14. Coffin Joe (Jose Mojica Marins) - At Midnight I Will Take Your Soul (1964)
Brazils first horror icon, Coffin Joe has one wish: to maintain the continuity of the blood. Because his wife cannot bear him a child, he kills her and sets about finding a suitable woman to grant him an heir, leaving the usual trail of corpses in his wake. Dont be fooled by his superficial charm and formal attire whatever Joe wants, he gets, and hes surprisingly forceful in his methods. Stand in his way and hes likely to whip you, gouge out your eyes or sever a digit with a broken bottle, and thats just for starters. While youre rolling around on the floor, helpless, hell pour acid over you. If youre female, however, and are of no use to him, hell be more lenient - hell tie you up and leave a poisonous spider in your lap. Its this kind of consideration that makes him a true horror villain.
Ian Watson
Ian Watson is the author of 'Midnight Movie Madness', a 600+ page guide to "bad" movies from 'Reefer Madness' to 'Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.'
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