Carnival Of Souls (1962)

[Inglorious]

It is maddening how much this film has been forgotten, or even how little recognition it got in its heyday!

Carnival Of Souls is fantastic, and I just wanted to make sure a few more people would get out there and pick up a copy and check it out if you have not already. For those that have seen it, what did you think?

And here's a little piece of business that pisses me off:
SPOILER!!!! ENDING SPOILER!!!!! (Also for The Others and The Sixth Sense)



Those that give so much credit to The Others and The Sixth Sense for their twist endings should be shot. This film has the same twist, and yet it is done better. We see the backstory on the character. WE SEE HER DIE, and yet the film maker tricks us, is she alive or dead? Well done... well done.


END SPOILER!!!!

Plus, I never knew such a good film was shot right here in Utah at the Saltair.

[Scully1888]

Agreed, my old Nut.

This is a quality film and, as you say, was somewhat ahead of its time in terms of plot twists.

Highly recommended, though I have the feeling that some of the "Scream fans" won't be too impressed by its lack of "Boo" scares.

[countchocula]

A surreal genre landmark, but I feel that it's overrated. The acting is stale, the characters are paper-thin, and by the time it gets going, it suddenly comes to a halt. I respect its place in horror history, but I can't call myself a fan.

[Inglorious]

Originally posted by Scully1888
Agreed, my old Nut.

This is a quality film and, as you say, was somewhat ahead of its time in terms of plot twists.

Highly recommended, though I have the feeling that some of the "Scream fans" won't be too impressed by its lack of "Boo" scares.

Agreed on all levels. The atmosphere was enough to keep me watching, and at many points I was so creeped out I did not trust one person in this film.

Originally posted by countchocula
A surreal genre landmark, but I feel that it's overrated. The acting is stale, the characters are paper-thin, and by the time it gets going, it suddenly comes to a halt. I respect its place in horror history, but I can't call myself a fan.

I can see where you are coming from, my mother refers to this film simply as "lame". She thinks it is boring, where as I think it is genious and needs a little more attention than it gets - after all it really is a cult status film - even the late Herk Harvey (director) considered it just that.

[xlr8r]

You stayed awake watching this?

[Scully1888]

Originally posted by xlr8r
You stayed awake watching this?
Ahem...

Originally posted by Scully1888
Highly recommended, though I have the feeling that some of the "Scream fans" won't be too impressed by its lack of "Boo" scares.

:rolleyes:

[xlr8r]

Um, No.
Cheap shot there, guy.
In no way am I a "Scream" fan. I just found "Carnival of Souls" to be dull. End of story. OK?

[Inglorious]

I could see how a person could become very bored with Carnival Of Souls on the initial watching. I mean, it is NOT your average film. It is quite different and paints a completely different picture than normally touches the canvas.

A person that would watch this film for any SOLE reason would probably be disappointed. A person that watched it and looked into the atmosphere would love it. That is my opinion, but I can see how it could be boring to some.

[Dignan]

The theatrial cut is good, but I really like the Director's cut. The Criterion Dvd is one of the favorites of all my Dvds, the transfer is so crisp and the extras are great. It should be a must buy for any fans of the film or anyone interested in the film's origins.

[screamer581]

Originally posted by Scully1888

Highly recommended, though I have the feeling that some of the "Scream fans" won't be too impressed by its lack of "Boo" scares.


Well I am fan of the Scream films (well, 1 and to a lesser extent 2), and I thought Carnival Of Souls was excellent. But you did say "some", so I'll let it go. :)

[Scully1888]

I perhaps should have generalised a bit more. What I meant was that people these days are more satisifed with visceral, gory deaths and huge "boo" scares. Back in the time of Carnival Of Souls the sight of the man's face alone was deemed scary. That's why many of today's generation finds the film dull and scare-free, because they've seen so much now that to take a number of steps backwards is boring.

If you're willing to put your mind back to the early 60s when the film came out, you will find a very atmospheric and well-shot film. Nowadays we take things like twist endings and ghost films for granted, but back then it was a great piece of filmmaking.

That's all I meant. When I said "Scream fans" I simply ment the majority of today's generation who have been raised on gory slashers (often starring musicians) which, due to a large budget, can rely on flashy effects to please people without having to rely on storyline or clever camerawork.

Therefore when people used to this see a film that's 42 years old, it seems boring to them.

[Inglorious]

Originally posted by Scully1888
I perhaps should have generalised a bit more. What I meant was that people these days are more satisifed with visceral, gory deaths and huge "boo" scares. Back in the time of Carnival Of Souls the sight of the man's face alone was deemed scary. That's why many of today's generation finds the film dull and scare-free, because they've seen so much now that to take a number of steps backwards is boring.

If you're willing to put your mind back to the early 60s when the film came out, you will find a very atmospheric and well-shot film. Nowadays we take things like twist endings and ghost films for granted, but back then it was a great piece of filmmaking.

That's all I meant. When I said "Scream fans" I simply ment the majority of today's generation who have been raised on gory slashers (often starring musicians) which, due to a large budget, can rely on flashy effects to please people without having to rely on storyline or clever camerawork.

Therefore when people used to this see a film that's 42 years old, it seems boring to them.

Amen!

[Pink Corduroy]

"Carnival of Souls" is one of my favorite films. This is one of those films that I think are improved by a lack of budget. It's so much more intimate and interesting to me than most of these big, flashy horror films, and such budgetary constraints really force the director et al. to use their imagination. What starts out looking like a typical, albeit charming, B-movie soon begins to startle you with genuinely clever editing, haunting imagery, and some really unsettling subtexts on death and religion.

This is also one of those films I could see myself testing other people with. Not that I'm so much of a snob as to disdain their general movie tastes if they didn't like it. But I DO suspect that many people who dislike this movie would piss themselves in adoration if it were remade as a Hollywood blockbuster, and would be too distracted by the fire-farting CGI robot zombies to notice any perceived shortcomings in the screenplay.

[VincentPrice]

Great movie, deserves a lot more attention than it gets...especially since it directly influence George Romero's The Night Of The Living Dead.