1962’s Carnival of Souls was the only feature film to be directed by Herk Harvey.  It was made on a budget of $33,000 and was filmed in Kansas and Utah, often without permits.  The film was also the feature acting debut of model Candace Hilligoss, cast here as a emotionally withdrawn church organist who is involved in a serious car accident and then finds herself haunted by pasty-faced ghosts and surreal visions.

When it was initially released, Carnival of Souls was dismissed by American critics.  Indeed, it would a little over twenty years before the film started to be appreciated as both a classic independent film and also a truly eerie horror movie.  Today, it’s recognized as a classic of the genre, an expressionistic ghost story that also works as a character study of a woman who is haunted by not just physical death but also emotional malaise.

Carnival of Souls is a Halloween tradition here at the TSL offices.  This year, the tradition continues.  You can read Arleigh’s review here!