Horror On The Lens: Carnival of Souls (dir by Herk Harvey)

Posted on October 30, 2020 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Well, we’re nearly done with October and, traditionally, this is when all of us in the Shattered Lens Bunker gather in front of the television in Arleigh’s penthouse suite, eat popcorn, drink diet coke, and gossip about whoever has the day off.

Of course, after we do that, I duck back into my office and I watch the classic 1962 film, Carnival of Souls!

Reportedly, David Lynch is a huge fan of Carnival of Souls and, when you watch the film, it’s easy to see why. The film follows a somewhat odd woman (played, in her one and only starring role, by Candace Hilligoss) who, after a car accident, is haunted by visions of ghostly figures. This dream-like film was independently produced and distributed. At the time, it didn’t get much attention but it has since been recognized as a classic and very influential horror film.

This was director Herk Harvey’s only feature film. Before and after making this film, he specialized in making educational and industrial shorts (some of which we’ve watched this month), the type of films that encouraged students not to cheat on tests and employees not to take their jobs for granted. Harvey also appears in this film, playing “The Man” who haunts Hilligoss as she travels across the country.

Enjoy Carnival of Souls!

And remember, don’t stop for any hitchhikers!

A Blast From The Past: Understanding Others (dir by Herk Harvey)

Posted on October 29, 2020 by Lisa Marie Bowman

In this short film from 1958, the high school press club is thrown into chaos when their faculty sponsor selects Ben Curtis to be the editor-in-chief of the school paper.

Bob Stevens can’t believe it, because Ben doesn’t have an outgoing personality and he doesn’t come from a rich family. Ben, himself, is shocked because he feels like all of the other students are snobs who have no interest in being friendly. But the teacher sees something in Ben.

Can everyone learn to understand each other and put out a worthy school paper? Luckily, there’s a narrator present to encourage everyone to set aside their differences and …. understand. Just in case we miss the film’s message, the same event is shown to us three separate times from three different points of view.

This film was directed by Herk Harvey. Harvey directed a ton of educational films in the 50s and 60s. However, he’s best known for directing one of the most important horror films of all time, Carnival of Souls! I’ll be sharing Carnival of Souls tomorrow. For now, try to understand others.

Enjoy!

A Blast From The Past: What About Juvenile Delinquency? (dir by Herk Harvey)

Posted on October 28, 2020 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Well, what about it!?

Today’s Blast From The Past comes to use from 1955. In this short film, a group of no-good 30 year-old high school students attack a middle-aged man who was just trying to drive home. That man just happens to be the father of a member of the gang! Now, due to the violence, the city council is considering a curfew! That’s not fair to the good kids but what can be done about juvenile delinquency?

Watch and discuss.

This film was shot in Lawrence, Kansas and it was directed by Herk Harvey. Harvey directed a ton of educational short films like this but horror fans will always know him before for directing Carnival of Souls. I’ll be sharing Carnival of Souls soon. For now, give some thought to delinquents!

A Blast From The Past: The Sound of a Stone (dir by Herk Harvey)

Posted on October 26, 2020 by Lisa Marie Bowman

In this short film from 1955, a high school teacher in Kansas is wrongly accused of being a communist. Despite the fact that he’s a Methodist Sunday School teacher, he made the mistake of assigning a book that was included on a list of subversive literature and, as a result, the entire town is turning against him! While this short film might not win any points for subtlety (or good acting), it is an effective look at paranoia and how rumors get started. I especially liked the shot of the spinning phone.

So, why am I sharing this in October? Because this film was directed by Herk Harvey. In the 50s and 60s, Harvey directed a countless number of short films. Some of them were educational. Some of them were industrial. Some of them, like this one, were specifically made to be shown to civic groups. However, horror fans will always know Harvery as the director of one of the most important horror films ever made, Carnival of Souls!

I’ll be sharing Carnival of Souls later this week. For now, enjoy The Sound of a Stone!

A Blast From The Past: Manners in School (dir by Herk Harvey)

Posted on October 25, 2020 by Lisa Marie Bowman

In this short film from 1958, a terrible little kid named Larry is given detention because he’s a terrible little kid. He’s supposed to clean the chalkboard but instead he draws a cartoon character, which promptly comes to life and probably traumatizes Larry for life. Larry does learn a little something about behaving at school but at what cost? Seriously, Larry may have had bad manners but you know who I blame? The parents. That’s who the stick figure should be tormenting.

Now, believe it or not, there is a reason why I’m posting this in October. This short film — like many educational films from the 50s — was directed by Herk Harvey. Harvey spent the majority of his long career making industrial and educational films. However, horror fans will always know him as the man who directed 1962’s Carnival of Souls! I’ll be sharing Carnival Of Souls next week but for now, enjoy Manners in School!

And remember …. good manners are good for everyone! And if you don’t believe me, a stick figure is going to lecture you and give you nightmares.

A Blast From The Past: The Innocent Party (dir by Herk Harvey)

Posted on October 17, 2020 by Lisa Marie Bowman

In this education film from 1959, two dim teenage boys decide to take a trip to the big city. They pick up two girls, the engage in behavior “condemned by society,” and the next thing you know, everyone’s got Syphilis.

Yes, this is another educational film from the 50s, where the emphasis is less on practical advice (i.e., use a condom when having sex, especially with someone who you just met) and more on passing judgment on those who transgressed society’s norms. I have to admit that one of the things that I like about these old films is just how bleak their worldview was. If you screw up once, your life is over. There’s nothing you can do to fix the problem. There’s nothing you can do to redeem yourself. You stepped out-of-line and now, you’ve got the same disease that killed Al Capone. Take that, teenager! The message of this particular film was considered to be so important that it was even filmed in color, which is quite a contrast to the harsh black-and-white aesthetic of most educational films of the period. That, along with the smooth jazz on the soundtrack, is designed to let the target audience know that sex with random people is totally squaresville and not something that a responsible member of society does. Why go to the city when you could join the student council or take part in any number of wholesome school activities?

