The Strange Hostel of Naked Pleasures (1976) User Reviews

Joe's Hostel.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 5/10 · 11 October 2012]

Having been left extremely impressed by Marins (aka Coffin Joe) grim Gothic Horror first film,I decided today to watch one of the other films in the set,mostly due to expecting seeing the films be mostly similar to each other.

From the first 5 minutes of this,I began to suspect that Marins may be creating a film that is as far off the road of normality as it is possible to get.

View on the film:

Standing out as the lone installment Jose Mojica Marnis co-directed the film with Marcelo Motta, this change seems to be one of the main things that helped to give this film a very different "voice" to the other Coffin Joe titles.

Whilst the opening does make the movies low budget pretty obvious,Marnis and Motta impressively do not let this ruin the film,with the whole setting of the hostel being covered in an terrific infra-red colour that gets brighter as the activates in the hostel get weirder.

Along with the bold colour of the main location,Marnis and Motta also include a interesting ominous atmosphere to the film,with it being strongly suggested that Coffin Joe is far from what he may originally appear.

Although the screenplay by Marnis and Rubens Francisso Luchetti does sadly drag as the film attempts to put all of its complex cards on the table,the makers keep a fascinating mood bubbling away, thanks to the writers/directors bravely attempting to mix the movies minimalist filmed moments of Joe being philosophical on the meaning of life with a good, unsettling (mostly light) Horror feel.

A fun weird surreal ride. Not a bad unofficial "Coffin Joe" flick.

[b_kite · 6/10 · 26 July 2018]

Decided to revisit this one and update my review since I was in the mood for something weird and it's still currently free on youtube. It worked better for me this time, there's some nice terrifying moments and creepy camera work and effects, even though the whole middle portion of this is just a repeat of the same three or so scenes while José Mojica Marins looks on creepily. I'm sure it's probably not the best of the unofficial Coffin Joe flicks, but It's still a fun weird surreal ride.

Noisy chaos, probably the worst of José Mojica Marins's horror movies

[guisreis · 5/10 · 16 July 2021]

Probably the worst of José Mojica Marins's horror films, in spite of the good general idea. There is much more noise (what a noisy film! Lots of screams and a very unfortunate music score that mostly does not fit the movie) and no good connections for a chaotic sequence of not very well shot footage (differently from Mojica's best films, despite their low budget). The film also lacks the innovative editing of other movies by Mojica. Here, his famous character Coffin Joe has some different traits, what is by far the most interesting element: his psychic powers are impressive, being able to charm, kill, cause accidents... In the very beginning, he is ressurrected in a ritual (which mixes interesting trance dark scenes of drummers with an amateur performance of beautiful girls in bikini). Then, he recruits employers and guests for his lodge, under a heavy storm. His selection clearly indicated that those who were accepted were destined to. Among them, there were gamblers (one of them being the victim of the other three), a gigolo and his women, an adulterous couple, a man wishing to commit suicide, other characters I could not understand who they were (robbers?), and the worst of them all: a numerous "party hard" group of drunk people who enjoyed to shout "todo mundo nu, oba!" ("everybody nude! Oh yeah!") while dancing naked (they only shut up when make sex!). Perhaps a new cut, shortening it a lot, could have saved the film. However, in the wat it was released, it is hard to understand (not the general trend, which is predictable, but the specific fates of each character) and to keep interested on it.

A masterpiece (or trash?)...

[Zarathos-5 · 11 August 2000]

A very chilling movie, which starts with a crazy and surrealist dance, where naked women dance all over, and old men scream towards the sky. Then a coffin has dragged open, and a man (Coffin Joe?) is broad back to life. Then the story goes to an eerie hostel, where all kinds of men come in one stormy night. Coffin Joe tells the visitors some very strange stuff like "All thats nothing will be everything" (???!). The moody story ends up in a knockdown-ending, but the story still continues veery eerie for its last a couple of minutes. Lots of violence, and corny nudity, its normaly regarded as pure exploitation trash. But if you look it, in another way, its a masterpiece of eerie horror-movies. *** out of ****, or *½ out of ****. You see it, then decide.

