Carnival of Souls (1962)

Director:

Herk Harvey

Writer:

John Clifford (screen story)

Release Date:

2 November 1962 (Finland)

Genre:

Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

She Was A Stranger Among The Living.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Dancing | Ghost | Organ | Car Crash | Fairground

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

Also Known As:

Corridors of Evil (USA)

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:

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

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Harcourt Productions

Trivia:

This film was shot on location in Salt Lake City, Utah, and in Lawrence, Kansas, with interior shots at the Centron Studios in Lawrence. Centron was an industrial film company, producing industrial and educational films and "social guidance" short subjects in the 1950s into the 1960s. Most of this film's technical staff, including director Herk Harvey and screenwriter John Clifford, were Centron employees.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: Many of the long shots were looped in the crowd scene following the accident, and other shots were dubbed with the audio track from other shots with which they were intercut. The audio and the mouth movements of the actors drift in and out of sync across the various shots in this scene.

Quotes:

John Linden: That's just what I need! Get mixed up with some girl who's off her rocker!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "TCM Underground: Carnival of Souls (#1.24)" (2007)

Fascinating, Influential Only Feature By Herk Harvey

Herk Harvey toiled away for over a decade in educational and

industrial films before taking a chance on filming a feature length

movie in the Fall of 1961. He gathered backers from Lawrence,

Kansas, used a graduate film student (Sandy Berger) to cast the

lead (Candace Hilligoss), and filmed the movie during a three

week vacation period. The center set piece was the abandoned

Saltair amusement park in Utah, which has its own mysterious

history. The story goes that Harvey was traveling home to

Lawrence, Kansas on business and came upon the Saltair

amusement park from afar, stopped, became fascinated by it, and

then returned with the idea of making a horror movie featuring it.

He approached his colleague John Clifford to write the script and

Carnival Of Souls was born. Often cited as an influence on

Directors George A. Romero and David Lynch, Carnival Of Souls is

an eerie film about what happens when a young girl emerges from

what looks to be certain death. Herk Harvey creates a spooky little

chiller that draws us in right from the beginning. The black and

white cinematography is Bergmanesque in construction with

inventive camera angles and an ethereal feel. The scenes that

come to mind are the ones in the organ factory and the

amusement park pavilion. Gene Moore's music on the organ may

be one of the most unique soundtracks ever created, especially for

a horror film; it adds immeasurably to the moody atmosphere. The

make-up effects are also very effective,considering the film is in

black and white. The film relies on its Twilight Zone-like ability to

make everyday people, places, and activities seem suspect. The

acting by Candace Hilligoss is very good for such a low budget

production, and reportedly she didn't know what her character's

motivation was throughout the filming; Harvey's intent was to

maintain a look of confusion on Hilligoss' face. This is very evident

in retrospect, and is the main reason why the audience identifies

with her so easily. For a film that had to be edited so quickly, with

an entire reel of film being lost by the developer, there are very few

technical errors. Although the film is somewhat predictable

eventually, it still remains a fascinating, influential, original work of

horror outside the Hollywood mainstream. Unfortunately, this was

the only feature film Herk Harvey made due to the fact that he was

never paid by the distributors, who went out of business. Today it

has become a cult item among horror film buffs. Quite an

achievement for an industrial filmmaker from Lawrence, Kansas. 3

of 4 stars.