5/5 The dead warrior in purgatory
  by Michael Rapson
If you were dead but didn't know it, what would you try to do? Return to your regular routines and run like hell from the thought of being dead, of course...and yet, you can't help but be lured back to the source of the mystery, in this case, a derelict carnival site. This black and white so-called "B" movie, apparently made on a shoe-string budget, turns up some interesting philosophical questions about life and death and the nature of reality: whether that was the intention or not is beside the point because I make the connection anyway. The minor flaws, including the girl in the middle seat of the car blinking at the end when she should be dead, certainly don't detract from the mystical and haunting theme. In fact, if you compare it with an acknowledged classic of a different genre like "Dr Strangelove", which was racked with small flaws of many kinds, it is relatively error-free. "Carnival of Souls" is a little gem of a film, which has the atmosphere of a gothic horror, something like in the style of the earlier German impressionist classics, with shades of "The Cabinet of Dr Caligari" and "Nosferatu". However, in "Carnival of Souls", the monster that pursues our doomed heroine is not after her blood, but her hand on the dance floor in the macabre dance of the dead. Some reviewers argue that this film is unoriginal because it is too much like "The Hitchhiker" or "An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge" but there are key differences. for example, the similarity with this film and "The Hitchiker" is cited as being the appearance of the same strange man turning up everwhere. But that's where the similarity ends. In "An Occurence as Owl Creek" Peyton Farquar experiences a kind of hallucination in the instant before he dies. In contrast, Mary Henry in "Carnival of Souls" is already dead when the purgation of her soul commences. Moreover, unlike Peyton, Mary actively avoids returning to her family and loved ones.
In lieu of money for advanced special effects, the director was able to improvise by using simple but clever effects, such as introducing a visual distortion and cutting the sound off to segue into the two dissociation sequences, like rippling water and the silence beneath: note that water/drowning is a motif throughout....then there is the scene in the changerooms where she cannot get out: a reference to being locked in a confined space. The scenario builds gradually and this may disconcert viewers who expect wall-to-wall action. However, the more discerning viewers will appreciate the pacing of the film. In terms of performances, the actors play their parts well enough and do not allow their egos to take charge. There are a few timing issues, but these are hardly noticeable in the broader context. "Carnival of Souls", the original, demonstrates what can be achieved with limited resources, provided the idea is a good one. "Carnival of Souls" was a Trojan Horse: an artistic film shrewdly inserted into the teen shlock horror circuit...the detractors still don't get it. Of course it flopped when it was originally released; it went over nearly everyone's head. Above all, I find its theme, that of an open-ended reality, liberating. In a more contemporary context, another similarly themed film worth checking out is "Jacob's Ladder" starring Tim Robbins, albeit a movie with far too much over-the-top imagery and in-your-face action for my sensibilities.


3/5 Silence is golden, but my eyes still see
  by bernie (Arlington, Texas)
The film starts with a racy scene. Two cars racing over the bridge and one vehicle falls in to a swift river. Three hours later, a dirty Mary surfaces. As A recent "soul" survivor, (maybe), Mary (Candice Hilligoss) plays with other peoples organs. The bulk of the movie is listing to cheap organic sounds as Mary runs around spooked.

Soon Mary believes a man (Herk Harvey, son of Everett and Minnie R. Prewitt Harvey) in shabby zombie make-up is perusing her. She does not mind flirting with cheap drunks, but draws the line at zombies. A ghost of a carnival pavilion by the local lake insidiously draws her to it. She has no clue as to what is happening; but we figured it out when she came out dripping wet and with the movie title.

The film is a bit dated. The dialog is stilted and unnatural; of course, this could be on purpose, as Mary is stilted and unnatural. So what is the excuse for the other so-called actors?

We do get some mystery and intrigue and a new meaning to "The wet head is dead".

Dementia 13



4/5 An Awesome Classic!!!
  by Pumpkin Man
This is a very good creepy movie. It has a classic look to it. A woman named Mary Henry survives a car accident, and after that, she starts seeing a deformed, ghoulish figure,(who directed the movie) Sometimes, it seems like she is dead to the world because she can't hear and no one else can see or hear her. There is one part where we think she is talking to a psychiatrist about what's been happening to her, the doctor's chair turns around and it's really that ghoulish man. Later, she ends up at an abandoned carnival and the ghouls try to take her. I like the colorized version of the film because it makes it better and creepier and realistic! If you love classic horror, you'll love CARNIVAL OF SOULS!!!