Weird but laborious Brazilian oddity

[Red-Barracuda · 3/10 · 30 January 2013]

José Mojica Marins (a.k.a. Coffin Joe) is something of a hit and miss director for me. Sometimes his brand of low budget horror surrealism works pretty well but on other occasions the results are somewhat tedious. Strange Hostel of Naked Pleasures falls into this latter category sadly. It begins brightly enough though with an extended scene of a strange ceremony where Marins character is resurrected from the dead. There are dancing women, drumming men, weird imagery and avant-garde music throughout. The whole segment has a real demented rhythm to it. It turns out, however, that this opening sequence is the best part in the entire movie. After it, the action shifts to a hostel run by Marin's character. More specifically to events surrounding one stormy night. The hostel takes in several guests, including a group of hippies, corrupt gambling businessmen and an adulterous couple. It seems that uncle Joe is some kind of extreme supernatural moralist and he sets about killing his amoral guests.

This sounds all well and good but the problem is that it's all a bit tiresome in reality. Sure it's weird and surreal but it's also dull. It's the latter factor that's the big problem here. The pacing's not too great, which is admittedly a Marins trait in general but there is a lot of unnecessary repetition such as the silly hippy orgy where the same shots are seen over and over and the chant 'Everybody naked! Great!' is repeatedly seemingly endlessly. Otherwise, scenes drag out and the constant atonal music makes it even more unbearable. It's got its moments but overall it's hard work getting through this one.

Naked, great!

[mamis62 · 1/10 · 1 February 2009]

While watching this movie, my doorbell rang. I ran to the door, hoping it was Coffin Joe there to show me MY death, thereby saving me from watching the rest of this awful movie. Alas, it was the pizza guy, and he didn't have a gun that shot sparkles. I gave him a twenty and told him to keep the change, but he didn't say anything profound like "the change shall be kept, but the change kept within your soul will be your change", or anything. He just said, "thanks." What a bummer. Last time I order from that place.

Anyway, I wanted to watch until the end, but that orgy scene - the LEAST erotic scene ever shown on film (unless skinny, pale, hairy Brazilian guys in bikini briefs swilling vodka and saying sexy things like "let's make love" turns you on) - caused me to switch off. Honestly, this movie is a LITTLE bit funny...but it drags on for so long that the camp/humor is drained. And it's only 80 minutes! Just awful.

I want my 78 minutes back

[rob-2313 · 2/10 · 30 January 2009]

Wind. Clouds. Nameless actors. Lighting. Thunder. Lighting. Wind. Coffin. Eyeball. Hotel. Lighting. Clouds. Hippies. Thunder. Gamblers. Thunder. Cheaters. Eyeball. Clouds. Lighting. Wind. Lovers. Gamblers. Wind. Clouds. Eyeball. Stupid Dialogue. Clouds. Lighting. Thunder. Eyeball. Hippies. Gamblers. Fake alcoholic. Lovers. Eyeball. Clouds. Lighting. Hotel maid. Mindless drivel. Thunder. Clouds. Cars. Motorcycles. Hippies. Gangsters. Clouds. Thunder. Wind. Hotel. Candles. Naked boobies. Eyeball. Wind. Hotel. Hotel maid. Gamblers. Lovers. Eyeball. Guns. Fireworks. Thunder. Fake blood. Eyeball. Thunder. Clouds. Hotel. Wind. Lighting. Naked Boobies. More fake blood. Stupid Dialogue.

You have just seen the movie.

What is the end of eternity...or what is the real form of God

[JohnSeal · 7/10 · 14 February 2009]

Initially, I thought I was the first person to write a review for this film--but then I realized it seems to be listed twice on IMDb! Ze do Caixao is, of course, no longer a secret in the Anglophone world, and a number of his films have had Region 1 DVD releases. Here's one that hasn't yet...and it's pretty darn good. Strange Hostel of Naked Pleasures features many of the elements you expect from a Jose Mojica Marins production: portentous philosophical musings, naked or semi-naked women, crude special effects, not much plot (though more than in some other Ze do Caixao features), dissonant music, spiders, and lots of the man himself--Coffin Joe--here in a bowler hat for a change! This time the bearded one is hiring people to work for him as receptionists at his fully-booked Strange Hostel--and you can bet they get much more than a pay cheque and a free continental breakfast for their troubles. When hippies ripe for an orgy and a trio of corrupt businessmen check in, sanity checks out--and (in scenes reminiscent of Finis Hominis) the man with the curly fingernails soon looses his wrath on the amoral louts. Beware the eyes that hypnotize!

The weirdest movie I've ever seen

[aztrshbyz · 2/10 · 6 July 2017]

This film was my introduction to José Mojica Marins. I don't know that I'm interested in seeing any of his other works after watching this one. My understanding is that the coffin Joe movies might be worth a watch, but unless I really have nothing better to do, I will likely pass.

