Rating: 
Summary: Utterly mesmerizing and hypnotic . . . a must-see movie!!
Review: A young woman (Candace Hilligoss) apparently drowns and is thereafter followed by an eerie phantom figure throughout this juicy little thriller. Watch it once and you'll be hooked. Very atmospheric, yet subtle in other ways. Great B&W photography. Truly deserving of its cult status. A good example of what can be done with a limited budget and some highly creative people.
Rating:
Summary: Turn the lights down.....
Review: Cheaply made:yes. Even so, this movie gives me the creeps every time I watch it. A short summary: A couple of young girls go for a car ride, only to run off the road and into a body of water. The only girl to survive is now haunted by a strange man that pops up now and again to scare the witts out of her (and me!). There is no great make-up wizardry in this movie, but there is no need for it. A classic black and white with great suspense, a must see for any movie buff.
Rating: 
Summary: How did they do this with no money?
Review: This is an eerie, atmospheric b&w film that is not nightmarish, but more like a disturbing dream. A carload of girls goes off a bridge and only one crawls out of the water. After that she fades in and out of people's perception and keeps encountering others who seem to be not quite alive. There could not have been a better place to film it than that deserted amusment park. A cult classic, best watched late at night with the lights off--and probably not by yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: Creepy 'lil low-budget flick has a feverish feel.
Review: This movie has retained the feel of the $1.50 budget it must have had, but it does have moments of real creepiness. There are even a couple of shocks -- the mysterious man who is following her everywhere she goes, the final scenes in the Carnival. It has the feverish feel of early Polanski, and Ms. Hilligoss (Night of the Living Dead) is an unlikely (and passive!) heroine.
Rating:
Summary: One of the few thought provoking horror films
Review: Carnival Souls admittedly is one of those low budget productions, yet the film generates a feeling of anticipation and geniune fright.It's like your actually in the film, and experiencing everything that existentialist Mary Henry is experiencing.There are also political undertones in this film.If you read The Stranger by Camus,or any work by Kafka you will like this film.
Rating:
Summary: Horror Classic for Lovers of the Genre
Review: It has always been my opinion that horror is an underappreciated genre. No matter how good the film is, it is pre-labeled "bad" and "trash" by so-called movie critics, whose job they feel is to only heighten the movies that fall into either the musical, drama, or comedic categories. How sad that such people will miss such a fantastic film as "Carnival of Souls." It conveys more mood and subtle atmosphere than almost any film I have ever seen. The story is intruiging, and does not give away too much too soon. Great performances from the cast, a commanding use of light and film, Carnival of Souls is a chilling Tour de Force.
Rating: 
Summary: Flat out bad
Review: Cult "classic" is basically a long and mostly dull Twilight Zone episode. Occasional creeps mix with poor acting and a tiresome storyline. It is at least superior to the dreadful George Romero zombie films.
Rating:
Summary: I love you church organist
Review: Carnival of Souls aka "Corridors of Evil", is a crowning jewel in American Cinema. Despite the low budget and poor film quality, this 1962 masterpiece stands as a cult more than 40 years after it's release. Candice Hilligoss' fine performance will overwhelm you as she portrays a character caught in a purgatory between life and death. Her beauty alone will strike the viewer in a way few actresses can. Her physical acting, facial gestures, and line delivery will leave you wondering why this woman did not become a household name like Marilyn Monroe or Raquel Welch.The story is as simple as it is complex. A woman is an innocent passenger in a car that gets into a drag race with some teenage thugs. The result is her car going over a bridge into a fast running, sandy river. As she crawls out of the wreckage covered in mud, the viewer thinks she has survived, but has she? Ms. Hilligoss' character is a musician, an organist to be exact who takes a job as a church organist in Salt Lake City, Utah. As she begins her journey she is terrified of images of a phantom of sorts who seems to be seeking her out. Anyone who has driven for an average of twelve hours straight can tell you that driving can take its toll, and the mind can play tricks on a sleepy driver. However, after she checks into her room, she finds the same phantom lurking in the window, then in the hallway. Who is this creature, what does he want, where is he from? The main point of the film is not horror, but human nature. Are we all alone in this world? Is everyone an island unto themselves. The lesson is thrown upon our character by a minister, a psychologist, and a would be male suitor. They all try to help her in their own way (except the suitor who is only interested in her for a chance to have sex). But our character waves a hand at them all, convinced that she can do it her own way. She is an independent woman who needs no man or companionship; a view that may have gone against society's thinking in 1962. The male suitor (or 'just your normal guy' as he likes to call himself) is an obnoxious oaf to say the least. His headstrong pursuit of her is only his own selfish desire to have her. He's not an alcoholic he claims, yet he drinks at dawn. He quit college because he doesn't like to learn. This is not an ideal resume for a long term relationship for her or any other woman. When she is truly frightened by the visiting spectre, and she reaches out to him as a last resort for help, he runs. Not wanting to get involved, he was only interested in her for her body and his own sexual desire. Yet another lesson in this film for all the young ladies who care to pay attention. As the story goes on Candace's soul seems to deteriorate. She slips in and out of reality and a strange sort of parallel world. This dimension looks the same as real life, but she cannot be seen or heard. The department store dressing room for example, shows how the lost spirit must learn that she is no longer of this world, but now belongs in the spirit world, where yet another companion awaits her. Who is this man that haunts her in visions? We see at the end of the film that they are to be together forever. In the final seen where we see Candace's peek at her after-life. She screams in horror as the ghosts dance eternally as the haunt the carnival. She is finally captured by the ghosts and is spirited away. The police and minister are confused and baffled as her footprints and final body print leads nowhere. The minister gives a knowing look as if he has known all along, but says nothing. The minister must have known there was something wrong with his new organist when he first met and eventually fired her. She had not the soul of a musician, she only had a knowledge for music. She was told this too by the organ builder in the beginning of the film. When she is possessed in the church and her true musician ship comes out as she plays without control, that is her true spirit, but the misinster fires her for 'blasphony'. This film cannot be watched once and dismissed. It deserves to be watched over and over again. It is a timeless movie where something seems new every time you watch it. I applaud you 'Carnival of Souls'. One of the greatest movies ever made.
