Awakening of the Beast (1970) O Ritual dos Sádicos (original title)

Director:

José Mojica Marins

Writers:

José Mojica Marins (story)
Rubens F. Lucchetti

Release Date:

October 1990 (Brazil)

Genre:

Drama | Horror

Plot:

Psychiatrist experiments LSD on 4 volunteers, to investigate Coffin Joe's influence over them. Each patient presents a different reaction, involving sex, perversion and sadism.

Plot Keywords:

LSD | Black & White To Color | Blasphemy | Drugs | Fictional Talk Show

Cast

José Mojica Marins	...	Himself / Zé do Caixão
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ângelo Assunção
Ronaldo Beibe
Andreia Bryan
João Callegaro
Ozualdo Ribeiro Candeias
Maurice Capovila
José Carlos
Maria Cristina
Emília Duarte
Jaciara Ducena
Jairo Ferreira
Jandira Gabriel
Graveto
Sérgio Hingst
Mário Lima
Annik Malvil
Márcio Marcel
Stela Maris
Cláudio Marques
Dante Miná
Paulo Morandy
Ítala Nandi
Helena Nogueira
Palito
Walter Portela
Carlos Reichenbach
Luiz Renato
Lurdes Ribas
Araken Saldanha	...	Zé do Caixão (voice)
Rosemeire Thiago
Roney Wanderley

Directed by
José Mojica Marins

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Rubens F. Lucchetti
José Mojica Marins		story

Produced by
Giorgio Attili	....	producer
José Mojica Marins	....	producer
George Michel Serkeis	....	producer
Goffredo Telles Neto	....	associate producer

Cinematography by
Giorgio Attili

Film Editing by
Luiz Elias

Art Direction by
Nico Rosso

Makeup Department
Graveto	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Mario Lima	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mario Lima	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Júlio Perez Caballar	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Harrys	....	electrician
Milagres	....	still photographer
Nene	....	electrician
Virgílio Roveda	....	assistant camera
Willian	....	still photographer

Editorial Department
Hélio	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Luis C. Reis	....	production assistant
Jorson Silva	....	production assistant
Márcio Silva	....	continuity

Production Companies

• Fotocena Filmes
• Ovni Indústria Cinematográfica

Distributors

• Something Weird Video (SWV) (1993) (USA) (VHS) (subtitled)
• Fantoma (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Cinemagia (2002) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Mondo Macabro (2002) (UK) (DVD)
• Filmfreak Distributie (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (UK) (2009) (UK) (DVD)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2011) (Australia) (DVD)
• Cinemagia (Brazil) (VHS)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2011) (Australia) (video) (VOD)

Other Companies

• Ezannovski  sound recording facilities
• Odil Fono Brasil S.A.  sound recording facilities

Also Known As:

"O Ritual dos Sádicos" - Brazil (original title)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

Brazil

Language:

Portuguese

Color:

Color | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Brazil:(Banned) (1969-1982) | Brazil:18 | UK:R | Netherlands:16 | Netherlands:16 (2008) (DVD)

Company:

Fotocena Filmes

Trivia:

According to director José Mojica Marins, other filmmakers helped him get this into production by donating filmstock.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Zé do Caixão:My world is strange, but it's worthy to all those who want to accept it, and never corrupt as some want to portray it. Because it's made up, my friend, of strange people, though none are stranger than you!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Coffin Joe's Vision's of Terror (1994) (V)

Disturbing

This isn't a Coffin Joe movie properly, but rather a film about drugs that makes stuff like Corman's "The Trip" pale by comparison. The plot isn't linear, and that is exactly the greatest strength of the movie, and what gives it the particular atmosphere it has. First we see several different little stories, all involving people behaving in the most bizarre ways due to drug use.We soon know that all those scenes are stories narrated on a tv talk show by a scientist who tries to prove his theories about drugs and the human mind with the help of Mojica and his creation, Coffin Joe. The utter absurdity of the scenes is what makes the whole experience worthwhile. Probably Mojica's best work as a proper film maker, not just a horror flick director.