Rating: 
Summary: The original classic low-buget black & white horror film
Review: "Carnival of Souls," the only theatrical film every directed by Herk Harvey, is a cult classic with a most deserved reputation that puts it almost on a par with dead George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" in terms of shoestring productions (In fact, the two films appear together on a recent DVD Double Feature). Mary Henry (Candace Hilligoss) accepts a car ride from a group of other young girls, only to end up in a drag race that sees the car go over a bridge with only Mary surviving. Having taken a job as a church organist in Salt Lake City, Mary heads for her new home, passing a deserted pavilion on the outskirts of town. Mary is drawn to the ruined bathing center/carnival, but has bigger problems since she keeps seeing a leering, corpse-like man (played by Harvey) watching her. Again and again Mary has the eerie experience of suddenly finding herself in a silent world where no one seems to notice her. Eventually she returns to the pavilions to come to the terrifying realization of what has happened. "Carnvial of Souls" came about because Herk Harvey drove by Saltair, the deserted 1940s tourist resort outside Salt Lake City, and decided it would make a powerful location for a horror film. The man was definitely right on that score. Harvey recruited John Clifford to come up with a screenplay that would involve Harvey's image of dead bodies rising from the lake to pursue their victim. The finished product certainly evokes a nightmarish quality that makes you ignore the technical problems with overdubbing, campy performances by the supporting cast, and such. Hilligloss, trained in the Method by Lee Strassberg himself but denied any hint of her character's motivation by the director (think about it), only made one other film, "Curse of the Living Corpse" (1964), but this film is enough to secure her reputation in the field. Sidney Berger, the all too friendly guy down the hall at her boarding house, does a cameo as a cop in the 1998 "Wes Craven Presents Carnival of Souls" debacle, which does not compare on any level to this evocative horror classic. Given the high gloss shlock that is out there it is nice to see a horror film that is actually effective at creating a sense of unease without resorting to special effects. Yes, the ending is predictable TODAY, but stop and think what things were like in the early Sixties before "The Twilight Zone" covered practically every ironic twist in the book.
Rating:
Summary: Real Creepy Stuff
Review: Candace Hilligoss is beautiful but creepy, the music is creepy, the photography is creepy, the story is creepy and the directing is creepy. One of the all time great horror classics.
Rating:
Summary: Real Creepy Stuff
Review: Candace Hilligoss is beautiful but creepy, the music is creepy, the photography is creepy, the story is creepy and the directing is creepy. One of the all time great horror classics.
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Summary: Your soul is required Miss Holligoss
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.
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Summary: WHERE HAVE YOU GONE, CANDACE HILLIGOSS??
Review: CARNIVAL OF SOULS is certainly a movie that was WAY ahead of it's time. Released in 1962, it left audiences bewildered, blankly staring ahead. Today, it fits right in! A woman named Mary (the stunning Candace Hilligoss) and her friends decide to drag race with a carload of guys. The girls are forced over the side of a very narrow bridge, plunging into the lake below. Mary rises from the depths, covered in mud, the sole survivor. Or is she? She moves to Utah where she gets a job playing the pipe organ in a church. Slowly, bizarre things start happening. She keeps seeing a sinister looking man (played by director Herk Harvey), first in her car window. Then, all over the place! She also slips in and out of a sort of dream state, wherein no one notices or hears her talking to them. Mary is also obsessed with an abandoned carnival she drove past. The atmosphere grows creepier by the minute! Is she alive? Dead? Somewhere in between? Candace Hilligoss only did one other film in her career (CURSE OF THE LIVING CORPSE by Del Tenney). In my opinion, this is to hollywood's shame! She is brilliant in SOULS! Buy this classic immediately...
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Summary: Sinister Stuff
Review: Fantastic, if you are looking for a spooky film to watch with selected gothic company non come more highly recomened than this.
Your spine will tingle from reckless opening to mind bending climax.
This film is beatifully atmospheric filled with church organ music that would make La,Vey proud.
Open some wine and allow youself to descend into sunny madness.
Rating: 
Summary: creates an uneasy feeling
Review: First saw this movie on tv late one night about 25 years ago. Made an indelible and lasting impression on me. The acting and direction etc. were pretty average but somehow it didn't seem to matter. It was the way the story unfolded that left the mark. Probably best seen without knowing the plot but I will still be getting this one because, in its own way, it is memorable. Along with Julie Harris in the "The Haunting" and Deborah Kerr in "The Innocents" this film has always held a special place in movies that have really physically unsettled me while I was watching them. Definitely dark room, very late, by yourself, viewing. :)
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Summary: George Romero & Sam Raimi meet Alfred Hitchcock.
