What kind of carnival is this
Carnival of Souls anyway. . .
. . . doesn't really look like all that much fun.
Having said that, Carnival of Souls the 1962 movie wasn't that much fun for me either. I mean don't get me wrong it was a pretty decent film, just very dark and disturbing. I found myself very anxious and just wanting the movie to get to the end because I was quite freaked out by the main boogey-type man (
Herk Harvey - the producer and director of this eerie movie) who seemed to be stalking Mary (
Candace Hilligoss), a young woman who just experienced a traumatic ordeal in her own hometown and was moving away permanently to be an organist in another town.
When Mary gets to the town she is immediately drawn to a broken down carnival pavilion by a lake but is ushered away from it by her employer the minister (
Art Ellison) who thought it unseemly that he go into the pavilion with her as it was posted by law not to enter. Unseemly for him maybe, but Mary cannot get it out of her mind and is convinced that the pavilion and these images she keeps seeing are somehow connected. Not to mention her frequent bouts of not being able to hear anyone or anything or not being heard or seen by anyone either.
After being asked to resign from her organist job at the church due to her unsavory selections of music, Mary is on a downward spiral first spending time with a rather pushy neighbor (
Sidney Berger) and then completely terrified, trying to run out of town. Mary soon finds that there is more to this unsavory boogey-type man who has been following her around than meets the eye and he is not the only one who would like her to spend some time at the carnival . . .
Probably a shocking ending for it's time, unfortunately I knew within the first 15 minutes of
Carnival of Souls how it would end. But still in all not a bad little film, rather eerie in fact. I had heard some hype about it before I watched it so I think I was expecting a bit more than what it turned out to be, so for me it was a little disappointing - but for 1962 not too shabby.
AKA - Corridors of Evil
Carnival of Souls Movie Cast and Credits
Directed by
Herk Harvey
Writing credits
John Clifford screen story
Herk Harvey story (uncredited)
Cast (in credits order)
Candace Hilligoss .... Mary Henry
Frances Feist .... Mrs. Thomas, Landlady
Sidney Berger .... John Linden
Art Ellison .... Minister
Stan Levitt .... Dr. Samuels
Tom McGinnis .... Organ Factory Boss
Forbes Caldwell .... Organ Factory Worker
Dan Palmquist .... Gas Station Attendant
Bill de Jarnette .... Mechanic (as Bill De Jarnette)
Steve Boozer .... Chip, Man at Juke Box
Pamela Ballard .... Dress Sales Lady
Larry Sneegas .... Drag Racer
Cari Conboy .... Lake Zombie
Karen Pyles .... Dress Store Customer
T.C. Adams .... Dancing Zombie
Sharon Scoville .... Mary's Girlfriend
Mary Ann Harris .... Mary's Girlfriend
Peter Schnitzler .... A Walking Corpse
Bill Sollner .... Lake Zombie
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Reza Badiyi .... Bus Ticket Customer (uncredited)
Ed Down .... Man At Bridge (uncredited)
Herk Harvey .... 'The Man' (uncredited)
Wayne Shmille .... Sheriff At Bridge (uncredited)
More Movie Reviews of Carnival of Souls
Carnival of Souls Movie Review from Digitally ObsessedReview of Carnival of Souls from DVD Movie Central
