#candace harvey

[normasshearer]

I don't belong in the world.

CARNIVAL OF SOULS 1962, dir. Herk Harvey

[atomic-chronoscaph]

Carnival of Souls (1962)

[cinematicmasterpiece]

carnival of souls (1962)

[weirdlookindog]

Candace Hilligoss in Carnival of Souls (1962)

[brokehorrorfan]

Apollo Gallery has released Carnival of Souls 18x24 giclee prints by Liza Shumska. The color version is limited to 55 for $46, while the black-and-white variant is limited to 45 for $53. They'll ship next month.

[machetelanding]

[helena-bottom-farter]

"Carnival of Souls", 1962

Dir. Herk Harvey

[tobydammit68]

Carnival of Souls (1962) Dir. Herk Harvey

[roskirambles]

Horror Movie of the Day: Carnival of Souls (1962)

Mary Henry is a woman from Kansas, who was in a car that got derailed into the river during a road race. Coming out of the water as the sole survivor, she has no recollection of how she escaped… nor shows any interest in the events and instead simply decides to move to Salt City in Utah to work as a church organist. On her trip there two things happen, however. The first is that she sees an abandined pavilion in the distance that she can't help but stare at, almost as if it was calling her. The other? She starts seeing a particular man appear before her, even in places where his pressence would be impossible.

And that's only the beginning of the sights in store for her.

Directed by Herk Harvey (who also plays the role of the mysterious man), this independent film is surprisingly modern in presentation. It makes up for its low budget with a bold and intelligent camerawork that feels incredibly organic yet at times powerfully off kilter, a captivating sense if atmosphere, a solid performance by Candace Hilligoss and a story that feels like a lucid dream which grows more oppressive over time.

You'd expect even the most cynnical of people to have something to say about barely surviving a tragic accident but Mary is uncannily detached of the entire ordeal or even the prospect of human interaction. It all feels… wrong, but it's not quite simple to put it in words as to why.

The organ music at play runs on dissonance for weeks, which outside of the obvious effect that is creating an unsettling mood. Its constant presence plays a narrative role and motif through the film, occasionally becoming a diegetic part of the story… or probably it was one all along which raises further questions. It's not hard to figure out the outcome from the opening minutes, but knowing that won't stop the inrtrigue of it's images and symbols that have reverberated to so many other horror classics.

[thetremblingroofbeam]

[spilladabalia]

Carnival Of Souls (1962) organ scene

[theersatzcowboy]

Carnival of Souls (1962)

Your favorite director’s favorite film, this stylish (and genuinely unnerving) horror cult classic about a woman’s fracturing internal life after a car accident is one of the great American independent films.

Director: Herk Harvey

Cinematographer: Maurice Prather

Starring: Candace Hilligoss

[kimwexlers-brownhair]

Pipe organist. Aroace. Autistic. Stalked by ghouls.

[weirdlookindog]

Carnival of Souls (1962)

[brokehorrorfan]

Carnival of Souls' original motion picture soundtrack is available on vinyl for $32 via Waxwork Records. Sourced from the original soundtrack negative, the score is composed by Gene Moore.

The album is pressed on 180-gram "Carnival Ghoul" blue pinwheel colored vinyl. It’s housed in a gatefold jacket with matte satin coating featuring art by Graham Humphreys and a 12x12 insert.

Carnival of Souls is the third title in under the Rob Zombie Presents banner, following White Zombie and Spider Baby.

[dilettantefish]