Exorcismo Negro

In the opening scene to The Bloody Exorcism, Brazilian horror director José Mojica Marins states that his infamous creation Coffin Joe is entirely fictional: HE is not Coffin Joe. However, in a plot device that reminds me a bit of Wes Craven's New Nightmare, the director discovers that his wicked character has become a reality and is trying to usher in a new era of evil by wedding his own daughter to the son of Satan with the help of a witch named Malvina.

In some ways, this film is riding the coat-tails of William Friedkin's The Exorcist, with Marins' friends becoming possessed when he visits them over the Christmas holidays. Those affected turn into deranged red-eyed zombies that speak in demonic voices. There's even a scene where one of the possessed women masturbates with a wooden pole. But this is also very much a Marins' movie meaning that it gets rather strange at times, particularly towards the end when Malvina's coven performs a diabolic wedding ceremony and the director throws in as much torture, dismemberment and cannibalism as he can (the gore is totally unconvincing but still entertaining).

As is often the case with Marins' movies, there are pacing issues, the film really dragging during the talky parts, and I found myself struggling to keep up with what was happening when the going got really weird. The director's films are certainly not for everyone, but if you've already acquired a taste for his particular brand of lunacy, then you'll no doubt lap up this one as well.

Ambiguities between José Mojica Marins/Coffin Joe, which had been well explored in the Awakening of the Beast, reappear here in a vey interesting way. Is he more like Dracula or like Van Helsing? Very atmospheric horror thriller, that increases its darkness as it advances, in a well built creepy christmas tale. Possessions, rituals, pacts, canibalism, torture, paranormal events... disturbing scenes happen in this film that does not share the psychodelic innovative edition of Mojica's first horror black and white movies, but succeeds as a very colourful and solid product of the genre. Well filmed, with a great casting (top level actors instead of the amateur ones) and good script, it is probably the best of Mojica's films I have watched so far!

I can't really say I'm a fan of José Mojica Marins and his Coffin Joe character - I did like his first two films, but the two I've seen since then (The Strange World of Coffin Joe and The Awakening of the Beast) were torrid viewings that I didn't enjoy much. To his credit, however, at least the actor/director was willing to try out different things with his character and I can give his subsequent films plaudits for that. The Bloody Exorcism of Coffin Joe is yet another departure from the themes of the first two films; and this time features the actor playing himself for most of it. As the film begins, director Jose Mojica Marins is being interviewed about his next film, "The Demon Exorcist", and tells the press he is going to spend Christmas with friends so he can mull over what this imaginatively titled movie will be about. However, during his stay strange things start happening and the director learns that his own creation, Coffin Joe, may be at the heart of it.

Plenty of actors/directors with a cult following have made self-referential films; Lucio Fulci did it in 1990 with Cat in the Brain, recently Bruce Campbell did it with My Name is Bruce - and I'm sure many others have done it too. José Mojica Marins has always come across as a man with a high opinion of himself; and that comes through in this movie too, with all the action focusing on the actor himself and there's even time for him to compare his character to the most famous character of Arthur Conan Doyle! The Bloody Exorcism of Coffin Joe is filmed in the normal Coffin Joe style - namely, cheaply, although the style certainly does benefit the film and is the most striking thing about it. The film also carries on with the completely confusing style that plagued all the four previous Coffin Joe movies and that's a bit of a problem. It is possible to simply enjoy the movie because of what you're seeing on screen; but the film does start to get a bit boring before the credits finally roll. Overall, this is at least slightly better than the two Coffin Joe movies that went before it; but it will only really appeal to Coffin Joe fans, and I'm not one of them.

The director José Mojica Marins travels to spend Christmas with friends in the small farm where they live and write the story of his next film. However, he observes eerie things in the house, with his friends being possessed one by one by some supernatural evil force.

Sooner he learns that the matriarch of the family had made a deal with a local witch Malvina (Wanda Kosmo) to get pregnant and save her marriage. In return, Malvina should indicate who would marry the girl. However, her daughter Wilma is engaged of her beloved fiancé and Malvina wants her to get married with Eugenio, who is the son of Satan. Further, José Mojica Marins discovers that his fictional creation Zé do Caixão (a.k.a. Coffin Joe) is ready to collect the souls of Wilma's family and only and exorcism may save the doomed family.

"Exorcismo Negro" is another eerie and surrealistic low-budget film by José Mojica Marins and his character Zé do Caixão. José Mojica follows the trail of the successful 1973 "The Exorcist" and uses the theme in a story of possession and exorcism. However the plot is totally different and weird, but fans of horror films will certainly enjoy it. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Exorcismo Negro" ("Black Exorcism")

Betting on a meta-language plot that is completely different from his previous films, "Black Exorcism" (1974) presents the internal conflict between the creature Zé do Caixão and his creator, José Mojica Marins.

Audiences familiar with the character Zé do Caixão, known internationally as Coffin Joe, will be able to better understand the plot and its context. Using metalanguage as its main resource, the plot dares to build a debate about the internal conflict between man and his creation, as if Mojica were pressured by the character's popularity. Filmed in the 1960s, the use of metalanguage, unusual for Brazilian cinema at the time, makes the script special and interesting. Despite the filmmakers' clear creativity, the film suffers from technical pacing problems, presenting a constant succession of supernatural moments that end up diluting the impact of certain scenes. The project is also hampered by circumstantial elements, such as the caricatured performances, the unconvincing practical effects and the director's characteristic trashy moments.

"Black Exorcism" is one of the most intimate and creative films in José Mojica Marins' filmography, consolidating itself as an essential work for understanding Brazilian horror cinema and its most influential author.