In this movie, the uni-browed proprietor of the hostel also is a philosopher, but not a good one unfortunately. It got rather old quickly. He likes to talk in riddles. He has a variety of guests show up at his hotel, including gamblers, couples, biker hippies and others. The hippies decide to have an orgy, however, I will say that those are some of the ugliest women I have ever seen - everybody naked, not so great.

"The Strange Hostel of Naked Pleasures' is not really a horror film although parts have a horror feel. It doesn't really have a plot per se, and it seems that it was going for some sort of arty feel. To me, it was just strange. If IMDb had ratings for absolute weirdness, this one would get a 10 for sure. If close ups of eyeballs is your thing, you'll find plenty of that here. The soundtrack was also odd and quite jarring in places (Hallelujah Chorus, anyone?).

The print I saw was choppy, however, this might have been intentional when taken in context with the rest of the movie. It is also subtitled, but it appears that some lines didn't translate over well. They didn't make any sense but that might be intentional too.

I'd recommend a pass unless you are looking for a truly weird and rather boring film - even then, you may not find it worth your while. If you are looking for a good horror film, for sure give it a pass.

Horror

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 14 August 2023]

This film begins with dancing women, native Brazilian drummers and an old man who chants over a coffin which opens to reveal...begins chanting over a closed coffin. The coffin opens and a man rises. Zé do Caixão! Coffin Joe!

At an isolated inn - "Hospedaria dos Prazeres" (Hostel of Pleasures) - the owner (Jose Mojica Marins, who is also Coffin Joe) turns away some and allows others already in the guest book to stay. Those without a place to stay are enraged, as after all, there's a storm outside. Yet he has room for hedonistic Hell's Angels, a couple sneaking out on their respective partners, a man ready to kill himself, gamblers out to bankrupt someone and criminals escaping their last robbery.

When they wake up in the morning, all of the clocks and their watches are set to midnight. That's because they're all in Hell and the absence of time is one of the many things they must deal with, as well as having to watch their deaths again and again. The owner warns them all that they don't want to see his evil side - Coffin Joe.

One of the rich men who argued about getting to stay the night before leads the police to the hotel. In its place is a graveyard, where we eventually see the owner. As the camera zooms in, his face is replaced by a skull with bleeding eye sockets.

This is a Cinema da Boca do Lixo (Mouth of Garbage films), called that because they were made in that downtown neighborhood of São Paulo, Brazil. These films - Killed the Family and Went to the Movies, The Red Light Bandit, Awakening of the Beast - are down and dirty exploitation films that are close to American exploitation of the 70s with sex and violence often in equal measure.

This is worth watching just for the opening speech from Coffin Joe: "Live to die or die to live? Is there an answer? No! Only doubts! Only deductions... Only the conviction of emptiness... of loneliness... the desperate search for the whole and the nothing in the vastness of the dark. The unveiling of this enigma would be the end of the mystery. The end of the secret of eternity. The apogee of happiness. The mission is accomplished! Men would be facing his biggest conquest... the awakening of his own origin."

Great title; not-so-great film.

[BA_Harrison · 3/10 · 14 June 2015]

The Strange Hostel of Naked Pleasures opens with a bizarre ritual: a coffin, some bongo players, topless men in a mosh pit, several women in their underwear performing crap dance moves, and deformed creatures (men in unconvincing rubber masks) wailing like banshees while lightning strikes. After what seems like an eternity, the coffin opens and out pops Zé do Caixão (José Mojica Marins), who stands there while his cape and hat (a natty bowler, rather than a top hat) appear out of thin air. Then Zé begins to spout his usual line of dreary philosophy while balls of black modelling clay on wires pass by, and the viewer asks themselves 'Why did they have to bring him back?' and 'What am I doing wasting my life watching this rubbish?'.

So what does Zé do next? Why, he enters the hospitality industry of course, setting up an inn for passing strangers, of which there seems to be plenty: before long, his rooms are full of gamblers, hippies, corrupt businessmen, jewel thieves and lovers, none of whom are put off by their creepy host. The gamblers gamble, the lovers get smoochy, the businessmen make dodgy deals, the jewel thieves check out their haul, and the hippies conduct an orgy just like the one in Marins' earlier surreal oddity End of Man, repeatedly chanting 'Everybody naked, great!' while they strip off—all of which proves tedious in the extreme.

