Esta Noite Encarnarei No Teu Cadaver (1967) aka This Night I'll Possess Your Corpse aka

4.5 / 5 Jul '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: José Mojica Marins
Written by: José Mojica Marins, Aldenora De Sa Porto
Actors include: José Mojica Marins, Nadia Freitas, Tina Wohlers
Genre: Horror
Length: 108 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I completely adore the Coffin Joe series, who woulda thought that some of the coolest and cruelest horror would come from Brazil in the '60s? If you aren't familiar with Coffin Joe, he's a philosophizing Undertaker with long fingernails and contempt for human life. I most definitely believe that he was the inspiration for Freddy Krueger in so many ways, down to the sharp wit and bitingly hilarious sayings. So the first installment A Meia Noite eu Levarei Sua Alma [At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul] was brilliant but I think this (the second in the series) may trump it just slightly. It picks up right where the first one left off with Coffin Joe desperate to bear a Son. The thing is, for a perfect offspring he needs to find a Lass who isn't afraid of him or his sadism. He goes around town kidnapping Women to test them with things like snakes and spiders to see who's fit to be his mate. One of these Women put a curse on him that he will never sire a Son. Things change when he actually comes across a suitable Girl who really seems to be diggin' his evil nature. Anyhow I don't want to give too much more away but it's so wonderful, really a perfect Halloween movie. It's shot in black and white, and there is one heck of a memorable scene that takes place in hell with psychedelic hell and mass suffering, it's so very cool. Really this is very violent for the time, and so gosh darned entertaining. If you don't know Coffin Joe yet then you are missing out, just give it a try you will not be disappointed.

Availability:  on DVD

Massacre In Dinosaur Valley (1985) aka Stranded In Dinosaur Valley aka Nudo E Selvaggio

2.5 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Michele Massimo Tarantini
Written by: Michele Massimo Tarantini
Actors include: Michael Sopkiw, Suzane Carvalho, Milton Rodríguez
Genre: Action, Adventure, Horror
Length: 88 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Extremely lackluster and halfassed "cannibal" movie (though there is very little cannibalism. There is however a ton of nudity if that is your thing you might enjoy this? A fellow who acts much like McGuyver wants to go to Dinosaur Valley (which is dangerous what with the cannibals and man eating fish etc) so he manages to catch a plane ride with some models. When the plane crashes down off course they must struggle for survival despite clashing personalities and everything attacking them. They did try a little with blood near the beginning but it became clear that it was nothing more than a jungle porn really as it raged on. It's cheesy but not enough to really be funny, so it is probably one of the least entertaining of it's kind, yet I was still able to sit through it. At least the scenery is nice right? Oh well, another failure but for super big fans of this sort of thing it might be worth a gander.

Availability:  On DVD

At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul (1963) aka À Meia-Noite Levarei Sua Alma

4.5 / 5 Apr '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: José Mojica Marins
Written by: José Mojica Marins
Actors include: José Mojica Marins, Magda Mei, Nivaldo Lima
Genre: Horror
Length: 82 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
"I'll eat meat today even if it's human flesh!” Gosh I loved this film, Ze is sort of like a Brazilian Freddy Krueger from the '60s. He is an evil philosopher, he's got pointy fingernails (which is because the director stepped in the role of Ze when the lead actor quit...the director happened to have long thumbnails so they created prosthetics for the rest of his nails) and he's a hilarious world class jerk. He is also on a mission to have a child no matter how many women he has to beat up and kill to do it! This is shockingly gory and violent especially when you consider the year, and it must have been really controversial at the time considering Ze's anti-religion stance. The whole thing is in black and white and the sets are very spooky really, it feels like a Halloween movie big time. The beginning is a bit cheesy but stick with it, so rewarding and entertaining I loved the heck out of it and can't wait to see the two sequels. For once I spent $100 on a box set and felt like it was actually worth it, and I've only seen the one disc! Apparently this was the first Brazilian horror film and if there are more like this one count me in, I must see more!

Availability:  On DVD