Carnival of Souls (1962)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Herk Harvey

Writer:

John Clifford (written by)

Release Date:

2 November 1962 (Finland)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

She Was A Stranger Among The Living.

Plot:

After a traumatic accident, a woman becomes drawn to a mysterious abandoned carnival.

Plot Keywords:

Bridge | Spirit | Salt Lake City Utah | Fairground | Death

Cast

Candace Hilligoss	...	Mary Henry
Frances Feist	...	Mrs. Thomas, Landlady
Sidney Berger	...	John Linden
Art Ellison	...	Minister
Stan Levitt	...	Dr. Samuels
Tom McGinnis	...	Organ Factory Boss
Forbes Caldwell	...	Organ Factory Worker
Dan Palmquist	...	Gas Station Attendant
Bill de Jarnette	...	Mechanic (as Bill De Jarnette)
Steve Boozer	...	Chip, Man at Juke Box
Pamela Ballard	...	Dress Sales Lady
Larry Sneegas	...	Drag Racer
Cari Conboy	...	Lake Zombie
Karen Pyles	...	Dress Store Customer
T.C. Adams	...	Dancing Zombie

Runtime:

78 min | 91 min (original version) | USA:84 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) (1991) | Canada:AA (Ontario) (1990) | USA:Approved (original rating) | Canada:G (Quebec) (1997) | USA:PG (re-release) (1990) | Canada:R (Manitoba) (2002) | UK:X (original rating) | Finland:(Banned) (original rating) (1962) | Finland:K-18 (re-rating) (1962) | Germany:12 | UK:12 (DVD re-rating) | UK:12 (re-rating) (2009) | Australia:PG | Norway:16 | UK:15 (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Centron Studios - 1621 W 9th Street, Lawrence, Kansas, USA

Company:

Harcourt Productions

Trivia:

Star Candace Hilligoss's agent refused to represent her any further after seeing Carnival of Souls.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the scene where Mary is first in the doctor's office her arm is on the desk, then in the next shot it's on the arm chair.

Quotes:

Minister: Profane! Sacrilege!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: I Was a Teenage Werewolf (#9.9)" (1997)

Between Two Worlds

While driving her car with two girlfriends, the driver is challenge to a drag race and falls off a bridge over a river. When it seems that the girls have drowned and there are no survivors, Mary Henry (Candace Hilligoss) surprisingly leaves the water. A couple of days later, she drives to another town to work as organist in a church despite not being religious. While driving, she has visions of weird people. When she arrives, she moves to a room in the pension owned by Mrs. Thomas (Frances Feist). However Mary is haunted by spirits and is frequently drawn to a nearby abandoned carnival, where she discloses a dark secret.

"Carnival of Souls" is a sort of episode of "Twilight Zone", with an intriguing tale of a woman that survives a tragic accident and is haunted by souls, trapped between the world of the living and the dead. The use of shadows and the make-up are really scary and the creepy story works well but could be a little shorter; furthermore the conclusion is predictable. . My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): Not Available