Carnival of Souls [PG]

The sole survivor of a drag race gone wrong, Mary leaves her hometown in the hopes that a change of location will help her get over the shock. But on the journey to her new home she encounters the ghostly figure of a man on the highway. At first, Mary discards the apparition as her imagination playing tricks, but soon other spectres begin to haunt her and Mary soon has to ask herself what is real, is she going mad, and does she even exist? 

Yes, it’s been a while since my last review; as a poor student I don’t indulge in going to the movies and the closure of my local Blockbuster has put a damper on my being able to keep up with a constant stream of rentals. But she’s back with a bunch of classics newly added to the DVD library (I found a 50 pack for $40) so this, armed with the presence of a nasty cold, leaves me with more movies and more time to watch and review. The world makes sense again! 

So, Carnival of Souls: the title really speaks for itself doesn’t it? What better place to house the souls of deceased than an abandoned carnival? More than that, what was cool and effective about this movie was how it was able to set your mind whirring with possible conclusions as to what the hell is going on. Whilst there is nothing really phenomenally incredible about the technique or the performances, the story is one strong enough to stand on its own and the eeriness of it successfully comes through in the many twists and turns in the path that it may or may not take. I was quite intrigued. 

The sole survivor of a drag race gone wrong, Mary leaves her hometown in the hopes that a change of location will help her get over the shock. But on the journey to her new home she encounters the ghostly figure of a man on the highway. At first, Mary discards the apparition as her imagination playing tricks, but soon other spectres begin to haunt her and Mary soon has to ask herself what is real, is she going mad, and does she even exist? 

As I mentioned before, the story is one that stands up, namely because it’s quite a loose plot that can go in all manner of directions. At one point I was thinking that maybe she can see dead people because of her near-death experience, then at another I point I got to thinking that maybe the ghostly apparition was the manifestation of some sort of guilt complex or something. That’s what this movie does; it keeps you on your toes and constantly trying to come to some conclusion about its goings on before the credits roll. And even the ending itself comes as a bit of a shock and you’re thinking about it after fade to black. 

There’s not a lot to report on as far as technique and performances are concerned, but I will say that the harsh lighting and sharp contrast during the most suspenseful bits really added to the eeriness of the whole thing and the editing was actually pretty fascinating in that the scene changes are swift and without the aid of a fadeout or anything, indeed the most memorable happened with nothing but a quick pan of the camera. 

Starring Candace Hilligoss, Frances Feist, Sidney Berger, Art Ellison, and Stan Levitt, Carnival of Souls is an eerie little flick that’s filled with drama, suspense, horror, and a few scenes that even put me in mind of The Shining. I was quite intrigued by it.