The Case

One of the most underrated horror movies of all time, writer/director Herk Harvey's Carnival of Souls deserves all kinds of credit for being the precursor to George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead, still one of the most influential fright films ever made. With its stark black and white cinematography, its haunting atmosphere that constantly threatens to give way to sheer terror and a crowd of ghoulish antagonists relentlessly in pursuit of our heroine, Carnival of Souls helped create a template for the kind of horror film that would become popular in the late 1960s and prove to be hugely influential throughout the following decade. It's the kind of watershed horror film that not enough horror fans talk about.

Candace Hilligoss plays Mary, a young woman who, as the film opens, is in a car that goes off a bridge and into the river. Mary manages to emerge from the water alive and relocates to Utah to take a job as a church organist. Once there, she begins to experience strange goings on—most notably, the appearance of a white-faced ghoul (an uncredited director Harvey under makeup) who seems to be following her. Mary's life continues to get weirder and more confusing and the ghoulish man continues to show up…but what does he want?

As much as I enjoy lots of practical effects and over-the-top gore in my horror movies, Carnival of Souls is one of those beautiful examples of "less is more" when it comes to making something scary and unsettling. Here's a movie with no violence, no jump scares, hardly any dialogue—it is a masterclass in minimalism, with only some creepy looking faces to suggest any supernatural elements. The film's low budget actually works to its benefit, as Harvey is forced to let the atmosphere and photography do the majority of the heavy lifting—and what atmosphere the movie has. Because much of the movie was shot without sound and the dialogue was looped in later, there is a disconnect between the actors' mouths moving and the audio we here that adds to the nightmarish vibe Carnival of Souls creates. Everything is just a little "off," until later in the film when everything is incredibly "off" and we begin to realize why.

Enough cannot be said about Gene Moore's organ score, which functions as a separate character in the film. Long stretches of the movie play with only Moore's music to support it and it's endlessly effective, going such a long way towards creating the mood Harvey wants and creeping us out in a way that a traditional orchestral score likely couldn't. There are some viewers who won't be able to see past the movie's cheapness; they will be bothered by the slow pacing and the lack of any major set pieces, by the dreamlike logic and by the repetitiveness of Moore's score. These are many of Carnival of Souls' greatest qualities, and the movie is a testament to the power of a specific vision and of a filmmaker doing the most with the available resources to create a masterpiece of dread.

Carnival of Souls (Blu-ray) Criterion Collection presents the movie in its original 1.37:1 academy aspect ratio in full 1080p HD sourced from a new 4K scan that's revolutionary, particularly for a movie like this that has seen countless cheap public domain releases. Contrast is excellent, detail is impressive and all those signs of age, damage and wear have been scrubbed away for a first-rate image that makes the movie look brand new. The only available audio track is a lossless mono option, which does a good job balancing the dialogue with the creepy and effective score. Carnival of Souls has always been a little weird when it comes to the sound design because of how much of the movie was shot silent and then filled in with music or dialogue recorded ADR, but the Blu-ray does a good job of trying to even out some of the roughness.

The commentary from director Herk Harvey and co-writer John Clifford has been carried over from Criterion's previous DVD release (though the option to watch the "director's cut" has not), as well as half-hour documentary "The Movie That Wouldn't Die," which covers a 1989 reunion and features some critical commentary on the movie's importance. An archival documentary called "Saltair: Return to the Salt Queen" has made its way over as well, looking back at one of the movie's most memorable locations; also carried over is a collection of documentary shorts made by Harvey and The Centron Corporation, plus a brief essay on that company's history. The film's trailer, a few deleted scenes and about 30 minutes of outtakes (presented silent with Moore's organ score playing over them) have also made their way from the Criterion DVD.

New to this Blu-ray edition of the film is a 24-minute video essay from scholar David Cairns, in which he examines the movie's construction and meanings in some detail. Additionally, comedian and monster kid Dana Gould, a lover of classic horror, sits down for an enjoyable new interview to talk about his love of Carnival of Souls. Criterion's usual booklet of critical essays has also been packaged as part of the set.

Like a feature-length episode of The Twilight Zone, Carnival of Souls is both a total product of its time and timeless in the way that it holds up today exactly as it did in 1962. While the lack of many new bonus features and the exclusion of the previously-released 83-minute director's cut are somewhat disappointing, the movie is so terrific and the A/V quality so good that this Blu-ray is worth the upgrade for fans of the film. Its inclusion as part of the Criterion Collection confirms its well-deserved status as a horror classic.

Case Number 29501: Small Claims Court

Carnival of Souls (1962) (Blu-ray) Criterion Collection

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