Carnival of Souls (1962)

Director:

Herk Harvey

Writer:

John Clifford (written by)

Release Date:

2 November 1962 (Finland)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

She Was A Stranger Among The Living.

Plot:

After a traumatic accident, a woman becomes drawn to a mysterious abandoned carnival.

Plot Keywords:

Bridge | Spirit | Church Organ | Salt Lake City Utah | Apartment

Cast

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

Runtime:

78 min | 91 min (original version) | USA:84 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) (1991) | Canada:AA (Ontario) (1990) | USA:Approved (original rating) | Canada:G (Quebec) (1997) | USA:PG (re-release) (1990) | Canada:R (Manitoba) (2002) | UK:X (original rating) | Finland:(Banned) (original rating) (1962) | Finland:K-18 (re-rating) (1962) | Germany:12 | UK:12 (DVD re-rating) | UK:12 (re-rating) (2009) | Australia:PG | Norway:16 | UK:15 (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Centron Studios - 1621 W 9th Street, Lawrence, Kansas, USA

Company:

Harcourt Productions

Trivia:

Film debut of Candace Hilligoss.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: Many of the long shots were looped in the crowd scene following the accident, and other shots were dubbed with the audio track from other shots with which they were intercut. The audio and the mouth movements of the actors drift in and out of sync across the various shots in this scene.

Quotes:

Mrs. Thomas: You just let your imagination run away with you.

Movie Connections:

Edited into People Who Die Mysteriously in Their Sleep (2004) (V)

You won't shout, you won't scream because you'll feel too desolated and scared to do it.

How scary a movie can be? Carnival of souls is scary as no other movie is by one simply reason, this film won't only frighten you to death but also will lead you to a desolation state: You won't shout, you won't scream because you'll feel too desolated and scared to do it. The plot happens to be superb: I love it when the whole plot starts making sense by the very end.

Candace Hilligoss play Mary Henry the lead role; the character is great and her performance is magnificent, she just gives the movie a vulnerable element that sometimes turns to be dark and mysterious.

Carnival of Souls became a cult film with plenty of honors; it's not only one of the most scary movies ever but also is a masterpiece of moviemaking.