Carnival of Souls

Carnival of Souls is a 1962 American independent horror movie. It was written, produced, and directed by Herk Harvey, and starring Candace Hilligoss. The story is about Mary Henry, a young woman who had a car accident. She moves to a new city, but she can't fit in. She becomes curious about the pavilion of an abandoned carnival. The director Harvey is also in the movie as a creepy stranger who follows her a lot.^[4]

Carnival of Souls
Directed by	Herk Harvey
Written by	Herk Harvey * John Clifford
Produced by	Herk Harvey
Starring	Candace Hilligoss
Cinematography	Maurice Prather
Edited by	Bill de Jarnette * Dan Palmquist
Music by	Gene Moore
Distributed by	Herts-Lion International Corp.
Release date	September 26, 1962 (1962-09-26)
Running time	80 minutes (original theatrical cut)[1][2] 84 minutes (director's cut)[1] [3]
Country	United States
Language	English

It was filmed in Lawrence, Kansas and Salt Lake City. Carnival of Souls was filmed on a budget of $33,000. Since the 1980s, the film has been noted by critics and film scholars for its cinematography and foreboding atmosphere.^[5]

Release

Carnival of Souls was shown at the Main Street Theatre in Lawrence, Kansas, in September 1962.^[6] The US release of Carnival of Souls did not include a copyright on the prints, so the movie was automatically in the public domain.^[7]

Reception

Complex Magazine said Carnival of Souls was number 39 on its list of the 50 scariest movies ever made.^[8]

Leonard Maltin gave Carnival of Souls two-and-a-half out of four stars. He said the movie was an "eerie", and "imaginative low budget effort."^[9]