Coffin Joe

Lore & Background

Coffin Joe is an undertaker who runs his own funeral home, selling caskets, flowers, and wreaths. He dresses distinctively in a black top hat, black suit, and black cape, with a thick beard and grotesquely long, curled fingernails. He considers himself superior to others, exploiting them for his purposes, and believes in reason and materialism, rejecting all religion and superstition as impediments to human evolution. He shows kindness only to children, whom he sees as uncorrupted by adult moral codes. Despite his disbelief in the paranormal, he frequently experiences supernatural phenomena, including encounters with ghosts, visions of Hell, and meetings with Death itself, though these experiences do not change his beliefs.

Reader's Guide

Coffin Joe's significance lies in his role as the central figure of Brazil's first horror film and his enduring status as a cultural icon. Created by José Mojica Marins, the character appeared in nine more films, three television series, songs, music videos, and comic books. His popularity has led to descriptions of him as the Brazilian equivalent of Freddy Krueger. The character's amoral, atheistic, and anti-Christian nature, combined with his violent pursuit of a 'perfect woman' to continue his bloodline, has made him a distinctive figure in horror. His backstory, outlined by Marins in interviews but not explored in films, includes becoming jaded after fighting in World War II with the Brazilian Expeditionary Force and developing his attitudes toward women after his beloved had an affair during his absence. Coffin Joe's legacy is cemented as a horror icon and a symbol of Brazilian cinema.

Did You Know?

• Coffin Joe's true name is Josefel Zanatas, with 'Zanatas' being 'Satanás' (Satan) spelled backward.
• The character was conceived by Marins after a dream in which a figure dragged him to a cemetery and showed him a headstone with his birth and death dates.
• Coffin Joe has appeared in nine films, three television series, songs, music videos, and comic books.
• Despite his disbelief in the supernatural, he encounters ghosts, Death, and visions of Hell in his films.