If I hadn't known that The Strange World Of Coffin Joe was an anthology horror movie before watching it then I might have been a bit disappointed, especially if craving more of the twisted madness of the previous two movies in this series. But I did know about the format of the film, and I am mentioning it here to ensure that other people are equally prepared.
There are three tales presented here, all within a runtime of 80 minutes, which ensures decent pacing throughout, and they are enjoyably simple. Each tale serves as a framing device for some dark and disturbing event, but the film suffers slightly from the fact that the first segment remains the strongest of the three.
First of all, a local dollmaker is celebrated for his beautiful and realistic dolls, but he ends up targeted by criminals who realise that he doesn't keep his money in a bank. With four beautiful daughters also at risk, the dollmaker seems destined to experience great loss and pain, but might find a way to turn the situation to his advantage. Second, a balloon seller becomes obsessed with a beautiful woman he sees every day, but her wedding day is looming. Unfortunately, the wedding day is marred by tragedy, although the obsessive man is not deterred from trying to get close to the woman. Third, and finally, a professor discusses the theory that instinct will always overcome reason and love. To help prove this, he invites a rival professor, accompanied by his wife, to his home, where an extended episode of sadistic unpleasantness will be played out.
Director José Mojica Marins, who also stars as the evil professor in the third tale, is once again interested in showing the darkest parts of human nature alongside a small amount of philosophising to help provide an excuse for everything onscreen. The screenplay may be credited to Rubens Francisco Luchetti, who would work with Marins on quite a few more movies after this one, but there's no doubt that this is another showcase for the character namechecked in the title, even if he doesn't really get involved in any of the horrific tales (he basically serves as a host, although the evil professor feels like a character that could easily have been turned into Coffin Joe with only the slightest of adjustments).
While other cast members all do well enough in their roles, I'm not going to risk confusing and mis-spelling their names here, especially when I don't have exact cast details to hand (my fault, I have yet to really deep dive into the wonderful bluray boxset). And, with respect, it doesn't really matter. As the film title implies, this is all about the horror icon that is Coffin Joe, a figure casting his shadow over the proceedings even while not onscreen. Marins delivers another delightfully sinister turn when in front of the camera, but his direction maintains a voyeuristic and gleeful wallow in debauchery that retains the spirit of Coffin Joe for every minute of the runtime.
A step down from the two previous films I have seen from Marins, this is still enjoyable stuff, and it contains a number of startling images that help it to retain the sense of danger and madness that go wherever Coffin Joe goes.
6/10
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