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Carnival of Souls

  • 19621962
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 18m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
24K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Carnival of Souls (1962)
After a traumatic accident, a woman becomes drawn to a mysterious abandoned carnival.
Play trailer2:18
1 Video
99+ Photos
  • Horror
  • Mystery

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

IMDb RATING
7.1/10
24K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Herk Harvey(directed)
  • Writers
    • John Clifford(written)
    • Herk Harvey(story)
  • Stars
    • Candace Hilligoss
    • Frances Feist
    • Sidney Berger
Top credits
  • Director
    • Herk Harvey(directed)
  • Writers
    • John Clifford(written)
    • Herk Harvey(story)
  • Stars
    • Candace Hilligoss
    • Frances Feist
    • Sidney Berger
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 368User reviews
    • 164Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:18
    Official Trailer

    Photos103

    Carnival of Souls (1962)
    Candace Hilligoss in Carnival of Souls (1962)
    Carnival of Souls (1962)
    1990 Video release poster, 1 sheet video release movie poster
    1 Sheet, 27 x 41 in
    Carnival of Souls (1962)
    Herk Harvey and Candace Hilligoss in Carnival of Souls (1962)
    Herk Harvey and Candace Hilligoss in Carnival of Souls (1962)
    Candace Hilligoss in Carnival of Souls (1962)
    Candace Hilligoss in Carnival of Souls (1962)
    Herk Harvey and Candace Hilligoss in Carnival of Souls (1962)
    Carnival of Souls (1962)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Candace Hilligoss
    Candace Hilligoss
    • Mary Henryas Mary Henry
    Frances Feist
    • Mrs. Thomas - Landladyas Mrs. Thomas - Landlady
    Sidney Berger
    • John Lindenas John Linden
    Art Ellison
    Art Ellison
    • Ministeras Minister
    Stan Levitt
    • Dr. Samuelsas Dr. Samuels
    Tom McGinnis
    • Organ Factory Bossas Organ Factory Boss
    Forbes Caldwell
    • Carpenter in Organ Factoryas Carpenter in Organ Factory
    Dan Palmquist
    • Gas Station Attendantas Gas Station Attendant
    Bill de Jarnette
    • Mechanicas Mechanic
    • (as Bill De Jarnette)
    Steve Boozer
    • Chip - Man at Juke Boxas Chip - Man at Juke Box
    Pamela Ballard
    • Dress Salesladyas Dress Saleslady
    Larry Sneegas
    • Drag Raceras Drag Racer
    Cari Conboy
    • Lake Zombieas Lake Zombie
    Karen Pyles
    • Dress Store Customeras Dress Store Customer
    T.C. Adams
    • Dancing Zombieas Dancing Zombie
    Sharon Scoville
    • Mary's Girlfriendas Mary's Girlfriend
    Mary Ann Harris
    • Mary's Girlfriendas Mary's Girlfriend
    Peter Schnitzler
    • A Walking Corpseas A Walking Corpse
    • Director
      • Herk Harvey(directed)
    • Writers
      • John Clifford(written)
      • Herk Harvey(story) (uncredited)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Mary Henry is enjoying the day by riding around in a car with two friends. When challenged to a drag, the women accept, but are forced off of a bridge. It appears that all are drowned, until Mary, quite some time later, amazingly emerges from the river. After recovering, Mary accepts a job in a new town as a church organist, only to be dogged by a mysterious phantom figure that seems to reside in an old run-down pavilion. It is here that Mary must confront the personal demons of her spiritual insouciance. —Rick Gregory <rag.apa@email.apa.org>
    • carnival
    • car accident
    • b movie
    • driving off a bridge
    • driving off a road
    • 73 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • She Escaped Death. Now It Wants Her Back!
    • Genres
      • Horror
      • Mystery
    • Certificate
      • Approved
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Candace Hilligoss' agent refused to represent her any further after seeing this film.
    • Goofs
      The drag race starts at a traffic light, but once the cars clear the intersection we see there is no traffic light at that intersection.
    • Quotes

      Mary Henry: It's funny... the world is so different in the daylight. In the dark, your fantasies get so out of hand. But in the daylight everything falls back into place again.

    • Crazy credits
      The opening credits fade in and out, scattered across the footage of the flowing river.
    • Alternate versions
      When originally released in 1962, the distributors cut four minutes from the film making it only 80 minutes long. When the film was rereleased in 1989, the filmmakers restored the four minutes and 84 minutes is the official, complete running time.
    • Connections
      Edited into People Who Die Mysteriously in Their Sleep (2004)

    User reviews368

    Review
    Top review
    A great little gem
    Herk Harvey and Candace Hilligoss are not household names to most persons and for good reason. Their body of work outside of this film is tragically low. I say tragically because Harvey as the film's producer/director and Hilligoss as the female lead were the main reason Carnival of Souls is remembered today as it is. Carnival of Souls is a great little gem and, I would say, a masterpiece of it's genre. Shot on a very low budget in 1962, much of it was filmed in Lawrence, Kansas, where the University of Kansas is located and where one of it's leading players (Speech instructor Sidney Berger as Ms. Hilligoss' `love interest') was on the teaching staff. Harvey also appeared as the mysterious apparition throughout the story. The story concerns a young woman, Hilligoss as Mary Henry, who has evidently survived an automobile plunging off of a bridge and into deep water. After being rescued, Mary begins to see the apparition, impressively played by Harvey in a low key, understated manner, and notices that there are times when she cannot be seen or heard by those around her. Harvey is truly outstanding, made up to look as a zombie with hollow, piercing eyes. Hilligoss as Mary is equally impressive as the strong-willed yet strangely vulnerable Mary. Hilligoss was an attractive, if not beautiful woman, and perfect for the role as Mary. Carnival of Souls is one of those films that worked, and worked well, almost in spite of itself. On the surface it would not appear that it had much going for it. Mary's adventures take her to a boarding house where she receives the mostly unwanted attentions of her lecherous neighbor, John, capably played by Berger. She accepts a job as a church organist, giving Harvey the perfect in to include some very eerie music within the story, and is mysteriously drawn to an old amusement park, where she experiences the dances of the dead, the film's most impressive scenes. Eventually she is drawn outside the abandoned ballroom to the beach and claimed as one of their own by the party of zombies, confirming what we have suspected all along. Mood, atmosphere and creative camera work set this film apart, a film which was ahead of its time as was 1968's Night of the Living Dead. Carnival of Souls is greater than the sum of its parts, as all things excellent must always be. It is a pity we did not see more of Herk Harvey or Candace Hilligoss. Horror buffs will always wonder, what if? .. Still, I believe it preferable to do a single masterpiece rather than a large body of the forgettable. Perhaps they were wise and understood that this was the one great work allotted them. I hope this is the case but we will never know.
    helpful•30
    1
    • Tommy-5
    • Apr 30, 2002

    FAQ3

    • Is this available on DVD?
    • Can I watch this film online?
    • What are the differences between the Theatrical Version and the Director's Cut?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 2, 1962 (Finland)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Corridors of Evil
    • Filming locations
      • Saltair Amusement Park, near, Magna, Utah, USA
    • Production companies
      • Harcourt Productions
      • Centron Corporation
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $30,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 18 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono

    Related news

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