Carnival of Souls (1998)

A young girl witnesses the brutal rape and murder of her mother by a circus clown and begins to have nightmares when the carnival comes back to town when she is an adult.

Director:

Adam Grossman

Writers:

John Clifford (story "Carnival of Souls"), Adam Grossman (screenplay)

Stars:

Bobbie Phillips, Shawnee Smith, Larry Miller

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bobbie Phillips	...	Alex Grant
Shawnee Smith	...	Sandra Grant
Larry Miller	...	Louis Seagram
Paul Johansson	...	Michael
Cleavant Derricks	...	Sid
Henry G. Sanders	...	Officer Soby
Brendan Dillon	...	Henry (as Brendan Thomas Dillion)
Anna K. McKown	...	Elaine (as Anna Kristin McKown)
Raquel Beaudene	...	Young Alex
Tiffanie Ann Taylor	...	Young Sandra
Joseph S. Griffo	...	Photographer
Robert LaSardo	...	Candyman (as Robert A. LaSardo)
Mark Paskell	...	Clown
Ellen Albertini Dow	...	Mrs. Meltzer
Andrew Craig	...	Worker

Storyline

The eleven year-old girl Alex Grant witnesses her mother being raped and killed at home by the carnival clown Louis Seagram. Many years later, Alex works with her younger sister Sandra Grant in the Mermaid Inn that was owned by their mother. Out of the blue, Alex is attacked by Louis that was hidden in the backseat of her car on the day of the anniversary of the death of her mother. She struggles with Louis and drives her car into the sea to protect her sister. Then she swims back to the shore on the area of a carnival. From this moment on, Alex has nightmares and daydreams with Louis. What is happening with Alex?

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Plot Keywords:

tragedy | female protagonist | ghost | car accident | bar | 

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Taglines:

Enter at your own risk!

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence/terror, a strong sex scene and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sidney Berger who played Mr. Linden in the original, plays a cop in this remake.

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Goofs

When Michael lifts up Alex's skirt to rip the legs off of her pantyhose, the back of her hose is already torn open despite that the sex scene is just beginning.

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Quotes

Alex Grant: [to Sandra about Louis] I know it sounds impossible, but I know he's here.

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Connections

Referenced in Adjust Your Tracking (2013)

User Reviews

A Waste of time, money, and film.

I read the user comments before I watched this movie, and I thought the film could not be as bad as everyone said. I was sorely mistaken, it was worse. I am a huge Horror fan, and a fan of Wes Craven as well. But this film doesn't even have the right to be placed in the genre, more less have Wes Craven's name on it.

The script, even if rewritten by a competent writer, will never be good. The whole premise of the movie was just unscary, uninteresting, and an unnecessary waste of the actors time. The actors in this film may have some talent, but it certainly can't be realized in a piece of garbage like this. The actress that plays the main characters sister in this film also play on the television show Becker starring Ted Danson. She has talent as a comedic actress, and it can been seen in that series. As for the other actors though, I don't know if they have talent at all. The other acting was equal to a poorly made porno movie. I could make a better film, and hire better actors, in my back yard with a 8mm camcorder.

In short, the movie is trash. It has no redeeming qualities. Not even worth the gas money to the video store, more less the rental fee.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 August 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Carnival of Souls

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Trimark Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1