All the fun of the fair (Carnival Of Souls (DVD))

Member Name: Silent Bob

Product:	Carnival Of Souls (DVD)
Date:	25/10/00 (28 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very dark and evil.

Disadvantages: Very raw and edgy

If you think that you cant have a scary black and white movie then think again, Carnival of Souls is a very scary film. There was recently a remake of the film by Wes Craven but that was totally inferior to this version, you must see this version if you watch any. The plot is that there is a car race in a small town and it goes wrong, there is a crash and one of the cars goes into the local river, with 3 young women in it. After a couple of hours one of the women makes her way out of the river, stumbling, tripping up and unable to remeber any of the events that just occurred.

That women is Mary Henry, a professional organist, to get ove rthe crash she moves away and takes a job as a church player in Salt Lake City. While travelling to the church she passes an old asumement park, as she passes it she feels a strange attraction to the park. She suddenly becomes unable to talk to other people, she seems to be on another wavelength, and a strange man seems ot have started to follow her around. He man appears in mirrors and down hallways, in doorways and other places, she stranges to handle this and must try to overcome her sudden fear.

Carnival of Souls is a film that creates a spell over the viewer and wont let go, there was a tiny budget so the effects are very limited. The scares are made mostly by sound effects, like certain scenes where we have total silence apart from footsteps, combine this with the lighting effects used in the film and it creates a very scary atmosphere. The film creates images that are no teasily forgotten, like the scene with the strange man coming out of the water and opening his eyes. As it was shot so fast and no such a low budget you can see the raw edge on the film an dthis only adds to the effect the film has. Some scenes are uneasy for the viewer to watch because there creepy others are uneasy because ofthe poor quality of the shots.

Although it as B-Movie roots, the film were obviously fans of Ingmar Bergma
n and create a similar mood found in their films. They draw the viewer into Mary's world so we can feel and see what she is going through. The film works because it includes some of our fears, being chased down a narrow street by a dark figure, opening the curtains in the dark only to be greeted by a face on the other side and Mary's final meeting with the strange man sticks in your mind for weeks after viewing. Carnival of Souls was the created in 1961 by director Herk Harvey, writer John Clifford, and cinematographer Maurice Prather, all of whom worked for Centron, an industrial film corporation based in Lawrence, Kansas. They had never made a feature before, and, ironically, never did again. Harvey, who died in 1996, enjoyed the status of the film, but seemed a bit disappointed that it was the only thing for which he is remembered, he felt that he did good work in his many years of industrial filmmaking.

Candace Hilligoss gives a dedicated performance as Mary, but often feel out with the director over different feelings on how scenes whould be acted. Sidney Berger as John Linden, the man living across the hall from Mary, gives the best performance of the movie. Berger creates a creepy character that makes you feel like taking a shower after hes left the room to wipe off his dirt. And Herk Harvey himself appears as The Man, the eerie, white figure who seems to be following Mary.

Carnival of Souls deserves its status as a genuine cult classic. If you’re looking for a new stylish horror movie that is jumpy and gory... look elsewhere. But if you’re searching for a creative, atmospheric moody film that leaves you looking over your shoulder, then come here.

Summary: