaks Joe out and he screams and flees. Time to pay the piper Coffin Joe.
I understand the significance of the procession of the dead are tormenting Joe’s soul, whether it’s in his mind or not. But I think a better finale for Joe would be if the townsfolk actually get him and string him up by his Buster Browns.

There’s virtually no special effects in this film. It’s more like the same type of ghost and ghoul tricks that carnivals always do. Lots of creepy lighting, smoke & fog. This movie has the look and feel of a movie from the late 30s–early 40s but it’s really made in 1964 so it’s not that impressive.
It’s too dark to tell but Joe is in a mausoleum I think. Perhaps a cave.
It is a crypt since he stumbles into the room that has Antonio and Terezinha’s coffins. I mean, anyone could’ve seen this coming.
He has to know that they’re actually dead so he opens the coffins and yup, they’re in there.
Oh the townsfolk. Maybe they will be the cause of Coffin Joe’s demise.
Nope never mind he was dead before they arrived. Not sure what killed him other than sheer fright at seeing his two best friends as worm-feed.

Final Thoughts: This had potential. I liked the opening making more like a spook house attraction rather than a simple story about an evil undertaker with berserker rapist powers. The music was great too. But after the credits the movie drags on and on with not the greatest of villain or protagonists. I get that this is an old flick (probably the oldest any of us reviewed on this site) and it’s obviously not going to show a ton of gore or nudity but it was still a very simple and commonplace horror flick. The old-timeyness did add to the creepiness in most scenes so that helps but with all said and done, it’s not a “must-see” horror classic unless you’re Brazilian. Apparently Coffin Joe is the Count Dracula/Jason/Freddy/Michael Myers of Brazil and there are further adventures of ol’ Coffin Joe. Not sure if they are worth checking out if the first one wasn’t doing much for me.

How Brazilian 🇧🇷 is it: It really didn’t allude to or make much mention of what country this was set in. Not too much culture as a plot device or background. Could potentially be set anywhere. The finale featured Dia de Finados, which is their version of the Day of the Dead that is celebrated in most Latino-based countries in the western hemisphere. Tariff: 10%

Score: 5 Lamb Chops on Holy Fridays (out of 10)