Customer Reviews

Carnival of Souls [VHS]

5 star:		(124)
4 star:		(55)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

The merits of this film are obvious enough to simply summarize: it is the one and only original shoestring budget classic. No, the plot isn't original, but that hasn't stopped others from picking it up and running with it, sometimes in different directions, and sometimes even more successfully (see "Jacob's Ladder" for a deeper, and darker, take). But I doubt that ANYone ANYwhere has made a better film for less money; as someone below wrote, ""Blair Witch", eat your heart out."

And then to have it released on a Criterion DVD, well, it just doesn't get any better than that! OK, we may not need TWO versions, .... And the second DVD isn't just a filler: you get anything and everything you could think of associated with the movie, including "now and then" visits to the film sites, a great hour-long tribute, a history of the film company, stills, probably more than all but the most compulsive fan would want but you won't feel as though you've gotten short-changed! As always, the real reason we love Criterion is the quality of their prints - they are simply THE BEST you are going to see. Anyone who has seen this film on one of its numerous cheapie incarnations on VHS will be ecstatic with this version - you won't believe how superior the picture quality is.

I have to say "get this now, before it's discontinued". This edition can NOT be bettered; you will NEVER EVER see a better version of this classic sleeper.

Now, Criterion, when are you going to release Robert Wise's "The Haunting", hmmmm?

Carnival of Souls is an old B-film that you might have seen on old Saturday night horror shows. As Herk Harvey (the director) said, this film was shot on a budget that wouldn't have sustained the opening moments of Back To The Future. However, this film is able to sustain a creepy and oppressive atmosphere throughout, and that is the major achievement. Even though I knew when every "scary" moment was coming, and I guessed the ending 20 minutes before the film actually ended, that knowledge didn't ruin it for me. That's how strong the movie is, that you can enjoy the film even if you knew everything about it. The acting is stiff and the dialogue is often stilted, but that just adds to the strange and dark atmosphere of the film. And the Criterion release is a real gem. Two discs, the first has the theatrical release of the film, and the second has the director's cut. The film looks incredible. I've yet to see such an old and cheaply made movie look so good. And the extras are also great. Documentaries, outtakes, interviews, and oh, that organ music. If you're a fan of horror, you must own this film. If you're a film buff, you must own it. If you're a DVD afficionado, you must own it. If you're just looking for a good movie to watch on a Saturday night, then please, choose this one. It delivers.

Yes, some of the acting is very bad. Yes, some of the sound is not in sync with the picture (a quality, in my mind, which adds to the "out of body" atmosphere.) And yes, some times the organ only sound track can wear a little thin (even though, for the most part, it makes the film.) Yes, this movie has some flaws. That's because it's shot on a budget of $30,000. By guys who made hygeine films for a living. Who also didn't have the cash to pay professional actors. All of these detials are completely unimportant.
To fully experience this film, you have to discover it in the way most of its fans do. On a TV set, in the early hours of the morning, alone, with the volume at an almost non-exsistent level. And it also doesn't hurt to be half way asleep. The scene in which Mary glances "The Man's" face in the window will jolt you awake like nothing else.
Some personal favourite moments: The above mentioned scene in the window of the car. The organ playing scenes ("Profanity! Sacralige!") The scenes in which Mary loses all contact with the world of the living (these sequences caused me nightmares.) Candace Hiligos (a great performance, comparable to the best silent film acting.) And of course, the final "dance of the dead."

Carnival of Souls aka "Corridors of Evil", is a crowning jewel in American Cinema. Despite the low budget and poor film quality, this 1962 masterpiece stands as a cult more than 40 years after it's release. Candice Hilligoss' fine performance will overwhelm you as she portrays a character caught in a purgatory between life and death. Her beauty alone will strike the viewer in a way few actresses can. Her physical acting, facial gestures, and line delivery will leave you wondering why this woman did not become a household name like Marilyn Monroe or Raquel Welch.

The story is as simple as it is complex. A woman is an innocent passenger in a car that gets into a drag race with some teenage thugs. The result is her car going over a bridge into a fast running, sandy river. As she crawls out of the wreckage covered in mud, the viewer thinks she has survived, but has she?

Ms. Hilligoss' character is a musician, an organist to be exact who takes a job as a church organist in Salt Lake City, Utah. As she begins her journey she is terrified of images of a phantom of sorts who seems to be seeking her out. Anyone who has driven for an average of twelve hours straight can tell you that driving can take its toll, and the mind can play tricks on a sleepy driver. However, after she checks into her room, she finds the same phantom lurking in the window, then in the hallway. Who is this creature, what does he want, where is he from?

