Herk Harvey toiled away for over a decade in educational and industrial films before taking a chance on filming a feature length movie in the Fall of 1961. He gathered backers from Lawrence, Kansas, used a graduate film student (Sandy Berger) to cast the lead (Candace Hilligoss), and filmed the movie during a three week vacation period. The center set piece was the abandoned Saltair amusement park in Utah, which has its own mysterious history. The story goes that Harvey was traveling home to Lawrence, Kansas on business and came upon the Saltair amusement park from afar, stopped, became fascinated by it, and then returned with the idea of making a horror movie featuring it.
He approached his colleague John Clifford to write the script and Carnival Of Souls was born. Often cited as an influence on Directors George A. Romero and David Lynch, Carnival Of Souls is an eerie film about what happens when a young girl emerges from what looks to be certain death. Herk Harvey creates a spooky little chiller that draws us in right from the beginning. The black and white cinematography is Bergmanesque in construction with inventive camera angles and an ethereal feel. The scenes that come to mind are the ones in the organ factory and the amusement park pavilion. Gene Moore's music on the organ may be one of the most unique soundtracks ever created, especially for a horror film; it adds immeasurably to the moody atmosphere. The make-up effects are also very effective,considering the film is in black and white. The film relies on its Twilight Zone-like ability to make everyday people, places, and activities seem suspect. The acting by Candace Hilligoss is very good for such a low budget production, and reportedly she didn't know what her character's motivation was throughout the filming; Harvey's intent was to maintain a look of confusion on Hilligoss' face. This is very evident in retrospect, and is the main reason why the audience identifies with her so easily.
For a film that had to be edited so quickly, with an entire reel of film being lost by the developer, there are very few technical errors. Although the film is somewhat predictable eventually, it still remains a fascinating, influential, original work of horror outside the Hollywood mainstream. Unfortunately, this was the only feature film Herk Harvey made due to the fact that he was never paid by the distributors, who went out of business. Today it has become a cult staple among horror film buffs; that's quite an achievement for an industrial filmmaker from Lawrence, Kansas. *** of 4 stars.
He approached his colleague John Clifford to write the script and Carnival Of Souls was born. Often cited as an influence on Directors George A. Romero and David Lynch, Carnival Of Souls is an eerie film about what happens when a young girl emerges from what looks to be certain death. Herk Harvey creates a spooky little chiller that draws us in right from the beginning. The black and white cinematography is Bergmanesque in construction with inventive camera angles and an ethereal feel. The scenes that come to mind are the ones in the organ factory and the amusement park pavilion. Gene Moore's music on the organ may be one of the most unique soundtracks ever created, especially for a horror film; it adds immeasurably to the moody atmosphere. The make-up effects are also very effective,considering the film is in black and white. The film relies on its Twilight Zone-like ability to make everyday people, places, and activities seem suspect. The acting by Candace Hilligoss is very good for such a low budget production, and reportedly she didn't know what her character's motivation was throughout the filming; Harvey's intent was to maintain a look of confusion on Hilligoss' face. This is very evident in retrospect, and is the main reason why the audience identifies with her so easily.
For a film that had to be edited so quickly, with an entire reel of film being lost by the developer, there are very few technical errors. Although the film is somewhat predictable eventually, it still remains a fascinating, influential, original work of horror outside the Hollywood mainstream. Unfortunately, this was the only feature film Herk Harvey made due to the fact that he was never paid by the distributors, who went out of business. Today it has become a cult staple among horror film buffs; that's quite an achievement for an industrial filmmaker from Lawrence, Kansas. *** of 4 stars.