michaelmunkvold
I'm a fan of Herk Hervey's "Carnival of Souls" - which, shot in 1962, was perhaps the first low-budget horror movie sensation - and I don't entirely know why.There are plenty of reasons to hate it. The acting is terrible. It was shot on the cheap, and oh my God, does it show. Hervey's ear for dialogue isn't just tin, it's Formica. The male lead would have in the 60s been called a pervert, and would now be called out on #MeToo.And yet, I can't help but be drawn to this film, because, like all the best horror movies, it speaks to a kind of anxiety that can't be put into words. Ever been nervous about getting home before dark? Ever felt someone walking too close behind you? Ever just felt afraid without knowing why? "Carnival of Souls" vibrates with that anxiety. It's the cinematic version of that queasy, unnerved feeling we all have from time to time, when we feel a terror we don't quite understand; like few movies before or since, it expresses nameless fear.The plot is thin, but gets the job done. Mary Henry (Candace Hildegoss) is the only survivor of a drag racing accident, and moves to a small town in Utah to start over as a church organist. During the trip to her new home, she is haunted by visions of a pale, ghostly figure (Hervey) who seems to mean her harm. This specter refuses to leave her alone, even as she seeks comfort in her daffy (to the point of brain-damaged) landlady (Frances Feist) and a friendly psychiatrist, and fends off the attentions of her drunken, beatnik neighbor (Sidney Berger). Finally, she confronts the apparitions that haunt her, with unexpected results (or, at least, unexpected for anyone who's never seen "The Sixth Sense")."Carnival of Souls" screams "acquired taste". Anyone would be forgiven for laughing at its grade-Z (even for the early 60s) production values. There's the horrible dialogue ("She's a tough-minded little thing", or "That's just what I need, get mixed up with a girl who's off her rocker!") The acting is horrendous, especially that of Hildegoss, who spends the whole film appearing dyspeptic, expressing fear as if it's a stomach-ache. An audience might also be excused for finding the main male character, who spends the entire film basically trying to rape the heroine, so gross as to turn them off. So, you might ask, why do I like this movie? I like it because it gives me goosebumps of the "unknowable fear" kind. Like Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw" or the 90s horror film "The Blair Witch Project", it scares us with what we cannot see. Rather than relying on cheap, instantly forgettable jump scares, it slowly builds a sense of vague discomfort, a creepy atmosphere of dread. Plus, it inspired filmmakers like George Romero and David Lynch to make far superior films. Without "Carnival of Souls", there would have been no "Night of the Living Dead" or "Blue Velvet". Whatever its flaws, it's an important film, if only because it paved the way for other, better films to scare the living hell out of us.We watch horror movies to get a good scare. A film like "Carnival of Souls", that scares us on a basic, primal level, is always worth watching, even if it fails in every other way.
J.V.N.
I've been watching a run of horror films made from the 1930's til now, and I've got to say this is one of the few that really gave me the chills. I've read that it aimed for "the look of a Bergman and the feel of a Cocteau". Actually, it made me feel often like I did in the very first scene of Romero's Night of the Living Dead: uncomfortable in a world with rules I can't quite grasp. Its sensitivity is remarkable, its "woman in a man's world" theme is beautifully rendered. Yes, it has flaws. Yes, you see dead characters blinking. Yes, you end up not caring about any of that.
MonsterVision99
Carnival of soul is one of those movies that makes people feel really uncomfortable and leaves them with nightmares for a few days, but not me, I do find the film to be really good and quite atmospheric.The film takes us through a surreal journey that makes us wander around some Gothic scenery and some of the most uncomfortable places in a 60s horror film, its really eerie.There are many interpretations of the film that many people have come up with, but I still think that, like every other film, there really isn't a definitive answer, its all up to what you make of it.I definitely recommend this film, its not gory or graphic, but it may disturb you.