Review: I've bought 6 movies in the past few weeks: Carnival of Souls, Night of the Living Dead, The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring, Island of the Dead, Evil Dead II, & Dreamcatcher & this is my favorite, second only to LOTR.
Candace Hilligoss is excellent & why she never became better known is beyond me. She is a far, far better actress than 90% of the rest of the actors & actresses from her era. She's not bad looking either. She only made one other movie - Curse of the Living Corpse. Someone please find me Curse of the Living Corpse I've got to see this woman again.
Carnival of Souls is a link between the horror movies of the 1930s & the 1970-80s. George Romero (Night of the living Dead) & Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead series) owe this movie a hugh debt in my opinion. There's also a scene very similar (to me anyway) to one in LOTR when Frodo & Sam are making their way thru the swamp with Gollem & Frodo looks into the water. This isn't Halloween or Nightmare on Elm Street (in my opinion it's much better than either of these) but it is a very good suspenseful, semi-scary movie. 4 stars.
Rating:
Summary: George Romero & Sam Raimi meet Alfred Hitchcock.
Review: I've bought 6 movies in the past few weeks: Carnival of Souls, Night of the Living Dead, The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring, Island of the Dead, Evil Dead II, & Dreamcatcher & this is my favorite, second only to LOTR.
Candace Hilligoss is excellent & why she never became better known is beyond me. She is a far, far better actress than 90% of the rest of the actors & actresses from her era. She's not bad looking either. She only made one other movie - Curse of the Living Corpse. Someone please find me Curse of the Living Corpse I've got to see this woman again.
Carnival of Souls is a link between the horror movies of the 1930s & the 1970-80s. George Romero (Night of the living Dead) & Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead series) owe this movie a hugh debt in my opinion. There's also a scene very similar (to me anyway) to one in LOTR when Frodo & Sam are making their way thru the swamp with Gollem & Frodo looks into the water. This isn't Halloween or Nightmare on Elm Street (in my opinion it's much better than either of these) but it is a very good suspenseful, semi-scary movie. 4 stars.
Rating:
Summary: An Eerie Dream
Review: The opening credits of CARNIVAL OF SOULS appear on the screen across a turbulent body of water. This symbolic image is augmented by a haunting score of organ music. Then the action begins. Mary Henry (Candace Hilligoss) is the passenger in a vehicle with some female friends. A car full of boys challenges the girls to a drag race through the country and it's off to the races. The speeding chase comes to an end when the girls' care accidently swerves off the bridge into the rushing, high-water river below. Hours later as the river is dragged and witnesses are question, Mary climbs out of the river. She is covered in mud, scraped up a little, and chilled from the water. She is alive, but the accident has wiped away her memory of how she escaped.
A week later, Mary moves away from her hometown and begins a cross-country drive to Salt Lake City, Utah where she has accepted a job as an organist in a small church. During the drive, she is almost involved in another accident as she sees the face of a pale, death-like man appear in her window. She also becomes strangely intrigued by a closed Carnival Pavillion on the outskirts of the city. Mary soon settles into her new life, but begins seeing the pale man more frequently. She becomes obsessed with the closed and condemned carnival building outside of town and like the frightening man, the carnival begins to haunt her sleeping dreams and waking thoughts. Soon Mary experiences a phenomena where she cannot hear any sounds except the ones she makes and where other people seem oblivious to her prescence. Mary is an excellent organist, an attractive woman, and a colorful individual but she is told by the preacher at her church, the neighbor next door who lusts after her body, and a counselor who listens to her problems that she seems to have lost her soul. As the organ music picks up tempo, Mary's life snowballs out of control leading to a horrifying confrontation and bitter realization at the Carnival.
CARNVIAL OF SOULS was released in 1962 and was made on a shoe-string budget. Along with the later 1968 film, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, CARNIVAL OF SOULS established the framework and set the foundation for the modern day horror movie. Most of the acting in the movie is standard for a low-budget scary movie, though Hilligoss' performance stands out as a rare exception. Hilligoss had some talent and it would have been interesting to see her in more movies (she only acted in one other movie besides CARNIVAL OF SOULS). The sets are scenery are pretty standard fare and nowadays the plot has been overly done, though in 1962 it was a fairly fresh and original idea. Besides Hilligoss' acting and a few starkly vivid images, the other standout component of the movie is the score. Organ music usually doesn't work very well as a movie score, especially in scary movies. However, the music in CARNIVAL OF SOULS is a key element in establishing the mood and tone of the movie. It's something to remember and like those catchy little advertisement jingles, can haunt one's musical memory for days.
Not everyone will enjoy CARNIVAL OF SOULS and many will find it quite cheesy today. Nevertheless, for movie and horror buffs, the film is worth watching for its cinematic legacy and cult appeal.
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