Carnival of Souls [Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray]

Director: Herk Harvey

Overview

This frightening ghost story begins when Mary (Candace Hilligoss) and her two female companions drive of a bridge and into the water. Mary emerges seemingly unscathed and rents a small room in Salt Lake City and takes a job as a church organist. She is drawn to a crumbling pavilion in town where local ghosts swirl around her in a symbolic haunting ritual. This independent film was produced and directed by Herk Harvey who also played the head haunter at the pavilion.

Product Details

Release Date:	07/12/2016
UPC:	0715515181310
Original Release:	1962
Rating:	NR
Source:	THE CRITERION COLLECTION, INC
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:18:00
Sales rank:	8,712

Special Features

Selected-scene audio commentary featuring director Herk Harvey and screenwriter John Clifford; New interview with comedian and writer Dana Gould; New video essay by film critic David Cairns; The Movie That Wouldn't Die!, a documentary on the 1989 reuion of the film's cast and crew; The Carnival Tour, a 2000 update on the film's locations; Excerpts from movies made by the Centro Corporation, an industrial film company based In Lawrence, Kansas, that once employed Harvey and Clifford; Deleted scenes; Outtakes, accompanied by Gene Moore's organ score; History of the Saltair Resort in Salt Lake City, where key scenes in the film were shot; Trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Candace Hilligoss	Mary Henry
Herk Harvey	The Man
Frances Feist	Landlady
Sidney Berger	John Linden
Stan Levitt	Doctor
Art Ellison	Minister
Tom McGinnis	Organ Factory Boss
Dan Palmquist	Gas Station Attendant
Steve Boozer	Chip, Man at Juke Box
Pamela Ballard	Dress Sales Lady
Larry Sneegas	Drag Racer
Cari Conboy	Lake Zombie
Karen Pyles	Dress Store Customer
Forbes Caldwell	Carpenter in Organ Factory
Bill De Jarnette	Mechanic
T.C. Adams	Dancing Zombie,Actor
Sharon Scoville	Mary's Girlfriend
Mary Ann Harris	Mary's Girlfriend
Peter Schnitzler	A Walking Corpse
Bill Sollner	Lake Zombie
Reza Badiyi	Bus Ticket Customer
Tom McGinniss	Actor
Lamy Sneegas	Actor
Gene Moore	Composer

Technical Credits

John Clifford

John Clifford	Screenwriter
Herk Harvey	Producer

Editorial Reviews

A simple, low-budget ghost story made without stars or elaborate special effects, Carnival of Souls opened in 1962 to a generally dismissive public -- but with the passing years, Herk Harvey's hypnotic little chiller has acquired a cult following and been acknowledged as a minor masterpiece of fantastic cinema. It begins with the apparent drowning of Mary Henry (Candace Hilligoss), who subsequently drives to Utah to take a job as a church organist in a small town. She suffers hallucinations of a cadaverous-looking man (played by Harvey) and, feeling alone and alienated, wanders into a shabby amusement park where she encounters the tormentor she thinks she's only imagined. Harvey doesn't attempt to cram his story with action and incident; instead he creates an eerie, dream-like atmosphere and lets the narrative unfold at a tempered pace. As is the case with the best horror films, Carnival of Souls has become a monument in its own right, spawning many imitators and a remake in 1998. Four decades after its release, this stark movie is as horrifying as ever.