Carnival of Souls (1962)

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Director: Herk Harvey

Writer: John Clifford

Stars: Candace Hilligoss, Frances Feist, Sidney Berger, Art Ellison, Stan Levitt, Tom McGinnis, Forbes Caldwell, Dan Palmquist



Given its low-budget pedigree, this film is far better than anyone had any right to expect.

 


Director Herk Harvey, in his only production (!), shows himself to be a master of atmosphere. 



There's not much to the story: After a near-death experience, a young woman (Candace Hilligoss) is stalked by ghosts.

 


She sometimes appears to become invisible to those around her and has a weird attraction to an abandoned resort out in the Utah desert.

 


I can imagine that this was the perfect drive-in movie; the images are of paramount importance and deliver an eerie experience without the necessity of distracting teenagers from their necking with the need to follow a story. 



The film ends with a "twist" that is very passe today (and probably was in the 60s as well), but by this time Harvey has already delivered plenty of shivers. 



Our heroine's mysterious end is a beautifully orchestrated black-and-white nightmare.

 


What would Harvey have accomplished if he had continued making films...and why didn't he?






























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