At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul (1964)

Director: Jose Mojica Marins

Starring: Jose Mojica Marins

More Info: IMDB

Plot: A gravedigger prowls the city in search of a female to bear him a son.

My Rating: 5.5

Would I watch it again? I'll give it one more shot


After hearing about this cult classic for years I finally sat down and unfurled it before my eyes. Maybe I expected more but despite some remarkable imagery, it's slow and it really tried my patience.


This is hailed as Brazil's first horror film. This next-to-no-budget movie is what makes independent film making so interesting. Marins took over the lead role when his original actor quit. Good thing, too, because Marin's "Coffin Joe" has become a national boogyman in Brazil akin to Freddy Kruger, Jason Voorhees and Michael Meyers. He's creepy, I'll give him that. He's also a complete asshole which is to his detriment as he's trying to seduce young women in the village to bear him a son (because his wife is barren and her tummy is a rocky place where his seed can find no purchase). They all reject him because he's a COMPLETE JERK-OFF. If only he'd tone down the creepiness...



Anyway, there's some striking imagery and it's surprisingly gory for its time. I imagine if I were 8 in 1964 and saw this in the theater it would've scarred the bejesus out of me. 45 years later it's just bored the bejesus out of me. Don't get me wrong. It's got a lot of neat things going for it but the least of which is the pacing.

Man, if I had a nickel...

I really wanted to like this picture and even though my first viewing wasn't very fruitful, I will give it another shot which is a lot more than I'd do for most pictures that don't move me. In time I may grow to love this film but for now, I'll just move onto the next one.