Rating:
Summary: crap
Review: It sounds cheap. It looks cheap. There was nothing scary or entertaining about it. The plot doesn't make sense. People talk to her, everything blurs then they don't see or hear her. Dumb. I had to force myself and my friends to watch it. I love old horror films but this one was a dud. I don't understand the reviews saying how great this movie is. Don't waste your money.
Rating:
Summary: Kcin likes it
Review: Well, I'm a pretty serious horror fan, I think, but I lean heavily towards modern stuff. I have some theoretical interest in pre-Night of the Living Dead horror cinema, but defintely not as much as I have for the post-NOTLD stuff, and I really haven't gotten around to seeing much pre 70's work. Sure, I've seen pretty much all your classic Universal films at some time or another, though most of them so long ago that I couldn't really tell you how much I'd like them now. Other than that, I haven't really seen a whole lot other than what you see on MST3K.(Which actually comes out to quite a few cheap old horror movies, even if they aren't in their original or intended form) And, those films aren't too encouraging, naturally, though they aren't meant or expected to be. (Though I do rather like 'The Screaming Skull') Despite all that, I was very interested in seeing this film since the first time I heard about it. Fortunately, it didn't disappoint. Certainly, not everyone in a modern audience is gonna be able to get into a film this old and cheap, but some if your the sorta person who can you shouldn't hesitate to check this out.
The basic setup is that our protagonist, Mary, is in a tragic drag racing accident, where her car is dumped off a bridge into a river. Still, she seems unscathed by the incident, and goes on with her life, moving to Utah and becoming a church organist.(Funny, I didn't think that Utah existed in Movieland, or pretty much any of the south west or mountain west, other than an endless, nameless desert, perhaps inhabited by cannibals. Admittedly, it is mostly just endless desert, but we've got cities and lights and running water and all that.) Things seem to be generally okay, except that she is haunted by strange visions of a desiccated, mysterious man(inspiration for the Tallman, I'll bet) eerie music, as well as other bizarre occurrences. While reading about 'Carnival of Souls' I constantly here it compared to the 'Twilight Zone'. This is not without good reason, as it does feel very much like that show. (Whether or not you enjoy 'The Twilight Zone' is perhaps the best test of whether or not you'll like this film. Personally, I love it.) As a matter of fact, the final revelation basic nature of this film are pretty much identical to that an early (and classic) 'Twilight Zone' episode. Some may claim it's stolen, I dunno, but it doesn't really matter. The film has some very good ideas of it's own, most of which are more interesting then the basic revelation of the film.
This film was definitely made on the cheap, something like 30,000 dollars, so you certainly aren't gonna see anything fancy, even by early 60's standards. Still, it is competently made, with a very eerie, shapeless yet somehow still melodic organ score, and some striking visuals. Scenes of ghoulish individuals rising from a lake or dancing about a deserted pavilion are particularly affecting, as is the apparent head ghoul, played by the films director, Herk Harvey. In fact, pretty much all of the scare tactics used in this film are pretty cool, though I don't want to hurt it by going into any more specifically. The performances do tend to be pretty amateurish, but that rarely matter all that much in horror films, this one included. They also appear to be trying to portray particularly banal, lifeless individuals, which makes their performances less of a concern. The landscape, though shown relatively little, is quite effective, as it isn't gorgeous or lively, just cold and ugly and dead, which is, naturally, fitting to the tone of the movie.
The film isn't without a few flaws. First of all, Herk Harvey's character randomly appears maybe 2 too many times I think. Also, the climax is less effective, as it often is when atmospheric films finally start to have something actually happen. Still, it is very enjoyable as a whole. Not a scary film, but a fairly eerie one much of the time, provided you are willing and capable of getting into it. Perhaps a full-on five star rating is slightly generous, but this is about as good as I could hope for a horror film of this sort to be, so I'll let it stand.
|