5/5 top notch horror classic
  by informednow (cleveland, oh)
This is one of the best horror classics ever. It is a cult film that was never really popular in its time, but has recently resurfaced. It is well worth getting. There is no blood and gore, no sex, no bad language, just atmosphere and suspense. A young church organist is in an auto accident and nearly drowns. Shortly after that she accepts a position in another church. On the way to her new job she passes an old abandoned circus, which she feels strangely drawn to. She is also followed by a creepy man who seems to be tied to the circus. The music in the film is mostly ethreal organ music which helps create the film's tense, other-world atmosphere. My favorite scene is the one in which she is driving and spies the circus building in the distance. The car radio is stuck playing the strange organ music whilethe sun is settingg, and she nearly hits the creepy man. The atmosphere was surreal and the movie maintains this feeling throughout.

The main character is also pursued by one of the most obnoxious suitors in movie history. She accepts his company only because she is afraid of being alone as many strange things continue happen to her, including further sightings of the creepy man, a fugue like state and nightmares. While this may sound a little contrived by todays standards, remember this movie was one of the first and it manages to be convincing even today. The end of the movie was predictable only because it has been done so many times since--but once again this was one of the first.

Hats off to those who made this wonderful film available again. I truly enjoyed it.

4/5 Macabre, creepy and a favorite.
  by Victoria J. Knoll (Where I hang my hat.)
If you call yourself a true horror fan, than this black and white B-movie classic is a must see. Every time I watch this film, it just gets better.

Mary Henry, quiet and severe, is given a second chance at life when a drag car race goes horribly wrong, killing her two friends. With the nightmare and unease of her survival plaguing her, though she refuses to admit any fear or guilt, she resumes her life with a force of will that dubs her as nothing but cold. Taking up a position as an organist in another church, a different town, Mary attempts to re-establish normalcy, except that she can't.

Following her, it seems, is the nightmare she is trying to escape, in the form of chilling and mysterious figure. White faced, blackened gaze and wearing a black suite like a demonized version of a zombi-like Grim Reaper, Mary is inexplicably torn between reality and feeling as though she is truly going mad. She struggles to connect, only to reject those around her, and as she herself is able to connect or relate with others. As the intensity of her sense of being followed by this strange figure increases, she is drawn to an abandoned carnival site in the midst of sandy beach, that speaks to her of her uneasy suspicion that her fear is tied to this place. As her isolation and her odd behavior turns away any that could and want to help her, making her paranoid and irrational, Mary must decide once again, to live or to survive. And discover for herself, who that strange and terrifying figure is, and what it wants, before her world spirals out of her control!

A very low budget film will make some people cringe, but it was well shot with an interesting twist of a story line. While not necessarily trying to comment on human behavior, survival and the idea of people needing and wanting other people, it is the impetus of this movie, especially since there is little character development, other than Mary going crazy with fear. She never really questions why she survived, or what that meant before, or during and you don't really know Mary. This is about setting a mood, a dark humor, a jab with dry wit that doesn't fit everyone's taste or sensibilities. It can work on that level, and just the obvious one, a horror film, good or bad. The acting, while not Oscar worthy, was well suited for this film, and the eerie organ music and Candace Hilligoss' cold to going crazy performance will draw you in. Not to mention producer/writer/actor Herk Harvey as the mysterious black-clad figure haunting Mary, while may come off cheesy, I loved it! Classic b-movie style tricks. The subtle use of lighting, the black and white format, add to the experience, giving it an atmospheric moody feel. It moves slowly, but the pace is actually steady and doesn't lag too much in places. The only music is the organ for the more intense and scary scenes, so there are moments of a vacuum--no dialog, music--just the actors going about, and it may seem stilted and slow but I found is interesting, forcing me to watch rather than look away or fast forward. You may predict what happens and roll your eyes at the miniscule 'special' effects, but just sit back on a dark night, and enjoy the film for what it is.

The Criterion Collection's two-disk set is chalk full of extras, including commentaries by cast, producers and crew; a 45 min documentary; interviews; tour of the Salt Lake City area; discussions of the reaction and cult status it has gained. There are also two versions of the film, the theatrical and extended (nothing unseen, just extensions of scenes). It's awfully pricey and while the loaded extras are wonderful, first shop around for a lower price, or buy used. Any which way, I promise you, you'll find yourself watching it again and again.