WHEN THE GODS FALL ASLEEP (1972) ** ½

Director/star Jose Mojica Marins returns in this sequel to The End of Man as Finnis Hominis.  The film begins with the incredible ending of the original.  If you recall, Finnis Hominis arrived on the streets of Sao Paolo and quickly became a messianic figure who amassed a great following.  The final shot then showed him after his work was done returning home to a mental institution! 

Well, Finnis hangs out in his cell for a bit before escaping once again.  He gets right back to work, squashing a beef between two rival street thugs named Chico and Skull with just a few words of wisdom.  He also interrupts a virgin sacrifice and turns the followers against the priests presiding over the ceremony, breaks up a lovers’ quarrel at a Gypsy camp, and crashes a den of inequity. 

Finnis Hominis is sort of like the opposite side of the coin from Coffin Joe.  Although they are both mysterious figures that point out the hypocrisy of societal norms, Finnis dresses in bright colors and has a much sunnier disposition than the sinister Joe.  While the Finnis Hominis films are decent, they aren’t a patch on Coffin Joe’s pictures. 

Now that we know Finnis is actually batshit insane from the very start, his adventures don’t pack the same kind of punch.  As in the first movie, this one flips back and forth from color to black and white in sometimes arbitrary fashion.  It also suffers from an episodic nature.  It’s probably my least favorite of the Marins movies I’ve seen, but it carries enough of his distinct touches to make it worth watching. 

Some sequences are better than others (the romantic drama at the Gypsy camp goes on way too long) and the final twist in this entry is weak, not to mention predictable.  Still, the film contains at least one scene that will have you picking your jaw up off the floor.  About a half hour into the movie, there is a viewer discretion warning for a religious ceremony where people dance wildly and bite the heads off live chickens and drink their blood.  It’s fairly disgusting, and those who are squeamish when it comes to animal abuse will appreciate the heads-up. 

TWISTED SEX VOL. 4 (1994) ****

Twisted Sex Vol. 4 is a top tier sexploitation trailer compilation from the depraved minds at Something Weird.  It offers a terrific mix of obscure smut, genuine oddities, stone cold classics, and works from some of the greatest directors in exploitation history.  Because of that, it makes a perfect sampler package of vintage sleazy goodness. 

Fans of nudist movies will enjoy seeing trailers for the likes of Garden of Eden, Some Like It Cool, and Adam Lost His Apple.  Those who favor costume romps will dig the ads for Love Secrets of the Kama Sutra, The Secret Sex Lives of Romeo and Juliet, and Pinocchio.  It’s also fun seeing such classic Something Weird fare as The Bloody, The Beautiful, and the Bare, Confessions of a Psycho Cat, and Wilbur and the Baby Factory being represented. 

The wealth of previews for films from the elite filmmakers of the era is what sets Twisted Sex Vol. 4 apart from the rest of the pack.  We have ads for movies from Russ Meyer (The Immoral Mr. Teas), Herschell Gordon Lewis (The Adventures of Lucky Pierre), and Michael and Roberta Findlay (Take Me Naked).  Doris Wishman is especially well represented, so if you’re a fan of the Queen of the Nudies, you’re in for a treat.  There are trailers for Gentlemen Prefer Nature Girls, Nude on the Moon, The Sex Perils of Paulette (in which the title is curiously never mentioned), and Indecent Desires.  Fans of Wishman will also get a kick out of hearing many of the same taglines (like “sex without shame” and “corrupt and immoral”) appearing again and again in ads for Hot Month of August, Bad Girls Go to Hell, and Too Much Too Often

Speaking of taglines, there are plenty of great ones here.  Some of my favorites were for Warm Nights and Hot Pleasures (“When sex goes skin deep!”), Garden of Eden (“The only picture endorsed by the American Sunbathing Association!”), The Beautiful, the Bloody, and the Bare (“SEE the blood crazed fiend!”), and Sex Rituals of the Occult (“Sex Rituals of the Occult is coming!  Are you?”).  There are also a couple of shorts that help pad things out including a color striptease short called A Wild Night at the Interlude and something called Strange Sex Dreams which is neither strange nor sexy, but it is certainly something weird!

