Carnival of Souls (1962) Review

Title: Carnival of Souls
Year: 1962
Director: Herk Harvey
Country: US
Language: English

Carnival of Souls was shot in three weeks for about $30,000: one week at Saltair, an abandoned amusement park, and two weeks in Lawrence, Kansas, where the filmmakers—who never had or would make another feature—were based. The film went largely unnoticed by critics upon its release, though would receive far more acclaim a couple of decades later. It has since become regarded by many film schools as a classic; Roger Ebert claimed it was "like a lost episode of The Twilight Zone". 

After a traumatic accident, a woman (Candace Hilligloss) becomes drawn to a mysterious abandoned carnival.

Indeed Carnival of Souls certainly has the atmosphere of a creepy 1950's Twilight Zone episode. With its original organ score, by composer Gene Moore, the picture is quite eerie throughout its run-time. The disorienting dream sequences give this the feel of a silent German expressionist picture like Nosferatu (1922) or Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). There is no doubt that what we are viewing was inspired by past art. 

The world that is encompassed by the camera appears both normal and somehow wrong. The surreal camera-work takes on on a journey that is both poetic and haunting. Admittedly the acting is a bit hammed up and the editing could be better, but what they have done with a paper-thin budget is impressive. Carnival of Souls transcends its budget limitations and gives us a unique story that will have new audiences thinking about the picture for plenty more years. 

Fans of cult, surrealist, art and horror films will likely be impressed. I enjoyed the fact that I could be creeped out by a picture despite it not using any blood or gore. Carnival of Souls deserves its newfound reputation.