English language

fullscreen

Made in 1962 on an extremely low budget, Herk Harvey's classic CARNIVAL OF SOULS has become legendary for its ability to create a tensely creepy atmosphere with virtually no special effects. A young woman (Candace Hilligoss) is involved in a car crash when her car falls off a bridge while drag racing with some friends. After she pulls herself from the river, she moves to a new town to take a job as a church organist. Meanwhile, a distinctly eerie and hollow-faced man seems to be following her wherever she goes, while an abandoned lakeside amusement park beckons her with an almost gravitational pull. The effective organ score enhances the film to great effect, as do the bleak landscapes of Utah's salt flats.


VidAmerica's release of "Carnival of Souls" was taken from a newly-struck 35mm print of the complete 80-minute director's cut. Other versions of the film exist, most taken from inferior prints and only running 73 minutes.


label : Criterion, USA

Disc 1: The Original Theatrical Version
Documentary on the 1989 Reunion of Cast and Crew
Rare Outtakes Accompanied by Gene Moore's Organ Score
Theatrical Trailer
Iluustrated History of the Saltair in Salt Lake City
THE CARNIVAL TOUR: Video Update on the Film's Locations


Disc 2: The Extended Director's Cut
Audio Commentary by Screenwriter John Clifford and Late Director Herk Harvey
Excerpts From Films Made by the Centron Corporation and Industrial Film Company
Essay on the History of Centron from MENTAL HYGIENE, Ken Smith's Book on Industrial and Educational Filmmaking
Tom Weaver's Printed Interviews with Harvey, Clifford, and Star Candace Hillgloss (Illustrated with Vintage Photos and Memorabilia)