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Embodiment of Evil (Coffin Joe)

“There is plenty of gore, plenty of blood, plenty of boobs, plenty of scenes of hallucinatory hilarity and a possible nod to the mysterious box in ‘Seven.’ The filmmaking is actually quite superb in that the setup of shots, and overall vision, forgive the absurdity. The final climax, set in an after-hours amusement park, gives just the right final kick.”

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What is life? It’s the beginning of death. What is death? It’s the end of life. What is existence? It’s the continuity of the blood. And what is blood? The reason for existence!

Embodiment of Evil (Encarnação do Demônio), released in 2008, is the third and final film in the “Coffin Joe” trilogy. Following At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul (À Meia-Noite Levarei Sua Alma) (1963) and This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse (Esta Noite Encarnarei no Teu Cadáver) (1967), Embodiment sees the return of Zé do Caixão (Coffin Joe).

Being a Coffin Joe virgin (though I’ve done my research), the opening sequence of sweaty, nervous guards, arguing over law versus true justice, had me hooked. And, at the moment half of Josefel Zanatas’s face appeared through the small window of a steel prison door showing his long curled fingernails gingerly resting on the edge, I knew this film had depth.

Time spent in a mental ward has far from suppressed Coffin Joe’s sole quest in his supposedly ‘immortal’ life. After forty years, he is unleashed, and much like a modern day woman goes searching for the perfect sperm donor, Coffin Joe sets out to find the perfect host for his own specimen. Faithful Igor-esque sidekick Bruno leads CJ through the slums – CJ shaking his head at the changed world around him. This change is most recognized in the balance of a bar scene where Coffin Joe, with his black cape and top hat, is offset by a tough guy wearing a Ramones t-shirt.

In order for CJ to find his perfect woman, Bruno finds him new slaves that only believe in serving CJ until death, the destruction of inferior beings, and the continuity of his bloodline. Could the eugenist Dr. Hilda be the answer? Or is it the mysterious Helena – whose blind witchcraft loving aunts try to rid her of obsession with CJ?

Like any concerned future parent would through scientific technology, CJ tests his subjects to make sure they are viable and worthy through torture and debauchery.

However we quickly see that although CJ has been freed by the physical jail system, he is still imprisoned by past deeds in his mind! Will he still be able to carry out his destiny? Or will it all be undone by those who were destroyed by his wrath – and, perhaps, even by those who survived?

Included in the film, are bits of characters and backstory from the first two films that add to the continuity. This allows one insight so that one does not have to have seen the previous films to enjoy the current. There is plenty of gore, plenty of blood, plenty of boobs, plenty of scenes of hallucinatory hilarity and a possible nod to the mysterious box in Seven. The filmmaking is actually quite superb in that the setup of shots, and overall vision, forgive the absurdity. The final climax, set in an after-hours amusement park, gives just the right final kick.

Extras on this disc are a must. The Fantasia Film Festival footage shows the following these films have. However, the crowd borders on fanatical rather than reverential. When given an award, José Mojica Marins’ acceptance speech is quite humbling – showing his dedication to his work, even in his 70’s, and how others should follow the same motto. “Always persevere.”

The Making of Featurette definitely puts in perspective the legitimate importance of this film, its genre, and its maker. Showing the true passion of a 40 year old dream, the end of a trilogy, and all the pain, sweat, and tears that went into making it – the featurette enlightened this viewer and bumped up my personal respect for sure.

In the end, Embodiment of Evil is the perfect ending (or is it beginning?) for the Coffin Joe trilogy.

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Exclusives

Exclusive ‘The First Omen’ Featurette Video Previews Connection to the Original Horror Classic

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The Omen

20th Century Studios’ The First Omen is a true prequel to The Omen, arriving almost fifty years after the Richard Donner-directed horror classic introduced Antichrist Damien Thorn and terrified audiences. The film’s legacy is front and center in an exclusive new featurette.

First released in 1976, The Omen stars Gregory Peck as affluent diplomat Robert Thorn. It begins on June 6, at 6 am in Rome, where Robert Thorn learns his newborn has died, and the Church convinces him to accept an orphaned infant in its place. Robert’s wife, Kathy (Lee Remick), is none the wiser.

As the child, Damien, turns five, it coincides with a wave of strange happenings and coincidences that leads Robert down a harrowing journey where he’ll discover his adoptive son may be the Antichrist.

Written by David SeltzerThe Omen was a massive commercial success upon release in theaters. Donner injected plenty of dread and shocking deaths, but the film also earned its place in the pantheon of horror classics for an unsettling performance by child actor Harvey Spencer Stephens as Damien and a number of iconic scenes, including the “All for You, Damien!” hanging that arrives a mere 13 minutes into the film.

Watch the featurette below to learn more about The Omen‘s legacy and its connections to the upcoming prequel, The First Omen.

Nell Tiger Free (“Servant”) stars in The First Omen, alongside Tawfeek Barhom (“Mary Magdalene”), Sonia Braga (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”), Ralph Ineson (The Witch, Onyx the Fortuitous), and Bill Nighy (“Living”).

In the film, “When a young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her own faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate.”

The new movie is directed by Arkasha Stevenson, based on characters created by David Seltzer (“The Omen”), with a story by Ben Jacoby (“Bleed”) and a screenplay by Tim Smith & Arkasha Stevenson and Keith Thomas (Firestarter).

The First Omen releases in theaters on April 5, 2024.

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