A self-styled psychiatrist assembles a panel of doctors to present supposed LSD-fueled experiments, using real drug addicts as volunteers in a pseudo-documentary setup. As the film shifts from black-and-white into vivid, hallucinatory color, each subject recounts surreal visions of sex, violence, and perversion under the looming presence of Coffin Joe. The twist reveals no drugs were administered—the horrors were a product of suggestion—turning the critique of drug hysteria into a surreal exploration of mass delusion.
Selected disc options for Awakening of the Beast
| Extras | Arrow BD-ALL/US 2024 | Fantoma DVD-1/US/OOP 2001 | Mondo Macabro DVD-2 PAL/UK/OOP 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audio Commentary by Actor/Director/Writer José Mojica Marins, Paulo Duarte and Carlos Primati | has extra | ||
| A Woman for Joe: The Gender Politics of Coffin Joe - Video Essay by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas | has extra | ||
| The Making of “Awakening of the Beast” - Interview with Actor/Director/Writer José Mojica Marins | has extra | ||
| The Strange Mind of Coffin Joe - Interview with Guy Adams | has extra | ||
| Alternate Brazilian Opening Title Sequence | has extra | ||
| Mondo Macabro: “The Nightmares of Coffin Joe” | has extra | ||
| Biography: Actor/Director/Writer José Mojica Marins | has extra | ||
| Theatrical Trailer | has extra | has extra |
Notes
- Arrow’s Blu-ray is included the “Inside the Mind of Coffin Joe” box set with At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul (1964), This Night I Will Possess Your Corpse (1967), The Strange World of Coffin Joe (1968), The End of Man (1971), When the Gods Fall Asleep (1972), The Strange Hostel of Naked Pleasures (1976), Hellish Flesh (1977), Hallucinations of a Deranged Mind (1978) and Embodiment of Evil (2008). It includes a booklet with writing by Kyle Anderson, Tim Lucas, Carlos Primati, Jerome Reuter, Paula Sacramento, and Amy Voorhees Searles; a double-sided fold-out poster; and 12 art cards.
- Fantoma’s DVD includes a 4-page booklet with writing by André Barcinski and a 36-page comic book (“Magia Negra”). It is also available in the “Coffin Joe Trilogy” box set with At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul (1964) and This Night I Will Possess Your Corpse (1967).
~ Have you spotted a mistake or would like to suggest a disc be added? Let us know ~