Jose Mojica Marins

José Mojica Marins was a Brazilian filmmaker, actor, composer, screenwriter, and television horror host. He was also known by his alter ego Coffin Joe, a character he created and played in a series of horror films. Coffin Joe was an amoral undertaker who sought to find the perfect woman to bear his son and achieve immortality. The character became a cult figure and a horror icon in Brazil and abroad. Marins was considered a pioneer of Brazilian horror cinema and of graphically violent horror films in general. He made more than 40 films as a director and acted in more than 50 projects. He also influenced the Brazilian Marginal Cinema movement in the 1960s and had a successful career in television with the popular series "The Strange World of Coffin Joe". Marins was born on March 13, 1936 in São Paulo, Brazil, to a family of Spanish immigrants. His interest in filmmaking began at an early age, when he made short films with a camera that his parents gave him as a present. He founded his own film company, Cia. Cinematográfica Atlas, at the age of 18 and transformed an abandoned synagogue into a film studio and academy. He made his feature film debut with the 1958 Western Adventurer's Fate. He achieved fame and controversy with his 1964 film At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul, which introduced the Coffin Joe character and was considered Brazil's first horror film. He followed it with two sequels, This Night I'll Possess Your Corpse (1967) and Embodiment of Evil (2008), as well as other films and television shows featuring the character. He also made films in other genres, such as dramas, comedies, and documentaries. He was known for his low-budget, independent, and experimental style, as well as his use of shock tactics, gore, and social criticism. He often faced censorship and legal troubles for his controversial films, some of which were banned in Brazil. He also had a loyal fan base and received several awards and honors for his work. He died of bronchopneumonia on February 19, 2020, at the age of 83, in São Paulo.