This film was one of the many educational films to be directed by the great Herk Harvey. In a career that spanned decades, Harvey directed hundreds of short, educational films that were designed to show “young people” how to properly behave. Even if he wasn’t directing a film about VD, then he was probably doing a film about why gossip can be destructive to school spirit.

Harvey also directed one feature film and it’s one of the most important and influential horror films ever made, 1962’s Carnival of Souls. We’ll be sharing that film here on the Lens later this month. Until then, please enjoy The Innocent Party!

Horror On The Lens: Carnival of Souls (dir by Herk Harvey)

Posted on October 30, 2019 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Of course, after we do that, I duck back into my office and I watch the classic 1962 film, Carnival of Souls!

Enjoy Carnival of Souls!

And remember, don’t stop for any hitchhikers!

A Blast From The Past: The Trouble Maker (dir by Herk Harvey)

Posted on October 30, 2019 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The 1959 short film, The Trouble Maker, tells the story of Mel Stone (played by Bret Waller).

Mel is the least popular student at his high school and it’s not hard to see why. Mel is seriously creepy. He spends all of his time sneaking through the hallways, following around the members of the football team and lying about the girls that they go to school with. When Mel spots a member of the team “breaking training,” he starts spreading rumors and trying to make life difficult for everyone.

The title claims that Mel is a trouble maker but actually, he comes across like a total sociopath. He even stalks the members of the football team outside of school, the better to collect gossip about them. The film’s narrator encourages us to wonder why Mel is the way that he is and if there’s anything that we, as a group, can do to make Mel become a better person. To be honest, it seems like the only solution to a problem like Mel is to frame him for a crime and send him to prison until his 21st birthday. Admittedly, Mel would probably be even more dangerous once he got out but that’s why you move to a different town after graduating from high school.

The Trouble Maker was one of the many educational short films to be directed by Herk Harvey, who made a career out of films like this. Today, of course, Harvey is best known for directing the seminal horror film, Carnival of Souls. We’ll be sharing Carnival of Souls in an hour but, for now, enjoy The Trouble Maker and be sure to ask yourself….

What Would You Do?

A Blast From The Past: What About School Spirit? (dir by Herk Harvey)

Posted on October 22, 2019 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Director Herk Harvey

The 1958 short film, What About School Spirit?, introduces us to the greatest high school in all of Kansas. The entire state is envious of Lawrence High. Not only are they champions in basketball but they’re champions in academics as well! What is it that makes Lawrence High so special?

Well, as one student explains, Lawrence High was’t always the wonderful institution that it is today. It’s not that the school didn’t have school spirit. In fact, it had too much school spirit! The students were driving fast and painting the school’s initials “where they had no business to be!” Everyone was so crazy about the school that they didn’t stop to think about how their rambunctious behavior was making life annoying for everyone else!

Then, luckily, the basketball team captain, Bob Corby, spoke at a student assembly and what Corby said changed the entire direction of the school. I’m not sure how that happened exactly because, judging from what we see of his speech, it’s nothing that special. In fact, I think Bob Corby’s kind of overrated. That’s right, I said it. Of course, after giving the speech, Bob Corby got sick and died. The students, of course, continued to display properly controlled school spirit in his memory.

I guess the message here is that teenagers should be proud of their school without being too loud about it. To be honest, though, Bob Corby and all of his followers kind of come across as being little fascists who are determined to quash any hint of nonconformity or rebellion. The next time that they say, “It couldn’t happen here,” you tell them that it already happened at Lawrence High.

This film was directed by Herk Harvey, who made a career out of doing educational films like this one. However, horror fans will always know Harvey best for directing the massively influential Carnival of Souls. That’s a film that we’ll watch later this month. For now, enjoy the legend of Bob Corby!

A Blast From The Past: The Griper (dir by Herk Harvey)

Posted on October 15, 2019 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Oh my God, it’s a ghost!

No, actually, that’s not a ghost. That’s George’s conscience, who apparently leaves George’s body while George is asleep and tells strangers all of the sordid details of George’s home life. Hmmm …. actually, that sounds scarier than a ghost.

Anyway, George is the anti-hero of the 1954 educational short film, The Griper. George’s problem can be found right in the title. He’s a teenager who complains about everything and he’s ruining high school for not only his classmates but for his teachers as well! George isn’t happy during the basketball game. George isn’t happy about his class assignment. Even when his only friend, Betty, tries to show him a cute cartoon, George snaps at her.

George’s problem, of course, is that he was born 60 years too early. If he had been born several decades later, he could have just joined twitter and then he could spend all day cancelling people and getting all of the likes and retweets that come along with being a judgmental jackass. But sadly, George is a teenager in the 50s and he’s expected to be a lot more positive.

Personally, I think everyone in the film’s being a bit too judgmental of George. I mean — yes, he’s a jerk. And yes, I would probably avoid him because I love snark but I hate negativity. But if George is always in a bad mood, that’s his right! He can always make new friends or pursue a career as a film critic.

George is going to be alright.

This short film was directed by Herk Harvey. Harvey made a career out of doing short films like this but horror fans will always know him as being the director of the incredibly influential Carnival of Souls. We’ll be watching that movie later this month but for now, enjoy watching George isolate himself while destroying everyone else’s happiness and be sure to ask yourself,

“What would you do?”