À Meia Noite Levarei Sua Alma / At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul (1964)

October 5, 2024 12:01 PM

A gravedigger prowls the city in search of a female to bear him a son. -- IMDb

Billed as Brazil's first horror film.

67% / 69% at Rotten Tomatoes.

posted by johnofjack (2 comments total)

I don't know what to say about this one, really; it reminded me of Universal horror except in the amount of gore (one scene reminded me of Romero, another of Fulci); the "moral" of it felt very "Hays Code;" and the acting and writing were both wildly over the top, but I found it oddly charming in spite of all that.
posted by johnofjack at 12:03 PM on October 5

I'm a big fan of Coffin Joe and this one and it's immediate sequel are a lot of fun. While I'd agree this is influenced by the classic Universal monster movies I think Coffin Joe takes this in a whole different garish and more overtly religious direction. This is very much Grand Guignol style with heavy Catholic overtones. How many movies can you think of that introduces the actors in the opening credits by showing the scenes where they are murdered - this is something altogether different.
posted by Ashwagandha at 6:58 PM on October 6 [1 favorite]