Carnival of Souls

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Carnival of Souls

PG

1962

1h 20m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

67 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Mary Henry ends up the sole survivor of a fatal car accident through mysterious circumstances. Trying to put the incident behind her, she moves to Utah and takes a job as a church organist. But her fresh start is interrupted by visions of a fiendish man. As the visions begin to occur more frequently, Mary finds herself drawn to the deserted carnival on the outskirts of town. The strangely alluring carnival may hold the secret to her tragic past.

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Critics Consensus

Carnival of Souls offers delightfully chilling proof that when it comes to telling an effective horror story, less can often be much, much more.

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Geoff Brown

The Times (UK)

09/26/2022

For all its odd haunting moments, Carnival of Souls is best appreciated knocked off its pedestal.

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Glenn Kenny

Video Review

09/26/2022

4/5

Its imagery evokes not a horror of blood, but a horror of loneliness.

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Hugo Davenport

Daily Telegraph (UK)

09/24/2022

If not quite a neglected masterpiece, it shows what could be done by atmosphere and suggestion before the days of slash and splatter.

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Sarah Boslaugh

TheArtsStl

03/01/2025

7/10

The strength of Carnival of Souls lies not in the big reveal, which is obvious almost from the beginning, but in the unsettling mood it creates and the striking images Harvey puts on the screen.

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Howard Waldstein

CBR

06/27/2023

What Herk Harvey's Carnival of Souls lacks in budget, it more than makes up for in inventiveness.

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Jorge Loser

Espinof

11/14/2022

5/5

With a dreamlike spin, the film explores the dark side of the '50s American ideal of a perfect society... [Full review in Spanish]

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power E

@torturecide Feb 19

赫克·哈维以极低成本营造出令人不安的氛围，废弃的游乐场成为影史标志性画面。影片的先锋配乐与实验性剪辑手法，深刻影响了后来的大卫·林奇等导演。尽管制作简陋，但其对死亡、孤独与存在主义的探讨颇具哲学深度。女主角坎迪斯·希利格斯的表演空灵而哀伤，完美诠释了角色的迷失状态。作为"午夜电影"文化的奠基之作，它证明了恐怖片可以兼具艺术性与思想性。六十多年后的今天，那种原始的、梦魇般的诗意依然令人着迷

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Justin T

@RT08580778 Feb 15

This was certainly enjoyable but really let down by the decade it was made. The apparitions that are seen look really menacing and are effectively creepy. I would love to have seen this when it originally came out as I would have been able to appreciate it for what it was. There are scarier and better horror movies around now and have been plenty since the eighties (and even some made in the seventies). It was a good ghost story but I prefer more modern takes like The Grudge (2002) or even Presence (2024). It was creepy but severely dated. This would have been awesome in the sixties.

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Robert L.

@Tomato524 Feb 5

Saw it many years ago and it gave me some silly nightmares. Still a ‘cool’ film to me….

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Isaiah Y

@zayman2 Oct 31

Very well made for a low-budget independent horror film

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Mark B

@Mbindon Oct 26

A bit of the 1950s low budget cinema that really works. It is well acted by the lead actress. Plenty of creeps and artsy direction that was the style of the time.

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Xian C.

@Filmclass Oct 26

Spoiler - she’s dead but doesn’t know it. I’m sure it was ground breaking when it came out but it is kind of tiresome today. Too much mordant organ music, too much running and screaming for no apparent reason. At only 80 minutes it still drags. The heroine is beautiful but has Benzedrine eyes - her pupils are as small as the pills that caused them in those days (amphetamines). I liked it but not that much.

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Herk Harvey

Director

Candace Hilligoss

Mary Henry

Frances Feist

Mrs. Thomas

Sidney Berger

John Linden

Stan Levitt

Dr. Samuels

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Synopsis

Mary Henry ends up the sole survivor of a fatal car accident through mysterious circumstances. Trying to put the incident behind her, she moves to Utah and takes a job as a church organist. But her fresh start is interrupted by visions of a fiendish man. As the visions begin to occur more frequently, Mary finds herself drawn to the deserted carnival on the outskirts of town. The strangely alluring carnival may hold the secret to her tragic past.

Director: Herk Harvey
Producer: Herk Harvey
Screenwriter: John Clifford
Production Co: Harcourt Productions
Rating: PG
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 26, 1962, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 1, 2012
Runtime: 1h 20m

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