Herk Harvey toiled away for over a decade in educational and industrial films before taking a chance on filming a feature length movie in the Fall of 1961. He gathered backers from Lawrence, Kansas, used a graduate film student (Sandy Berger) to cast the lead (Candace Hilligoss),and filmed the movie during a three week vacation period. The center set piece was the abandoned Saltair amusement park in Utah, which has its own mysterious history. The story goes that Harvey was traveling home to Lawrence, Kansas on business and came upon the Saltair amusement park from afar, stopped, became fascinated by it, and then returned with the idea of making a horror movie featuring it.

He approached his colleague John Clifford to write the script and Carnival Of Souls was born. Often cited as an influence on Directors George A. Romero and David Lynch, Carnival Of Souls is an eerie film about what happens when a young girl emerges from what looks to be certain death. Herk Harvey creates a spooky little chiller that draws us in right from the beginning. The black and white cinematography is Bergmanesque in construction with inventive camera angles and an ethereal feel. The scenes that come to mind are the ones in the organ factory and the amusement park pavilion. Gene Moore's music on the organ may be one of the most unique soundtracks ever created, especially for a horror film; it adds immeasurably to the moody atmosphere. The make-up effects are also very effective,considering the film is in black and white. The film relies on its Twilight Zone-like ability to make everyday people, places, and activities seem suspect. The acting by Candace Hilligoss is very good for such a low budget production, and reportedly she didn't know what her character's motivation was throughout the filming; Harvey's intent was to maintain a look of confusion on Hilligoss' face. This is very evident in retrospect, and is the main reason why the audience identifies with her so easily.

For a film that had to be edited so quickly, with an entire reel of film being lost by the developer, there are very few technical errors. Although the film is somewhat predictable eventually, it still remains a fascinating, influential, original work of horror outside the Hollywood mainstream. Unfortunately, this was the only feature film Herk Harvey made due to the fact that he was never paid by the distributors, who went out of business. Today it has become a cult staple among horror film buffs; that's quite an achievement for an industrial filmmaker from Lawrence, Kansas. *** of 4 stars.

This film reminds me a lot of the original VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED. Aside from starring George Sanders, VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED was made on a shoestring budget yet was one of the most effective and scary films of all time. While this movie isn't quite as good, it is exceptional--especially when it has a significantly lower budget than VILLAGE. The film was shot around Lawrence, Kansas (not exactly a film mecca) and featured locals and small-time actors.

The film starts with two cars drag racing through the countryside. The one vehicle with three young ladies aboard crashes off the side of a bridge and into the water below. It appears they are all killed but dragging the river is tough since the current is very strong. Then, unexpectedly, after three hours, one of the young ladies climbs out of the water--shaken and dirty but otherwise alright!

The next day, the lady leaves town forever to take up the job as a church organist in a city far away. It becomes pretty obvious based on her actions and body language that she is a pretty asocial type person (a "schizoid personality" is the correct psychological term, by the way) AND she also has little, if any, appreciation for the church--to her it's just a job. However, her tough exterior is quite shaken when she begins seeing a scary dead-looking guy during her drive to the new town. This begins as her car passes an old abandoned carnival but she continues periodically seeing this zombie-like guy once she arrives in the new town. Locals suspect she is crazy and after a while the lady isn't so sure of her sanity as well!! What she IS sure of is that somehow this carnival is the key, so in the end she goes there at night for a showdown.

There's a lot more to the film than this, but I don't want to spoil any of the suspense--and there is a lot of it!! Despite the low budget, this is a "scare the pants off you" type film that is great to watch alone late at night!!! Additionally, the non-professional actors did a bang-up job--this is a true cult classic and deserves to be well remembered. I really wish most modern film makers would see this film to understand that good writing and direction are the keys to great films--not huge budgets, special effects and prima donna actors!

Carnival of Souls may not be a personal favourite or a masterpiece, but it is an incredibly effective film and was an inspiration for many film-makers.

While Carnival of Souls generally doesn't look too bad, especially for the budget it had, there is an occasional crude and grainy look. The story is in places a little too thin and simple, with an abrupt ending with not much signs of a pay-off, and, with the exception of creepy Herk Harvey and especially touchingly vulnerable Candace Hilligoss (who allows one to completely identify with her even with just a telling glance),the acting is not that great with some of the minor players looking as if they weren't sure what to do with themselves.

The setting is beautifully realised however, being both dream-like and appropriately nightmarish and there is some very inventive and atmospheric(like being part of a surreal dream) photography that is somewhat reminiscent of Val Lewton's style. The organ music is incredibly spooky, and doesn't feel overused or too intrusive at all, instead it adds to the atmosphere. The story may not feel like there is much to it, but it is elevated significantly by its atmosphere.

Because where Carnival of Souls most succeeds is how it works amazingly as an atmosphere and mood piece. Throughout there is a genuinely eerie and nail-bitingly creepy quality, and as a shocker Carnival of Souls is legendary for a reason, the shocks delivered so unexpectedly and chillingly, with no signs of cheapness, in a way that few modern horrors today have managed to accomplish. It goes at a nice pace and doesn't ever feel dull, and Harvey's directing is credible, especially in how he managed to maintain such a great sense of mood and dread without being forced or cheap and there is some decent technical skill here. The characters are not the most well-developed but neither do they detract from the story either, heroine Mary is actually surprisingly easy to relate to.

Overall, far from a flawless film, but even with its limitations still manages to be an eerily effective and entertaining film that still shocks today and has influenced many. 7.5/10 Bethany Cox