José Mojica Marins is nothing if not a one-off. With his first two movies he introduced the world to Coffin Joe, the demented gravedigger who delighted in terrorising the people in his village. These movies set down the style of Marins. His films may have been very low budget but they did have a crazed imagination and a definite visual style. In this third picture from Marins, The Strange World of Coffin Joe, we once again have a horror film full of the bizarre and surreal. Unlike those first two films, however, this one isn't a Coffin Joe vehicle. Despite the title, he only appears at the start as the host, although there is a fun song celebrating him played over the opening credits. No, this film is Marins take on the then popular horror omnibus format. Although this is decidedly different to any other 60's portmanteau movie, and that's putting it mildly. Its three stories cover topics like rape, necrophilia and cannibalism. It's a concoction that is very extreme for its time and indicates once more that Marins was a true maverick. Like most anthologies it's a pretty uneven movie overall.
The Dollmaker - The first tale is about an elderly doll maker and his daughters who are subjected to a house invasion by a group of thugs. The tables are turned however, as it turns out the rapists have been lured into a trap. They are killed, decapitated and their eyes are used for new dolls. This story is the most traditional of the three but the sex and violence in it is definitely not typical for the day.
Tara - In the second story a balloon seller becomes obsessed by a beautiful woman. She is murdered on her wedding day by a jealous woman. Undeterred, the balloon seller then breaks into her crypt and embarks on what can only be described as a necrophiliac romance. This segment is notable in that it is more or less silent. Despite its subject matter it has a lyrical feeling not entirely dissimilar to the films of Jean Rollin. It's the weakest story in fairness and could have done with trimming but it isn't without interest and does have a certain ambiance.
Ideology – The final story is the most expansive and also the most similar to Marins other work. He stars in it as a doctor not a million miles away from Coffin Joe. The story is basically about the night the evil doctor invites a rival and his wife to his house. What follows is an evening of torture, cannibalism and general unpleasantness. This part is very gory and exploitative indeed. It's like a collision between Herschell Gordon Lewis and Luis Buñuel. It isn't exactly subtle.
So, all-in-all a pretty variable film. But definitely a crazed one. If you like them odd then this may be the tonic.
The Dollmaker - The first tale is about an elderly doll maker and his daughters who are subjected to a house invasion by a group of thugs. The tables are turned however, as it turns out the rapists have been lured into a trap. They are killed, decapitated and their eyes are used for new dolls. This story is the most traditional of the three but the sex and violence in it is definitely not typical for the day.
Tara - In the second story a balloon seller becomes obsessed by a beautiful woman. She is murdered on her wedding day by a jealous woman. Undeterred, the balloon seller then breaks into her crypt and embarks on what can only be described as a necrophiliac romance. This segment is notable in that it is more or less silent. Despite its subject matter it has a lyrical feeling not entirely dissimilar to the films of Jean Rollin. It's the weakest story in fairness and could have done with trimming but it isn't without interest and does have a certain ambiance.
Ideology – The final story is the most expansive and also the most similar to Marins other work. He stars in it as a doctor not a million miles away from Coffin Joe. The story is basically about the night the evil doctor invites a rival and his wife to his house. What follows is an evening of torture, cannibalism and general unpleasantness. This part is very gory and exploitative indeed. It's like a collision between Herschell Gordon Lewis and Luis Buñuel. It isn't exactly subtle.
So, all-in-all a pretty variable film. But definitely a crazed one. If you like them odd then this may be the tonic.