The complete trailer list is as follows: Hot Frustrations, The Sisters, Soft Skin on Black Silk, The Price of Flesh, Warm Nights and Hot Pleasures, The Alley Cats, Hot Month of August, Garden of Eden, The Immoral Mr. Teas, The Adventures of Lucky Pierre, Gentlemen Prefer Nature Girls, Adam Lost His Apple, Nude on the Moon, The Sun, the Place, and the Girls, The Beautiful, the Bloody, and the Bare, a Santa Claus bumper, My Baby is Black!, The Warm, Warm Bed, The Sex Perils of Paulette, Take Me Naked, Bad Girls Go to Hell, Confessions of a Psycho Cat, Indecent Desires, Guess Who’s Coming?, Too Much Too Often, Days of Sin and Nights of Nymphomania, A Wild Night at the Interlude (short), Whip’s Women, The Sexperts: Touched by Temptation, Love Secrets of the Kama Sutra, Sexcapade in Mexico, The Secret Sex Lives of Romeo and Juliet, Pinocchio, The Nine Ages of Nakedness, Wilbur and the Baby Factory, The Toy Box, Sex Rituals of the Occult, Strange Sex Dreams (short), and Liz.

AWAKENING OF THE BEAST (1970) ****

Nearly a quarter of a century before Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, Jose Mojica Marins made a similarly Meta sequel to his Coffin Joe franchise that blurred the line between “reel” and “real”.  It’s not as consistent as his earlier films, but it is pure dynamite when it really gets cooking. 

A shrink bemoans the increasingly abhorrent sexual behavior in society, particularly when it comes to young people and drug abuse.  He seems to want to lay much of the blame on the films of Jose Mojica Marins.  While preparing his next book, he performs an experiment where he gives the subjects LSD after watching This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse.  They then proceed to experience hellacious visions of torture starring none other than Coffin Joe himself. 

Awakening of the Beast is a tad uneven at times, but there’s so many jaw dropping moments here that it manages to be more than a sum of its parts.  The first act of the movie is pure sexploitation.  The unconnected segments almost play like a precursor to the Schoolgirl Report series.  Marins appears briefly in the second act as himself as he is forced to defend his work against baseless accusations. 

Those frustrated by the lack of Coffin Joe in the first hour will be rewarded in the third act.  It’s here where Marins takes center stage as Coffin Joe appears to guide the test subjects through their drug trip.  From this point on, the movie really kicks ass.  Right after the characters take acid, the film switches to color (just like This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse) and Marins’ flair for ghoulish spectacle is on full display.  I’m not saying I understood some of it and I’m not sure “understanding” it was the point.  (It is one long drug trip after all.)  What I do know is some of the shit in the last ten minutes or so is unforgettable.  (Those “buttheads” are especially freaky.)  Because of that, Awakening of the Beast is one hell of a trip. 

AKA:  Ritual of the Maniacs.

THE STRANGE WORLD OF COFFIN JOE (1968) ****

After the incredible one-two punch of At Midnight I Take Your Soul and This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse, director Jose Mojica Marins and his amazing creation Coffin Joe made a slight pivot.  This time he returns with a wild horror anthology that is nearly as good as its predecessors.  Despite the fact that it’s called The Strange World of Coffin Joe, the title character only appears briefly in the intro.  (At least Marins takes center stage in the third story where he plays a thinly veiled variation on Joe.)

The first story is “The Dollmaker” (****).  An old man and his four virginal daughters make beautifully handcrafted dolls.  One night, four men break into their home and rape the daughters.  The men soon learn the terrible secret behind the dolls’ lifelike eyes. 