After much surreal strangeness (animals and insects dying, a clock with a beating heart, a burning veil over the camera lens), the not-entirely-unexpected twist ending reveals that all of the guests are actually ghosts, having met with violent deaths before they arrived, that the inn is, in reality, a cemetery, and that the innkeeper is Death (Zé's face transforming into a skull with blood dripping from the eye sockets). Yawn!

3/10 for Marins' hilarious pearls of wisdom, which include: 'There is no redemption for those who want to be blinder than the blind one having his sight to see' and 'The one who searches for the beginning of the end will find an end with no beginning'. Right you are!

"Everybody Naked! Great!"... Not So Great, Actually.

[Witchfinder-General-666 · 2/10 · 27 November 2010]

Generally speaking, I am a fan of the iconic Brazilian Horror filmmaker José Mojica Marins and his most famous creation and alter ego Zé do Caixão aka. Coffin Joe. I liked the first two Coffin Joe films "À Meia-Noite Levarei Sua Alma" ("At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul") and "Esta Noite Encarnarei no Teu Cadáver" ("This Night I Will Possess Your Corpse") (both from 1964) and I absolutely loved the third film "O Estranho Mundo de Zé do Caixão" ("The Strange World of Coffin Joe") of 1968, which is a morbid anthology in which the eponymous gravedigger only gives an introduction. The fourth (sorta) Coffin Joe feature "O Ridual Dos Sádicos" ("Awakening of the Beast", 1970) already bored me, and I regret to say that I hated this film. "A Estranha Hospedaria dos Prazeres" aka. "The Strange Hostel of Naked Pleasures" (1976) is an insufferably boring affair that is not saved by its unintentional (?) fun-factor, since it just drags and drags way too slowly to be fun to watch. After a never-ending bizarre sequence in the beginning, Zé Do Caixão is apparently not looking for a woman to bear him a son any longer, but has opened a hostel in which, naturally, strange things are going on...

Seriously, "The Strange Hostel of Naked Pleasures" is an excruciatingly tiresome affair. The orgy scene in which a bunch of people in red speedos are yelling "Everybody Naked! Great" for about ten minutes must be one of the least erotic sex scenes ever filmed. A few outburst of morbidity are not nearly enough to make the film watchable. The first three Coffin Joe films (especially the third) were incredibly macabre and controversial for their time. This one really isn't. I have no idea why this is labeled an "Adult" film on IMDb; there is no pornography involved, the film isn't more explicit than any other 70s Exploitation film. I seriously hope that the four remaining films in my 9-film Coffin Joe DVD-Box are going to be better than this one, and preferably more like the first three. 2.5 out of 10 for the cult-value. Overall, one to avoid.

Strange Hostel of Naked Pleasures

[Michael_Elliott · 22 January 2009]

Strange Hostel of Naked Pleasures, The (1976)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

Brazilian horror film has Jose Mojica Marins, the man behind Coffin Joe, running a hostel where a mixed group of people, ranging from hippies to gamblers, show up with nightmarish events to follow. I've heard some call this a Coffin Joe film but I don't see it as such since Marins' character, the hostel owner, is never called that nor is it ever implied that he's Coffin Joe. With that said, I found the film pretty hard to get through for a variety of reasons but the biggest being the dialogue. It really seemed like they were going for some type of Bob Dylan like lyrics because Marins' character is constantly coming up with various sayings, which are meant to be thought provoking but they left me wanting to laugh. After a while these sayings stop being funny and instead just come off as lame and this is what happened to the film as it kept going. For the most part we've got a twenty-minute movie spread out to 78-minutes and that means we get a bunch of scenes, which just replay over and over. This includes one of the dumbest orgy sequences I've ever seen where the hippies are just passing around bottles of vodka while canting an incredibly stupid line about getting naked. The final twenty-minutes is when the violence starts to kick up and we get countless more lines trying to be deep. I'm really not sure what the killings were about since the lines are so dumb but we get a wide range of events with a couple nice sequences. One such sequence is when a man is shot in the head only to have firework sparks come out before the screen turns all red in blood. We have other scenes involving the likes of a snake and crab but these add to very little. The entire movie is strange as you might expect and there's a certain level of atmosphere, especially the first ten minutes, but in the end the movie is just too dull to really work. Fans of the bizarre or surreal will want to check this out but others should certainly stay clear. Original title: A Estranha Hospedaria dos Prazeres.