The main point of the film is not horror, but human nature. Are we all alone in this world? Is everyone an island unto themselves. The lesson is thrown upon our character by a minister, a psychologist, and a would be male suitor. They all try to help her in their own way (except the suitor who is only interested in her for a chance to have sex). But our character waves a hand at them all, convinced that she can do it her own way. She is an independent woman who needs no man or companionship; a view that may have gone against society's thinking in 1962.

The male suitor (or 'just your normal guy' as he likes to call himself) is an obnoxious oaf to say the least. His headstrong pursuit of her is only his own selfish desire to have her. He's not an alcoholic he claims, yet he drinks at dawn. He quit college because he doesn't like to learn. This is not an ideal resume for a long term relationship for her or any other woman. When she is truly frightened by the visiting spectre, and she reaches out to him as a last resort for help, he runs. Not wanting to get involved, he was only interested in her for her body and his own sexual desire. Yet another lesson in this film for all the young ladies who care to pay attention.

As the story goes on Candace's soul seems to deteriorate. She slips in and out of reality and a strange sort of parallel world. This dimension looks the same as real life, but she cannot be seen or heard. The department store dressing room for example, shows how the lost spirit must learn that she is no longer of this world, but now belongs in the spirit world, where yet another companion awaits her.

Who is this man that haunts her in visions? We see at the end of the film that they are to be together forever. In the final seen where we see Candace's peek at her after-life. She screams in horror as the ghosts dance eternally as the haunt the carnival. She is finally captured by the ghosts and is spirited away. The police and minister are confused and baffled as her footprints and final body print leads nowhere. The minister gives a knowing look as if he has known all along, but says nothing.

The minister must have known there was something wrong with his new organist when he first met and eventually fired her. She had not the soul of a musician, she only had a knowledge for music. She was told this too by the organ builder in the beginning of the film. When she is possessed in the church and her true musician ship comes out as she plays without control, that is her true spirit, but the misinster fires her for 'blasphony'.

This film cannot be watched once and dismissed. It deserves to be watched over and over again. It is a timeless movie where something seems new every time you watch it. I applaud you 'Carnival of Souls'. One of the greatest movies ever made.

Gallons of ink have been devoted, (justifiably) to this film. But few have perhaps paid sufficient due to the cinematographer, Maurice Prather.

Mr. Prather aids and abets the script at every turn in his rendering of Miss Hilligoss's (in the role of Mary Henry) isolation from those around her. From his crow's nest shots of her wandering through the deserted carnival to the scenes of her lone sedan traversing the twilight prairie highway, he unfailingly delivers a picture of un-peopled vastness--a vastness that cannot be breached by human or psychic outreach.

And that is what this film is really about--Mary Henry's inability to accept the fact that she has already departed from the world she continues to haunt.

Ultimately she knows, (as does her personal Charon--the Carnival Ghoul) that she must be reclaimed--and it is in her persistent refusal to yield to his summons, from which the conflict and tension of the film springs.

This is perhaps revealed most disquietingly in a scene near the beginning of the film, when the minister accompanies her to take a look at the abandoned carnival--but refuses to accompany her across the barricade. Thus, though the visit is without ostensible horrific incident--it concludes with a silhouette of the Carnival Ghoul dropping his head in resignation from behind a gated doorway inside the pavilion, while at the very same moment, Miss Hilligoss, (seemingly safe in a car already miles away) is stabbed with a sudden deja vu--reflected with a rueful knowing in her eyes--one of many brilliant moments in a film brimming with them.

And it should not merely be to the cognoscente that such an inevitable moment as this, terrifies far more meaningfully, than any knife wielding Friday the 13th slasher might.

As to Mr. Prather, note how similar are the contrast and tone levels he uses to depict the vast American mid-western landscapes under over-cast skies, to that used by Sven Nykvist in Bergman's "Winter Light." Though the Bergman film is set in Sweden--surely the similarity is not coincidental.


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"Carnival of Souls" (the 1962 original, not the 1998 direct to video piece of crap called "Carnival of Souls"), although maybe not the best or most well known horror film ever made, is certainly one of the most creepy and unsettling movies I have ever seen.

The film is about a young, pretty woman who, after having "died" in a car accident, finds herself being stalked by a pale, ghost-like figure who comes to her in nightmarish otherworldly visions of desperation and despair.

"Carnival of Souls" is a cinematic wonder that just goes to show that you don't need a big name score composer, a big time director and cast, or a huge budget to make a good movie. This is a true-to-form 1960's, black and white, B grade horror film that sets out to do one thing and one thing only, shock the living daylights out of the person viewing it. It may not be the best movie ever made, and at times it can be quite corny and over-acted, but those factors only add to the nostalgic quality of the film.

To sum it all up, "Carnival of Souls" is a true horror movie gem that should not be missed by die hard fans of the genre (or anybody for that matter).

By the way, just in case your reading this review and wondering exactly how chilling this movie could actually possibly be, George Romero once said that "Carnival of Souls" was constantly on his mind while directing the original 1968 horror classic "Night of the Living Dead".

