THE STRANGE WORLD OF COFFIN JOE (1968)
Directed by Jose Mojica Marins
A masterpiece!
This black-and-white anthology film from Brazil was way, way, way ahead of its time. Everything from the "Hellraiser" series to the gut-wrenching cannibalism films of Italy borrows freely from this legendary director's work. Unlike those films, this is actually an incredibly well-made (albeit very low-budget) film and an absolute must for horror and cult movie fans. They don't make 'em like this anymore, folks--and they sure don't make 'em any better. It's even hard to believe this was released the same year as "Night of the Living Dead".
The first tale, about four robbers who rape the daughters of a local dollmaker, is the most memorable. They find out the hard way why the dollmaker's creations look so … so … human. The second tale is a very well-crafted story about a balloon salesman's obsession with a local girl, and just what lengths he's willing to go to to have her.
The most chilling tale of them all is the last one, which features director Jose (known by American fans as "Coffin Joe") as a professor who captures and tortures a couple to prove that love does not exist. It's an incredible, artfully done sequence. Few directors have ever lived that had the horror touch Marins has.
The film is hard to find, but still is in print on video, so look for it. A major, major, major must-see.