Carnival of Souls
United States
1962
83 Min
English
No Subtitles
841 Views
Synopsis
Herk Harvey’s macabre masterpiece gained a cult following through late night television and has been bootlegged for years. Made by industrial filmmakers on a modest budget, Carnival of Souls was intended to have the “look of a Bergman” and “feel of a Cocteau,” and succeeds with its strikingly used locations and spooky organ score. Mary Henry (Candace Hilligoss) survives a drag race in a rural Kansas town, then takes a job as a church organist in Salt Lake City. En route, she becomes haunted by a bizarre apparition that compels her to an abandoned lakeside pavilion. —The Criterion Collection
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Seth Farmer
25Jan10
I found this on a DVD along with 14 other cult horror films for 5 dollars. I rule.
Gabriel J.
16Jan10
Idk where to ask this, but has anyone else had problems watching this on here? Everything is fine excpept for the audio. Listening on speakers it's hard to pick up on, but through headphones there's all these annoying pops or static spots here and there, especially when the volume increases. It does seem to disappear a bit before the one hour mark, however.
acarrillojr
30Dec09
I could see how women could despise John Linden, the "lady's man." He was overly pushy. Can you blame him, though? Hot girl moves into the same building, it's only natural. He did provide some of the best humor. My favorite quote:
John Linden: [when Mary does not drink the glass of beer he ordered for her at a bar] What's the matter? Don't you drink?
Mary Henry: Not really.
John Linden: Well, I do. And not… more
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Articles
Our roundup of essays and articles on this film.
The Forgotten: Skeleton Quay
By David Cairns on March 5, 2009
DR. LIVINGSKELETON, I PRESUME?
The Living Skeleton is a lot of fun, or at least, that was my experience, or I think it was. I have to couch things in the most uncertain terms, because
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Reviews
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Surreal, Psychological Thriller with a Noir Aesthetic
By acarrillojr on December 30, 2009
The opening car race/game of chicken with oncoming traffic probably does not get the respect it should…as is the case for the film as a whole. This psychological thriller debuted after the decline… read review
It's lean and visually arresting enough to reward at least a single viewing
By preferences on December 18, 2009
Strange that I’m attempting a mini-review even before I’ve finished the film, but I’m this way with horror—I just can’t sit still. It’s a very spooky film, which is not to say its a great film, but… read review
Untitled
By Vlad on December 10, 2009
Other reviewers have noted that the acting is a bit lame, and I agree, but the film still manages to conjure up an atmosphere of pure American gothic. By modern slash and gore standards it is not very… read review
Untitled
By jake barge on November 26, 2009
Garbage, even for a B-movie. Never looked like a Bergman but looked like it tried to, and had the worst soundtrack ever recorded. so boring. dark shadows did the whole organ thing enough for the entire… read review
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DVD
Buy the DVD from The Criterion Collection.
