The purpose of this thesis is to insert the character Ze do Caixao in the international horror film tradition. This will be done by investigating the characteristics of horror cinema in Brazil in the light consecrated examples of horror films taken from German Expressionism and classic horror from Universal Studios. This work will engage with six films produced by director Jose Mojica Marins in which the character Ze do Caixao appears: A Meia Noite Levarei sua Alma (1964), Esta Noite Encarnarei no teu Cadaver (1967) Ideo/ogia (1968), 0 Despertar da 8esta (1970), Delfrios de um Anormal (1978) and Encarna~ao do Demonto (2008). The work presented here examines the historical conditions that produced an icon like Ze do caixao. The films are read against different backgrounds with the aim of seeing how the character was created and developed within his original context. This thesis analyses the director's associations with circo mambembe and its influence on his artistic identity and film aesthetic, his alternative methods of production and marketing strategies, and the symbiotic relation between 'creator' and 'creature'. It also discusses the film-maker's metaphorical representation of Brazilian culture and reality which employed elements from the codified universe of early horror films and Gothic literature to respond to soclohistorical events taking place in Brazil from the mid-1960s. Close readings of Ze do Calxao's films demonstrate how the portrayal of violent scenes is linked to torture practices during the 1964 - 1978 period of military regime in Brazilian history. Moreover, it investigates Ze do Caixao's transposition into media such as comic books, television and literatura de cordel, emphasising how the character's transition into other media was crucial for the consolidation of his fame, but prevented the development of his saga. These chapters also discuss how the emergence of horror comics in Brazil during the 1950s may have contributed to the development of a character like Ze do Caixao. This case study provides an outline of possible characteristics of the horror film genre in Brazil and a framework of analysis for future research in the area. As film-maker and character enter the global market by means of subtitled releases of the 'Coffin Joe' films, these films become consumption items and the identification of certain specific cultural, national and historical features in the films become less discernible. This thesis addresses these cross-cultural matters by highlighting Brazilian socio-cultural elements.