If you’re making a horror anthology, having a story about creepy dolls is a veritable prerequisite.  What’s interesting about this one is that it doesn’t lean into the supernatural realm as it’s essentially a tale of revenge.  That doesn’t mean it isn’t atmospheric as hell.  The shots of the eyeless dolls’ empty sockets are particularly eerie. 

“Obsession” (****) is next.  A pathetic balloon salesman pines for a sexy woman who passes him by on a daily basis.  After the woman is murdered (on her wedding day, no less), the hunchbacked street vendor sneaks into the woman’s crypt and violates her corpse. 

This one has a great gimmick as it’s told without dialogue.  That helps to amplify the atmosphere that Marins has created.  He also does a fine job of tiptoeing around some pretty icky subject matter.  Some may be miffed by the abrupt ending, but the fact that there is essentially (spoiler) no plot twist is more surprising than anything O. Henry could’ve come up with. 

The final tale is “Ideology” (****).  Marins stars as a professor who goes on national television and claims love doesn’t exist.  One of the hosts is intrigued by his proclamation and the professor invites him and his wife to his home.  There, he shows them various displays of vulgar lust and depraved degradation and puts their love to the test. 

Although Marins dresses similarly to Coffin Joe, he acts differently enough to make the professor come off as a distinct character in his own right.  He still has the same kind of hardline viewpoints that make Joe so much fun.  Directing wise he does another fantastic job.  Marins effectively blurs the line between sex and horror during the sequences inside the professor’s dungeon where the kinky goings on make Madame Olga look like Mother Teresa.

So, if you like your horror anthologies a bit more on the depraved side, you should definitely take a trip to The Strange World of Coffin Joe.

THIS NIGHT I’LL POSSESS YOUR CORPSE (1967) ****

Coffin Joe (Jose Mojica Marins) returns looking for a woman who will give him a male offspring.  (“Man is only immortal through the fetus!”)  To achieve his goal, he kidnaps women from his village, which naturally riles up the menfolk.  He eventually finds his mate in Laura (Tina Wohlers) who says, “I don’t mind being the mistress of the Devil!”

What I like about Joe is that although he is technically correct about some of his ideals, the way he goes about fulfilling his ambitions is often monstrous.  In some ways, he reminds me of Magneto in that he rallies against the evil inherent in man in an evil way.  However, he is insulated by his beliefs, which makes him blind to the fact that he is fighting tyranny by being tyrannical. 

He’s also full of fascinating contradictions.  Even though he detests people, he has a soft spot for kids and even saves one from being struck by a motorist.  Yes, I know a main character that’s obsessed with eugenics and creating a “perfect race” would be considered “problematic” by today’s standards.  That said, with his top hat, unibrow, and long ass nails, Coffin Joe is such a badass that you can’t help but root for him. 

This sequel to At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul is full of impressive and atmospheric sequences.  The highlight comes when Coffin Joe unleashes a horde of spiders on his potential brides while they are sleeping.  There’s also a gnarly bit where he throws acid in a woman’s face.  When we’re talking about Marins as a director, the most obvious comparison is Mario Bava.  However, it’s the strong religious and social themes that set his work apart from his contemporaries and makes him a one-of-a-kind filmmaker. 

The movie really takes off when Joe is dragged down into Hell.  It’s here where the film switches from black and white to full color.  Think Wizard of Oz, but like a hundred times cooler.  Speaking of being cool, Marins’ depiction of Hell is one of the most inventive and original in cinema history.  Instead of the traditional flames, Hell is an endless series of icy caverns where workers whip and stab frozen prisoners. 

Marins’ next was The Strange World of Coffin Joe. 

AKA:  This Night I Will Possess Your Corpse.  AKA:  This Night Will Make Your Corpse Incarnate.  AKA:  Tonight I Will Eat Your Corpse.  AKA:  Tonight I Will Make Your Corpse Turn Red.  AKA:  Tonight I Will Paint in Flesh Color.  

