Herk Harvey's Carnival Of Souls is one of the most unusual and influential horror films of the 1960s. The film has lost some of its spark with the passing of time but still holds up as an excellent early example of a supernatural horror movie that takes itself seriously. There is no sense of whimsy about Carnival Of Souls. From the spectacular opening to the legendary conclusion, the film never wavers in its grim tone. It is Harvey's ability to present supernatural occurrences in a realistic manner that makes Carnival Of Souls a stepping stone to the horror classics of the 1970s.
The first indication that this is no ordinary horror film is the opening car chase sequence. Carnival Of Souls literally begins with a bang as a car full of young women race against a group of teenage delinquents and crash spectacularly over a bridge. The race is filmed with a precision and grace that is almost poetic. The close-ups of Mary's terrified face set the haunting tone which only gets stronger as Mary emerges from the water as the sole survivor of the crash. The crash appears to have broken something in Mary; she vacantly announces that she is leaving town to take up a new job and vows never to return.
The film hits its stride when Mary begins to see things which blur the line between reality and insanity. Herk Harvey exploits the fear of madness better than most directors. While some of the ghost effects look dated, Mary's self doubt, confusion and desperation remain compelling. Life goes from bad to worse for Mary as she becomes increasingly disturbed by her hallucinatory experiences and becomes increasingly self-destructive. Carnival Of Souls keeps an ace up its sleeve, as the film moves from psychological to physical horror in its classic conclusion.
Few films have conveyed a character's internal torment as lyrically as Carnival Of Souls. The scene where Mary wanders the streets in a trance, unable to communicate with the world around her, is hypnotic and beautifully filmed. Mary's visit with Dr. Samuels is equally revealing. This character is basically an empty vessel, which makes her desperate attachment to her sleazy neighbour believable and her increasingly bizarre behaviour understandable. Harvey, who had a career making industrial "how to" films before turning to features, directs the movie with a crispness and style that is simply beautiful. The years he spent making documentaries has obviously influenced his approach to film-making. For what is essentially a ghost movie, Carnival Of Souls is steeped in reality - from Mary's psychological unravelling, to the desperate characters she meets along the way.
Harvey's lasting legacy is the film's conclusion. This sequence has been cited by a plethora of horror directors as being influential and George A. Romero readily admits to borrowing heavily from this portion of the film in his own masterpiece, "Night Of The Living Dead". The zombies in that film not only resemble the ghouls in Carnival Of Souls, but Barbra's initial flight from the zombies is clearly inspired by Mary's fate. The lasting impact of this sequence can be seen by the constant plundering of the film's final twist in everything from "The Others" to "The Sixth Sense".
Carnival Of Souls has aged in a way that "Night Of The Living Dead", for example, has not. The film has taken on a camp quality due to the poor nature of some of the special effects and Mary's behaviour, which is very much in tune with the mores of the 1960s. However, age has not wearied the film's hypnotic, dreamlike tone or Harvey's steadfastly serious approach to the most unrealistic of subject matters. And then there is the film's rousing finale, which has lost none of its considerable bite. This classic deserves your attention.
The first indication that this is no ordinary horror film is the opening car chase sequence. Carnival Of Souls literally begins with a bang as a car full of young women race against a group of teenage delinquents and crash spectacularly over a bridge. The race is filmed with a precision and grace that is almost poetic. The close-ups of Mary's terrified face set the haunting tone which only gets stronger as Mary emerges from the water as the sole survivor of the crash. The crash appears to have broken something in Mary; she vacantly announces that she is leaving town to take up a new job and vows never to return.
The film hits its stride when Mary begins to see things which blur the line between reality and insanity. Herk Harvey exploits the fear of madness better than most directors. While some of the ghost effects look dated, Mary's self doubt, confusion and desperation remain compelling. Life goes from bad to worse for Mary as she becomes increasingly disturbed by her hallucinatory experiences and becomes increasingly self-destructive. Carnival Of Souls keeps an ace up its sleeve, as the film moves from psychological to physical horror in its classic conclusion.
Few films have conveyed a character's internal torment as lyrically as Carnival Of Souls. The scene where Mary wanders the streets in a trance, unable to communicate with the world around her, is hypnotic and beautifully filmed. Mary's visit with Dr. Samuels is equally revealing. This character is basically an empty vessel, which makes her desperate attachment to her sleazy neighbour believable and her increasingly bizarre behaviour understandable. Harvey, who had a career making industrial "how to" films before turning to features, directs the movie with a crispness and style that is simply beautiful. The years he spent making documentaries has obviously influenced his approach to film-making. For what is essentially a ghost movie, Carnival Of Souls is steeped in reality - from Mary's psychological unravelling, to the desperate characters she meets along the way.
Harvey's lasting legacy is the film's conclusion. This sequence has been cited by a plethora of horror directors as being influential and George A. Romero readily admits to borrowing heavily from this portion of the film in his own masterpiece, "Night Of The Living Dead". The zombies in that film not only resemble the ghouls in Carnival Of Souls, but Barbra's initial flight from the zombies is clearly inspired by Mary's fate. The lasting impact of this sequence can be seen by the constant plundering of the film's final twist in everything from "The Others" to "The Sixth Sense".
Carnival Of Souls has aged in a way that "Night Of The Living Dead", for example, has not. The film has taken on a camp quality due to the poor nature of some of the special effects and Mary's behaviour, which is very much in tune with the mores of the 1960s. However, age has not wearied the film's hypnotic, dreamlike tone or Harvey's steadfastly serious approach to the most unrealistic of subject matters. And then there is the film's rousing finale, which has lost none of its considerable bite. This classic deserves your attention.