This dvd has several good features. You can choose to watch the film in black and white or colorized, with Mike Nelson's(MST3K)commentary or without. Mike's commentary is pretty much the same kind of commentary as was typical for the MST3K movies - and it runs throughout the film. Some extra info is included about the film and also the original movie trailers. The colorization is not bad, although you can tell it's been colorized because of the flatness of the colors. The black and white is scarier, I think, because in color the carnival souls look about as frightening as Brain Guy from MST3K.
This movie was made in the early '60's and it is remarkably similar in plotline to a Twilght Zone episode entitled "The Hitch-hiker." After being in a car wreck, a young woman drives cross-country to take a job as a church organist in Utah. She passes an eerie Mormon amusement park which has been closed down and is strangely drawn to it. Throughout the film she notices something is wrong!~ But what can it be? I won't give away what happens for those who haven't seen it yet.
Mike's best line: "It's a bad sign when your creepy new landlady tells you to take all the baths you want."

I had the great pleasure of seeing Carnival of Souls in its theatrical re-release in the mid-90s. Having seen it on video beforehand, I had some idea of what atmosphere the film created for the viewer. Seeing it in the theatre though was a completely spooky experience! Though the film may not be shocking or especially terrifying by today's standards, it still holds it own as an outre masterpiece of suspense.

A thousand THANK-YOUs to Criterion for bringing it to DVD. What a great package to have both cuts of the film, plus all the extra features (especially the extended montage of outtakes set to that bone-chilling soundtrack!) The documentary featuring the cast reunion is another bonus, as is the very interesting history of the SaltAir Resort from which Herk Harvey took his inspiration for the story.

The film is timeless in its use of stark black-and white, and light and dark to convey the extreme isolation felt by Candace Hilligoss' character, Mary the church organist. The soundtrack is quite eerie and used so effectively.

It is obvious how many "horror" films have been influenced by Carnival of Souls, in particular NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD by George Romero. The jerky/choppy editing style, the b/w photography, hysterical/hyperkinetic acting are all mirrored by so many present-day films. CARNIVAL is and always will be a unique piece of film-making. The excellent presentation on DVD shows it to its best advantage.

6 stars out of 5!!!

I love this film. It is dark, creepy, and the characters are so believable especially the side characters, like the Head of the Organ making company and the doctor. These people didn't look like actors, they looked like average, ordinary people. I truly cannot say enough good things about this film, except that I consider it a masterpiece. I own this film about 3 times over on various DVD packs. This particular one I have rented but I don't own. Dispite what traditionalist may say, I like the optional color, just to see what it looks like, but the black and white is far more beautiful. This is not only a erie, creepy film, it is beautiful. Also the star of the film, supposedly dissappeard after this film was made and never made another movie. I don't know if this is true, but the myth just adds to the mystique of this film. THIS FILM IS A MUST HAVE IN YOUR HORROR MOVIE COLLECITON, any version you can get. I sure would love to watch this film with commentary
I would put this movie up with any modern day horror film or any film period. This film should be studied in film school along with the short films of Maya Deren.

This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film

This film is one of the best known of classic horror films of th early 1960's. This film has hitchcockian elements and even can remind one of Shyamalan's film, "The Sixth Sense"

The story follows a young Kansas woman who survives a tracic car accident, she later moves to Salt Lake City Utah to be a church orgainist (at a non-Mormon chruch.) While driving there, she passes the old Saltair resort, recently abandoned. She feels an overwhelming compulsion to go closer but does not yet do so. She later has visions of a man who seems to be caling her to the resort. Later she enters an unusual state of mind where noone else can see or hear her. I don't want to say anything else as it would be a spoiler. The movie is filmed on location at the Saltair pavilion. At the time it held the largest indoor ballroom ever built. It since was destroyed by fire but another was built and later flooded.

The film has many special features.

2 versions of the film. The theatrical version and the Director's cut. The director's cut has optional partial length audio interviews with some of the film crew.

Disc 1 has
An illustrated history of the Saltair resort on the lake shore. Theatrical trailer, Outtakes of filming, a vidoe update on filming locations, and a documentary on the 1989 reunion of cast & crew.

Disc 2 has
Interviews with members of the cast and crew, and an Essay on the film's production comapny, Centron.

It also has 5 short documentary films made by the movie's production company Centron.

Star 34; A docudrama about tourism in Kansas

Signals: Read 'em or Weep; a saftey film for the Caterpillar Tractor company

To Touch a Child; a documentary about the school system in Flint Michigan.

Jamaica, Hati, and the Lesser Antilles; a documentary film on the afforementioned countries.

Korea: Overview; a documentary film on Korean culture.

This DVD set was one of the most comprehensive released by Criterion at the time of it's release.