FACES OF DEATH (2026) ** ½

Remaking Faces of Death is a risky proposition.  Renting the video was a rite of passage for many people back in the ‘80s.  Word of mouth (most of which stemmed from its questionable authenticity), combined with its notoriety, ensured it would have a long shelf life.  (One character in this movie refers to it as “the original viral video!”)  How can you replicate that kind of success in the age of social media and Tik Tok where you can see all kinds of fucked-up shit on your phone?   Well, the filmmakers have come up with a way, and it works… up to a point. 

The conceit is that a serial killer is remaking scenes from Faces of Death and posting them on a social media platform called Kino.  Barbie Ferreira is a moderator for the site who flags suspicious and/or inappropriate content.  When the videos cross her desk, she is fascinated and appalled by them.  She does some digging and learns the killer’s location and sets out to save his latest victim.  By doing so, she runs the risk of starring in his next recreation. 

If you have to remake Faces of Death in this day and age, I guess this is the way to go about it.  However, it’s a “damned if you, damned if you don’t” proposal.  If you go too hard on the gore, you’ll get called out for taking things too far.  If you water it down, you run the risk of alienating fans of the series.  By taking the Meta approach, the film is able to let itself off the hook.  Since a “bad guy” is committing the crimes, it absolves the viewer from any guilt of watching scenes of death and slaughter.  Instead, it flips the guilt to the characters in the film that want to be “internet famous”. 

There are some good moments here to be sure.  The recreations of the scenes from the original are well done.  The biggest kick, however, comes from seeing clips of the original on the big screen, albeit briefly.  I also liked the fact that Barbie was a plus-sized Final Girl, which is something you rarely see in horror, if ever. 

I just have a feeling that if you took Faces of Death out of the equation, there wouldn’t be much to it.  If the killer was making a regular snuff movie, it would’ve been okay, I guess.  The Meta approach certainly gives it an interesting wrinkle, but unfortunately the filmmakers kind of sever the connection to the original by the time the third act rolls around, and the killer begins taking “artistic license” with the murders. 

Oh, and despite what you may have been led to believe, Charli XCX is barely in the movie.  She has two brief scenes as Barbie’s snippy coworker.  At least she acts like a total brat. 

Overall, Faces of Death isn’t bad.  Strictly taken as a slasher film, it gets the job done.  I just have a suspicion that no one is going to be sneaking it into slumber parties or renting it as a rite of passage any time soon. 

BRING HER BACK (2025) ** ½

After the death of their father, a pair of siblings, Andy (Billy Barratt) and Piper (Sora Wong) are placed in foster care.  Their new foster mom Laura (The Shape of Water’s Sally Hawkins) dotes on the blind Piper and pretty much ignores Andy.  Right away, we learn something screwy is going on as her other ward Ollie (Jonah Wren Phillips) tries to strangle cats and eat knives.  Laura’s obviously off her rocker too as she manipulates both her new foster kids, but naturally, Piper is unaware of what’s going on.  Eventually, we discover Laura has her dead daughter locked in her freezer and she’s using Piper to… well… read the title. 

Bring Her Back comes to us from Danny and Michael Pillipou, the directing brothers behind Talk to Me.  Like that film, this one has some good moments.  I think I might give Bring Her Back the slight edge since it contains some choice gnarly bits of gruesomeness tucked in here and there.  (Like when the little kid starts eating everything in sight.)

Unfortunately, it’s one of those slow burn deals that takes its sweet time to get where it’s going.  Since we already pretty much know the destination, it makes for a rather long trip.  It doesn’t help that the audience is at an advantage since Piper is unaware of the shenanigans her new mum is pulling.  Add to that the fact the film relies on rather sensitive subject matter (grief, child abuse, foster care, etc.) for its shocks.  You also have to put up with the cliched scenes where nobody believes Andy (even Piper). 

The young cast members are quite good though.  Phillips is especially memorable as the creepy kid who runs around the third act with a distended stomach.  As the foster mom you love to hate, Hawkins really plays the role to the hilt.  Maybe if they decide to do a sequel they’ll bring her back.