Coffin Joe

[Flick James]

I've always been strangely intrigued by the films of Jose Mojica Marins, better known by his alter-ego Coffin Joe. My intrigue comes not so much from the surrealism present in them, although that does fascinate me. No, my intrigue comes from trying to figure out what Marins is trying to do with his films. Does he believe in the message of Coffin Joe to some extent, that is, is he trying to communicate an actual philosophy? Or is Coffin Joe more of a cautionary character? Or was Coffin Joe and his bizarre philosophy merely invented for pure entertainment purposes?

I don't doubt that the latter is partially true, but there is something truly disturbing about Coffin Joe. His character is so depraved, yet applies a certain logic to his actions that seem to suggest he is a brilliant yet delusional character. At times his quotes and supposed philosophy remind me of the likes of Anton LeVay.

I guess what intrigues and disturbs me so much about these films is that I can't get a firm grasp on what Marins is trying to achieve with them, or how seriously he takes the character of Coffin Joe.

Discuss.

[indianasmith]

I've actually caught a couple of these in part on IFC, they are definitely strange.  But I haven't watched all of any of them from start to finish, so I don't think I can really discuss them in depth.

[WingedSerpent]

I had to dig into one of my old magazine boxes so I could find my one copy of the horror magazine Rue Morgue, #85 .  There was a pretty extensive article on the Coffin Joe films(the first time I had heard of the character) and an interview with Jose Mojica Marnis on how he came to create the character.

Coffin Joe was partially created from a nightmare figure that appeared Marnis in a terrible dream after he had taken a very strong sleeping pill. His philosophy is not that of Marnis. It's just that, his philosophy would be seen as unsettling to the audience.   (Brazil, which has a very large Catholic population. Marnis identified himself as a Catholic in the article.)   

He wanted to make a movie, because after he woke up from that dream, he felt that there was some sort of evil presence inside him. The film was a way to explore that feeling.

I tried to find the article in an online version to link hear-but couldn't find one.

[Rev. Powell]

Marins talks a little about the character of Coffin Joe and what he's trying to achieve in this interview: http://www.offscreen.com/index.php/phile/essays/mojica_marins/.

[Raffine]

I got the Coffin Joe box set that came in a little coffin a few years ago. I have to admit I find his movies rough going - I think the first one is the only one I've  gotten all the way through in one sitting.

A Catholic friend explain to me what the big deal was about him eating that big hunk of meat. Now I know why our school cafeteria always served fish sandwiches on friday.

[Andrew]

I got the Coffin Joe box set that came in a little coffin a few years ago. I have to admit I find his movies rough going - I think the first one is the only one I've  gotten all the way through in one sitting.

I have that same set.  It's hell to store, because it will not sit nicely on a DVD storage shelf and doesn't like to stand on it's side either.  I have it laying down on top of a bookshelf, along with a few other awkward cases.

The films are weird and surreal.  I didn't find them to be as hard to get through as you did, but I spent a lot of my attention trying to figure out what was going on or why it was important.  I also spent a lot of time trying hard to believe the special effects, even though they did have a relatively good retro horror feel to them - like the old Hollywood stuff when they were experimenting to find out what works.

[Raffine]

I have that same set.  It's hell to store, because it will not sit nicely on a DVD storage shelf and doesn't like to stand on it's side either.  I have it laying down on top of a bookshelf, along with a few other awkward cases.

I wound up originally displaying the coffin box seperately and putting the actual films in with the rest of my DVDs. I think it also came with a little Coffin Joe comic book. Mine's probably still in the coffin box.

My favorite effect is the 'ghostly glow' at the end of the first movie that looks like glitter  stuck to the actual film with some Elmer's Glue.

It's interesting Marins gives Joe some morals, such as when he berates the father for being cruel to his son.

[Jim H]

I have that same set.  It's hell to store, because it will not sit nicely on a DVD storage shelf and doesn't like to stand on it's side either.  I have it laying down on top of a bookshelf, along with a few other awkward cases.

I wound up originally displaying the coffin box seperately and putting the actual films in with the rest of my DVDs. I think it also came with a little Coffin Joe comic book. Mine's probably still in the coffin box.

My favorite effect is the 'ghostly glow' at the end of the first movie that looks like glitter  stuck to the actual film with some Elmer's Glue.

It's interesting Marins gives Joe some morals, such as when he berates the father for being cruel to his son.

Heh, if you watch the extras, you'd find that yes, that is indeed glitter glued to the film itself. 

As far as Joe the character...  Yeah, I find him compelling, and agree it's hard to tell where Marins is going with him.  But I've only seen the first film. 

[The Burgomaster]

I have that same set.  It's hell to store, because it will not sit nicely on a DVD storage shelf and doesn't like to stand on it's side either.  I have it laying down on top of a bookshelf, along with a few other awkward cases.

I wound up originally displaying the coffin box seperately and putting the actual films in with the rest of my DVDs. I think it also came with a little Coffin Joe comic book. Mine's probably still in the coffin box.

I had a similar challenge with the Blind Dead coffin box . . .