Carnival of Souls (1962) - Lisa's Review

*** SPOILERS ***

So we're back to the 60's in this Herk Harvey movie.  His only movie it should be added.  Herk Harvey worked making Educational Films, something which he went back to after directing, producing and starring in Carnival Of Souls.

The movie was made with a tiny budget of approximately $33,000.  There were only 6 actors (hence Harvey playing a key, albeit non-speaking role) himself.  The only professional actress hired was Candace Hilligoss who played the lead role Mary Henry.  She was paid $2,000 for her work on the movie, which she felt was a fortune.  So, to the movie itself.

We start the movie with 3 pretty girls in a car (Mary Henry being one).  They are challenged to a drag race by a car full of guys.  They seem to be holding their own, but as they cross an unsafe bridge (with clear warning signs) driving alongside one another, the womens car plunges over the side and into the river below.  The drop and subsequent sinking meant inevitable death, but inexplicably Mary staggers up the bank from the river, unkempt and muddy, but completely dry and uninjured.

This is where the movie progressed from a straightforward story to very odd...but a good odd.  We follow Mary as she moves to Utah, where she visits a church to take up a job as the congregations organist.  She also rents a room from a local, Mrs Thomas, who only has one other lodger, John Linden.  Unfortunately John is something of a smarmy, often drunk, letch who seems to have a liking for Mary, which is something Mary finds deeply irritating and somewhat repugnant.

Throughout the movie and since her accident, Mary has become increasingly detached from reality, spending a lot of her time in trances and doing things she can neither explain nor understand.  She also starts to see a strange, eerie white-faced man watching her.  He appears everywhere, even in impossible scenarios, like her reflection in a car window when she is driving.   When he appears in the house she is staying in, she becomes quite upset and tells her landlady.  She assures Mary that there is no-one else in the house, even going so far as to check for her.  Sadly though, she sees what is referred to as 'The Man' more and more.  Her behavior also becomes increasingly odd.  She goes into a trance-like state while playing the organ in church and starts to intermingle an eerie piece of music with her hymns.  She is promptly asked to leave by the church minister, who accuses her of sacrilege. Mary also seems to randomly become invisible to everyone around her.  This is not something which progresses throughout the movie, but something that is completely random.

If you want to see this movie and don't want spoilers.... STOP READING NOW and go watch it.

Whilst Mary is having strange episodes and seeing 'The Man', she is constantly drawn to an old pavilion, which used to be a carnival.  As we approach the ending of the movie, we discover that this is the location of 'The Man' and all his equally pasty faced friends.  As Mary enters the pavilion, she watches them twirling around in the ruins of what was the carnival in some kind of macabre dance.  It's a great scene and is genuinely creepy.  Then again, a carnival is an excellent set for a horror movie.  She watches the dancers and sees 'The Man', who is dancing with a pale faced, clearly dead version of herself.  She runs away in fright and is chased by the creepy dudes (and dudettes), who inevitably catch up with her.

We cut to the police on the beach below the pavilion, looking at a set of single footprints where Mary obviously ran away from her pursuers.  The final mark in the sand is of a hand print, where Mary clearly has fallen.  This is where the prints inexplicably end.  The movie then cuts back to the original scene of the accident that Mary was involved in and as the car is pulled from the river, we see that Marys body is in the car with her friends.

So, as odd as the movie itself,  I actually enjoyed this one.  It is very low budget, the script is awful in places and certain performances are very stilted and amateurish, but that doesn't detract from how impressive this movie actually is.  The musical score, which I started the movie hating, did actually become very effective as the story progressed.  This is a genuinely creepy, atmospheric and effective story.  It's the kind of story that wouldn't be out of place on 'The Twlight Zone'.

Fun Fact:  This movie has been accredited to giving inspiration to both George A Romero and David Lynch.  Incredibly I give this one a 'Recommended'.