Plot: What’s it about?
Coffin Joe (Jose Mojica Marins) has been absolved from his crimes and now, decides to continue his quest for the perfect woman. As we learned before, he wishes to find just the right woman and then, she will give birth to the perfect child, Coffin Joe’s son. He was thrown off course last time he tried to complete the task, but this time he has more help, in the form of Bruno (Jose Lobo), a hunchback. As time passes, Coffin Joe kidnaps women who seem worthy and when they fail his tests, he gets rid of them in vile, lethal fashion. It involves snakes and a lot of pain, I’m sure, but I won’t go into any more detail there. This assault is even more evil than his last and as he soon discovers, his sins will not go unpunished, not in the least. He soon discovers that the price for his impure actions is a trek into the underworld, which proves to be just as bizarre of a place as you could imagine. But is this the end of Coffin Joe and his terrible antics, or will even the underworld be unable to contain this most unusual man?
This is the sequel to At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul and marks the return of Coffin Joe, one of the lesser known horror icons. This one picks up right where the original left off, which means this is a true sequel, not some rehashed nonsense we often see in horror flicks. I was pleased to see this movie continue the texture and tone of the original, but also kick in some fresh ideas, such as the use of color in certain sequences. I liked the previous film a lot and as such, I found a lot to like with This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse. Joe is back on the same quest and with a hunchback at his side, perhaps this time he can fulfill his wishes at last. This movie was shot on a very low budget, but the production values look better expected, as director Jose Mojica Marins extends the atmospheric visuals and unusual feel to this sequel. So yes, this is just as offbeat as the first flick and even more so in some places, which is always welcome. If you’re a fan of Coffin Joe or just want to experience some terrific, off the beaten path cinema, this disc is more than worth a look. The flick is well made and memorable, so give it a spin and make sure to visit the other Coffin Joe movies as well, also available from Fantoma on DVD.
Video: How does it look?
This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse is presented in a 1.66:1 widescreen transfer, which is not enhanced for widescreen televisions. As you can imagine, this movie looks rough and that’s no surprise, but I think Fantoma has issued a more than solid edition. The print has specks and debris most of the time, but not enough to distract and in the end, this is cleaner than you might expect, given the film’s age and history. A few scenes look worse than others, but when you consider the circumstances, I think the results here are decent enough. The contrast is level and never varies much, while the color sections also seem in order. I’d love to see an extensive restoration done, but due to the limited audience the film has, I doubt it will ever happen.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included mono track is pretty basic, but covers the needed elements and as such, I won’t complain much. The original Portuguese language is used and the vocals sound clean, though sometimes a thin, perhaps due to age related issues. The music shows some age also, but I think it comes across in decent enough form in the end. The same is true of the sound effects and overall, this track won’t win any sonic audio awards, but it gets the job done and that’s enough. This disc also includes optional English subtitles, in case you’ll need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes an eight minute interview with the director, as well as theatrical trailers for all three Coffin Joe flicks. You also get a very cool reproduction Coffin Joe comic book, found inside the disc’s case, along with the normal insert.
