Carnival Of Souls (1962)
Cast: Candace Hilligoss, Frances Feist, Sidney Berger, Art Ellison
Director: Herk Harvey
Synopsis: All time cult classic reminiscent of David Lynch at his weirdest
“striking black and white compositions, disorientation dream sequences and eerie atmosphere, this has the feel of a silent German expressionist movie” Time Out
“superior psychological content” Creature Features
“creepy cult classic, perfect for late night viewing” Blockbuster Video
“eerie little film… imaginative low-budget effort” Maltin’s
“it’s difficult to overstate how important Carnival of Souls is in the history of the independent horror movie” Empire
Carnival of Souls was recently revived at London’s National Film Theatre as one of cinema’s lost treasures. It was only recently rediscovered in its complete form after years of obscurity. It is a film created on a shoestring budget in the early ’60s, which has deservedly acquired the status of a massive cult favourite over time. One can see the influence of this bizarre movie on modern directors such as George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead) and David Lynch (Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks).
Carnival of Souls was produced and directed by Herk Harvey, a man who had never directed before and subsequently returned to a life involving educational and industrial filmmaking. The project cost next to nothing and serves as a perfect example of creative cinema within severe restrictions. There are no computer-generated shots or special effects, high-speed action sequences or spectacular aerial shots, expensive locations or superstar actors in sight, yet the movie succeeds despite all this.
Like most of David Lynch’s work, this eerie film revolves around the horror that lurks in everyday places – in the mundane, humdrum lives of the residents of Hicksville, USA. It is based on the experience of Mary, a young woman who suffers a car accident and is plunged into a muddy river. After rescue workers virtually give up all hope, Mary emerges from the mud, shaken but all right.
We learn that she is a cold, detached person with no time for spiritualism and regards her new church organist job as merely business. While she settles into a new routine, her life plunges into paranoia, confusion, doubt and madness. Mary is then stalked by a hideous phantom-like figure and occasionally lapses into a surreal state of animated death where no one can hear nor see her.
All sorts of madness loom within the world of Carnival of Souls. As every corner, every building, and every face seems to have a hidden dark side to it, a sense of paranoia and madness permeates the atmosphere. The acting is amateurish yet surprisingly effective. But the film is a triumph for the director and cameraman, who manage to evoke an unrelenting feeling of unease and dread throughout the proceedings – a feat perhaps achieved only by David Lynch since then.
