The Return of Coffin Joe...

In 2007, Dario Argento finally completed his "Three Mothers" trilogy with MOTHER OF TEARS, a film his fans waited over 25 years for.  In like manner, Jose Mojica Marins has completed another beloved trilogy, his "Coffin Joe" series, which began with 1964's AT MIDNIGHT I'LL TAKE YOUR SOUL and continued with THIS NIGHT I'LL POSSESS YOUR CORPSE (1967).  41 years since Coffin Joe last spooked audiences with his demented undertaker, he's finally back with EMBODIMENT OF EVIL (released in South America in 2008, then played the festival circuit for a few years until this past week when Synapse Films released a dual blu-ray/DVD edition for American audiences).

In a nutshell, the first two films in the series are dark, moody, creepy horror outings centered around an evil undertaker who's bent on continuing his bloodline.  He tortures and rapes women looking for the perfect one to bear his child.  Both 60s classics featured (for their time) graphic violence and sacreligious imagery and overtones that caused Marins to be a true outsider in his Catholic-heavy native homeland (Brazil).
Like an AC/DC album or a James Bond film, EMBODIMENT OF EVIL is the same thing you've seen before; the plot's the same as the first 2 films, although the special effects are kicked up a few notches.  Coffin Joe is released from prison 40 years after being arrested for the crimes he committed in the first 2 films (and many are surprised to discover he hadn't died in jail).  His assistant Bruno (now as old [or older] than Coffin Joe) meets him outside the prison and takes him back to a new secret lair where a group of 4 young followers agree to do Joe's bidding (after proving themselves, of course).  What follows is basically an updated version of the first 2 films, only with more torture, more weird characters, more nudity and another trip into hell (literally).
Pros: If you're a fan of Coffin Joe, you'll love watching him walk around modern-day Brazil in his classic cape and top hat (one scene has him kicking ass at a bar, letting everyone know THE MAN is back in town).  Some of the violence is truly gut-wrenching (I don't think I'll be able to eat hot cheese or look at a rat anytime soon) and one sequence, where Joe makes some poor woman eat her own amputated ass cheek, is so over the top you won't know whether to laugh or gag.  The acting is superior to the original films, even on Coffin Joe's part (and dare I say Joe's gratuitous eye-close ups and women-whippings were inspired by HG Lewis' BLOOD FEAST?).  There's also a blood-raining sex scene between Joe and a potential son-bearer that makes ANGEL HEART's similar sequence look like an episode of Sesame Street.  Two blind witches and a revenge-bent priest are among the kooky side characters, my favorite being an ancient mystic (played by José Celso Martinez Corrêa) who takes Joe on a guided tour of the underworld.  The ending also leaves room for 7 sequels (!!!).
Cons: The plot.  Again, it's identical to the first two films, so if you're looking for something different than them, you're not going to find it here.  The early scenes of Joe walking around Brazil look a bit comical, but whether that was intentional or not on the part of Marins is anyone's guess.  And as with any foreign film, the subtitles here (at times) probably could've been translated better, causing some of the dialogue (especially between the police) to come off too comical.
EMBODIMENT OF EVIL is a nice end-cap to a series I only became a fan of a few years ago (thanks to late-night showings on the IFC channel).  It features a classic-looking horror figure set against a modern background; you can almost sense Marins had been watching HOSTEL and other recent torture-films, and said to himself, "Let me show zee kiddies how eets done!"
And man, does he ever...
Coffin Joe in his upgraded underground lair
Coffin Joe is taken back to his new crib by faithful hunchbacked servant, Bruno (Rui Resende)
Joe is given a guided tour of the underworld by a gleeful Mystic
Hell-bent on killing Coffin Joe for killling his father, Father Eugenio (Milhem Cortaz) is one slightly off-balanced priest!  (His chest tattoo features Coffin Joe's hand with the word HERETIC written around it).  The showdown between the two at an amusement park is quite good.
Unless your name is COFFIN JOE, it's not wise to mess with a blind, Santeria-practicing witch!
Some classic-looking horror scenery, a staple of all of Marin's films
Give 'em instruments and Coffin Joe's new cult would make a great goth band!