Carnival of Souls (1962)

For whatever reason, Carnival of Souls is a movie that I’ve heard a lot about but, until now, had never bothered to watch. It always seemed to come up in lists of critically acclaimed horror movies or influential films. Filmmakers as diverse as George Romero, David Lynch, and James Wan have counted it among the films that have impacted their work. It’s been chosen for the Criterion Collection. Impressive stuff for a movie that was made for around $30,000 and has fallen into the public domain.

The plot centers around Mary (Candace Hilligoss), who is involved in a car accident in the movie’s opening moments. The car she shares with two other women plunges into a river during an impromptu drag race. Initially thought to be dead, Mary emerges from the water seemingly unharmed.

Mary quickly wants to put the accident behind her. She takes a job as a church organist in Utah and finds a boarding house in which to stay. On her way to her new job, Mary finds herself haunted by the image of a ghoulish looking man. She’s drawn to an abandoned carnival site located on the desert plains. As she tries to establish her new life in Utah, she becomes more paranoid and afraid. Mary’s grip on reality deteriorates as her obsession with “the man” continues to grow.

As the film opens, it’s immediately apparent that the movie was made for a small sum of money. The production values are poor, the acting wooden, and some incidental dialogue is poorly dubbed. But, Gene Moore’s musical score — almost nearly all of which is played on an organ — immediately casts a heavy atmosphere over the film. Even though Carnival of Souls initially resembles a Z-grade horror film, there’s just something intangible about it that sets it apart from other low-budget films of this type.

Directed by Herk Harvey (who also plays “the man”), Carnival of Souls leaves itself open to multiple interpretations. As an example of psychological horror, it’s quite impressive for a film made under such tight budgetary restrictions. Working in its favor are the aforementioned musical score, sound design, the dreamlike cinematography (including subtle shifts in the black and white color balance), and the ominous visage of the Saltair Pavilion, the location of the abandoned carnival. Even the opening titles are unusually creative for their time.

The character of Mary is introverted, cold, and unconcerned with the feelings of other people. Yet, the film makes us feel sympathy for her plight as we watch her become increasingly more vulnerable. So much so, in fact, that she prefers the company of her slimy, sexist neighbor (Sydney Berger) to being alone with her thoughts and nightmares.

While its hard to ignore the movie’s many faults — especially the bad acting and the awkward dialogue — Carnival of Souls manages to tell a wickedly ethereal story. Is it a depiction of mental illness? Is it a ghost story? Or is it a re-imagined version of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge? Maybe it’s all of them. In any event, it’s entertaining, twisted, and doesn’t offer any concrete answers. One thing is certain: it’s a great choice for a dark and stormy night.