by Mark Murton
Original Title: À Meia-Noite Levarei Sua Alma
Also Known As: Coffin Joe
Directed by: José Mojica Marins
Synopsis: In a small Brazilian town, the creepy resident undertaker Zé do Caixão, a.k.a. “Coffin Joe” (José Mojica Marins), is feared by the locals. Zé lives with a woman who can’t deliver him the child he craves and he will stop at nothing in his obsession to sire a son including rape and murder. The local police inspector cannot prove that Zé is responsible for the crimes, but on the Day of the Dead the local gypsy woman (Eucaris Moraes) warns him that the dead will take his soul to hell.
Kitty Cameos: Under the opening credits the gypsy woman addresses herself directly to the camera / audience, advising us not to watch the film! During this the camera pans around the room and a tiny black and white kitten can be seen sitting on a crude altar containing statues and a skull.
As the camera comes around again the kitten can still be seen, but now on the lower shelf of the altar.
Towards the end of the film, Zé is walking home at night and is reminded of the gypsy’s curse. He tries to shrug it off but when he remembers the part that went “When you see a black cat in your path, it will be the devil,” he is suddenly confronted by a black cat on the path in front of him.
The cat snarls viciously before running off and leaving Zé to his fate.
Final Mewsings: Cats take gypsies seriously when they tell you not to watch something.
Relevant Links:
To discuss this film and other cats in movies and on television, join us on Facebook and X.