Carnival of Souls DVD Review

Mary Henry (Candace Hilligoss) and her two friends, plunge into a river when their car crashes through a bridge. As the police watch, a very confused Mary crawls out of the river, the only survivor of the accident. Leaving her tragedy behind, she accepts a job in Salt Lake City as a church organist and heads off to start her new life. She rents out a room from a welcoming landlady (Frances Feist), and soon meets her neighbour from across the hall, the seriously slimy John Linden (Sidney Berger). She starts her job as the organist and the local minister is charmed by her musical ability, but Mary is agnostic and to her it’s simply a job, which leads to inevitable conflict. A mysterious, eerie figure, that appears from nowhere and nobody else seems to be able to see, begins to haunt May’s life. She’s drawn to a large, desolate, abandoned carnival ground, where she eventually discovers the truth at the carnival of souls.

More than forty years ago, and some five years before Romero directed his classic Night of the Living Dead, Herk Harvey created this atmospheric and absorbing tale of the undead. Harvey worked for many years a director for the Centron Corporation, who made educational and industrial films and documentaries. In 1961 he took time out to make his first and only film; Carnival of Souls. His considerable skill as a film maker is apparent in this strange, low budget affair, the photography is wonderful. Of course, the main star of the film is the location. The deserted pavilion at Saltair, Utah, is the perfect setting for the spooky sequences, the dancing spectral characters are hauntingly memorable.

Candace Hilligoss was an inspired choice for the lead part, she puts in a fine performance as Mary. Little is revealed about her character's personality, other than her strong will and her lack of spiritual belief, as with much of the film, the viewer is left fill in any gaps and unravel the mysteries. The story is told more with its imagery than actual dialogue. Mary's neighbour, John, is such an annoying lecherous turd, I really wanted something nasty to happen to him, I guess that means Sidney Berger played his part extremely well. Carnival of Souls set the template for intelligent, cerebral horror, it’s become a true cult classic, and remains a highly influential film. S.J.T.

Carnival of Souls. 1962

Directed by Herk Harvey