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Features: DVD
As the sole survivor of an automobile accident, Candace Hilligoss (Curse Of The Living Corpse) finds herself trapped between the lands of the living and the dead, in this uniquely effective horror film. Traveling to Utah, where she has taken a job as a church organist, Mary Henry (Hilligoss) is stalked by the spectral figure of The Man (industrial filmmaker Herk Harvey, who also produced and directed). She experiences several terrifying episodes in which no one will acknowledge her existence, and is inexplicably drawn to an abandoned amusement park, where she sees herself dancing with The Man. Shot in Lawrenceville, Kansas, reportedly for less that $100,000, this hallucinatory cult classic weaves its own unforgettable spell with a haunting score, eerie atmosphere, and surreal, nightmarish imagery.
"Imaginative low-budget effort. Filmed mostly in Lawrence, Kansas. Has developed a strong cult reputation in recent years. " Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide
Editor's Note
Made in 1962 on an extremely low budget, Herk Harvey's classic CARNIVAL OF SOULS has become legendary for its ability to create a tensely creepy atmosphere with virtually no special effects. A young woman (Candace Hilligoss) is involved in a car crash when her car falls off a bridge while drag racing with some friends. After she pulls herself from the river, she moves to a new town to take a job as a church organist. Meanwhile, a distinctly eerie and hollow-faced man seems to be following her wherever she goes, while an abandoned lakeside amusement park beckons her with an almost gravitational pull. The effective organ score enhances the film to great effect, as do the bleak landscapes of Utah's salt flats.
Plot Summary
The first feature from Harvey, who had previously made industrial and promotional films for the Centron Corporation in Lawrence, Kansas, CARNIVAL OF SOULS developed a cultlike following despite being rarely screened for nearly thirty years. The TWILIGHT ZONE-esque tale of a woman who is in a car crash, only to find herself being pursued by spirits, the film's strength is its ability to sustain a very disturbing atmosphere with little more than some makeup, an eerie organ score and spare black-and-white photography. Harvey achieved his stated mission: for the film to have the "look of a Bergman" and the "feel of a Cocteau."
| Features | Interactive Menus | | Scene Access | | Audio: English Dolby Digital Mono |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Goodtimes |
| Release Date: 9/4/2002 |
| Running Time: 87 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1962 | | Catalog ID: 05-81387 | | UPC: 00018713813879 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: B&W |
Aspect Ratio | | 4:3 |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | New York Times
"...Cult horror....Carries an eerie chill..."| 07/19/1989 p.C14Los Angeles Times
"...A genuinely creepy movie....In its own quietly lurid way, CARNIVAL OF SOULS is a sophisticated piece of character psychology..." 04/20/1990 p.F6 USA Today
"...This black-belt cult item feels a lot like a vintage Twilight Zone episode..." 05/19/1990 p.3D Find-A-Video 8 of 10
Filmed in shadowy black and white, the film's visual power--which set precedent for such chillers as Night Of The Living Dead, etc.--evokes an undeniably menacing and twisted tone. Carnival Of Souls takes us back to an era when the horror genre probed the supernatural with an eye to the psyche and spirit rather than indulging in the gut-bucket gore which assaults moviegoers today.
The New Yorker 8 of 10
Has the power to detach you from your surroundings and put you in the middle of its distinctive nowhere. - Terrence Rafferty
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