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Movies / On DVD / Carnival of Souls
Carnival of Souls

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Carnival of Souls (1962)

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83 %
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Reviews Counted: 30

Fresh: 25

Rotten:5

Average Rating: 7.1/10

Runtime: 2 hrs 41 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Synopsis: Made in 1962 on an extremely low budget, Herk Harvey's classic CARNIVAL OF SOULS has become legendary for its ability to create a tensely creepy atmosphere with virtually no special effects. A... Made in 1962 on an extremely low budget, Herk Harvey's classic CARNIVAL OF SOULS has become legendary for its ability to create a tensely creepy atmosphere with virtually no special effects. A young woman (Candace Hilligoss) is involved in a car crash when her car falls off a bridge while drag racing with some friends. After she pulls herself from the river, she moves to a new town to take a job as a church organist. Meanwhile, a distinctly eerie and hollow-faced man seems to be following her wherever she goes, while an abandoned lakeside amusement park beckons her with an almost gravitational pull. The effective organ score enhances the film to great effect, as do the bleak landscapes of Utah's salt flats. [More]

Starring: Candace Hilligoss, Sidney Berger, Frances Feist, Herk Harvey

Starring: Candace Hilligoss, Sidney Berger, Frances Feist, Herk Harvey

Director: Herk Harvey

Director: Herk Harvey
Screenwriter: John Clifford
Producer: Herk Harvey
Composer: Gene Moore

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Sep 26, 2000

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Mary Henry (Candace Hilligoss) survives a drag race in a rural Kansas town, then takes a job as a church organist in Salt Lake City. En route, she becomes haunted by a bizarre apparition that compels her to an abandoned lakeside pavillion. Herk Harvey's macabre masterpiece gained a cult following on late night television and has been bootlegged for years. Made by industrial filmmakers on a modest budget, "Carnival of Souls" was intended to have the "look of a Bergman" and "feel of a Cocteau," and succeeds with its strikingly-used locations and spooky organ score.
  • Source: Image Entertainment, Inc.
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for Carnival of Souls

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    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
    Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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    Harvey leaves enough questions unanswered in this twilight zone to ensure that Carnival Of Souls enjoys a haunting afterlife in the viewer's mind.

    Full Review Source: Eye for Film | comment Comment
    03/01/09
    Anton Bitel
    Eye for Film

    A haunting ghost story.

    Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
    10/27/07
    Dennis Schwartz
    Ozus' World Movie Reviews

    This is one of the most original and unsettling horror movies to come out of America during its B-movie saturated, drive-in friendly period.

    Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
    09/21/07
    Channel 4 Film

    It retains an atmosphere of melancholic, surreal dread.

    Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
    09/21/07
    Adam Smith
    Empire Magazine

    A chilling ghost story with artistic pretensions.

    Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
    09/21/07
    TV Guide's Movie Guide

    Occasionally a feature film emerges from the midwest, although this is the first ever out of Lawrence, Kans, where a group of commercial film pros veered off into a try at producing theatrical entertainment.

    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    09/21/07
    Variety Staff
    Variety
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    There isn't very much here to sustain interest.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
    09/21/07
    Jonathan Rosenbaum
    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Creepy, creepy

    comment Comment
    06/01/07
    Cole Smithey
    ColeSmithey.com

    The mesmerising power of the carnival and dance-hall sequences far outweighs the corniness of the awkward intimate scenes.

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    06/24/06
    Time Out

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    08/07/05
    Linda Cook
    Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    08/04/05
    Jake Euker
    F5 (Wichita, KS)

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    07/28/05
    Emanuel Levy
    EmanuelLevy.Com

    For a flick with a non-existent budget (well, $30,000) and relative amateurs in front of the camera, everybody’s lines are practically howler-free.

    Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
    06/01/05
    Mark Athitakis
    Filmcritic.com

    Com seu roteiro óbvio e as péssimas atuações, é incrivelmente inferior às numerosas produções que supostamente inspirou.

    comment Comment
    01/09/05
    Pablo Villaca
    Cinema em Cena

    Much overrated horror, not even minor classic in this corner

    comment Comment
    10/23/04
    Steve Crum
    Kansas City Kansan

    An influential little horror gem

    comment Comment
    07/16/04
    Jon Niccum
    Lawrence Journal-World

    A genuinely creepy thriller, humble in scope and lacking some polish, but executed with ghoulish intuition.

    Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks | comment Comment
    05/22/04
    Nick Davis
    Nick's Flick Picks

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    11/20/03
    Frank Swietek
    One Guy's Opinion

    All atmosphere and very little else.

    comment Comment
    04/24/03
    Ken Hanke
    Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

    A cult classic that would have subtle yet meaningful influences on the horror genre for decades to come.

    Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
    03/19/03
    Brian Mckay
    eFilmCritic.com
     
     
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