Carnival of souls is a rare occurrence, one in which shoddiness and schlock characterize a film with genuinely creepy moments and an artful, idiosyncratic visual landscape. First is the 84 minute directors cut which includes an extended conversation in the organ factory, a scene between mary and a gas station attendant shortly after her first seeing the man,an extension of the scene where mary first goes to the. The legend films edition of the film contains both colorized and blackandwhite versions of the aforementioned directors cut and an audio commentary track by. Between them, harvey and clifford made over four hundred films for centron, from which the following segment has b. These two saw little of the films profits and their fellow kansans hated their quirky art house horror flick. Criterion offers two different cuts of the filmthe 85minute directors cut and the. The criterion collection edition of the film contains the 78minute theatrical version of the film and an 84minute directors cut. Note that the director s cut version of the movie that was included on the dvd release has not been included on the bluray. Carnival of souls director herk harvey and screenwriter john clifford were employed for over thirty years by the lawrence, kansasbased industrial film giant the centron corporation. For the longest time, carnival of souls was little more than a title, a couple of stills in film books and the suggestion of something special.
It was written, produced, and directed by herk harvey, and starring candace hilligoss. The criterion edition of carnival of souls includes only the 78minute version of the film not the 84minute directors cut that had been. Presented over the course of two discs, this dvd set presents the familiar theatrical version and the expanded director s cut of carnival both look great, a couple of documentaries, printed interviews, outtakes, and sporadic audio commentary by harvey who died in 1996 and clifford, both of whom sound somewhat amused at their sole foray into. Carnival of souls the current the criterion collection. The criterion edition of carnival of souls includes only the 78minute version of the film not the 84minute directors cut that had been available in the.
Carnival of souls probably never looked this good in the theaters. A celebration of herk harveys carnival of souls, now out on. Vidamerica s release of carnival of souls was taken from a newlystruck 35mm print of the complete 80minute director s cut. Difference between versions of carnival of souls 1962. An intelligent and genuinely unsettling horror film.
They were cut from carnival of souls before the 1962 release of the film. In quietly simmering dramas that depict solitary characters on the margins of society, german director christian petzold brings the ghosts of history into. Made by industrial filmmakers on a modest budget, the eerily effective bmovie classic carnival of souls was intended to have the look of a bergman and the feel of a cocteauand, with its strikingly used locations and spooky organ score, it succeeds. Carnival of souls is a 1962 independent horror film starring candace hilligoss.
Carnival of souls remains a high point in low budget american horror from the sixties, standing tall alongside other notable genre entries like night of the living dead. The criterion collection edition of the film contains the 78minute theatrical version of the film and an 84minute director s cut. Filmed by herk harvey in lawrence, kansas and salt lake city, utah with a cast largely comprised of amateur actors, carnival of souls oozes atmosphere and paranoia. First is the 84 minute director s cut which includes an extended conversation in the organ factory, a scene between mary and a gas station attendant shortly after her first seeing the man,an extension of the scene where mary first goes to the. Prints of carnival of souls vary in length from 78 minutes in theatrical release to 84 minutes in the original cut. Set to an organ score by gene moore, carnival of souls relies more on. However, unless you dont have a previous release of the director s cut on dvd, you dont need to indulge in a colorized version, unless you really must have the commentary with mystery science theatre s mike nelson. Mar 03, 2017 herk harvey carnival of souls 1962 director s cut commentary herk harvey carnival of souls 1962 director s cut commentary herk harvey carni. Set to an organ score by gene moore, carnival of souls relies more on atmosphere than on special effects to create a mood of unease. Carnival of souls is a 1962 american independent horror film starring candace hilligoss. Commentary by mike nelson trailers more about carnival of souls dvd release date. The story is about mary henry, a young woman who had a car accident. Criterion offers two different cuts of the filmthe 85minute director s cut and the shorter theatrical version trimmed of 7 minutes by the producers. Carnival of souls 1962 frequently asked questions imdb.
They cannot find the car, but the protagonist of the film somehow gets out of the car and staggers ashore in a daze, telling police that. Carnival of souls is one of the finest lowbudget horror movies of the 60s. Carnival of souls is a 1962 independent horror film starring. Criterions dvd release of carnival of souls packs in a slew of supplemental materials. These developments made carnival of souls story unique in spite of the familiar elements. When the film was rereleased in 1989, the filmmakers restored the four minutes and 84 minutes is the official, complete running time. First is the 84 minute directors cut which includes an extended conversation in the organ factory, a scene between mary and a gas station attendant shortly after. First is the 84 minute director s cut which includes an extended conversation in the organ factory, a scene between mary and a gas station attendant shortly after her first seeing the man,an extension of the scene where mary first goes to the church, an extended dreamotherworld scene, and a scene between the landlady and the doctor shortly. Herk harvey carnival of souls 1962 director s cut commentary herk harvey carnival of souls 1962 director s cut commentary herk harvey carni.
En route, she is haunted by a bizarre apparition that compels her toward an abandoned lakeside pavilion. May 15, 2000 the thrills of this carnival are cold ones, bits of death. Its plot follows mary henry, a young woman whose life is disturbed after a car accident. A remastered version of the film was released in 1988 with an extended directors cut. Carnival of souls was the only feature that producerdirector herk harvey and writer john clifford were ever able to squeeze in between their steady flow of industrial films. Where most horror films go for the obvious effects of gore and leave nothing to the imagination, this film takes a far more subtle approach. Carnival of souls was harveys only feature film, and did not gain widespread attention when originally released as a. The theatrical version is almost 5 minutes shorter but it is safe to assume that most of the differences are the result of a bad copy. Unfortunately, the best available source for the deleted footage was a oneinch analog videotape. However, unless you dont have a previous release of the directors cut on dvd, you dont need to indulge in a colorized version, unless you really must have the commentary with mystery science theatres mike nelson. Filmed on location in salt lake city, utah, and in lawrence, kansas, and at the centron studios in lawrence. According to imdbs carnival of souls alternate versions page there are at least three different versions to be found on videodigital video disk.
Ok carnival of souls starts out where a young woman in a car with 3 other people veers off a bridge and plunges into the water. Carnival of souls is a 1962 american independent horror movie. In 1962, carnival of souls came and went with little notice, playing the drivein circuit to the usual audiences before fading into obscurity. The thrills of this carnival are cold ones, bits of death. She relocates to a new city, where she finds herself unable to assimilate with the locals, and becomes drawn to the pavilion of an abandoned carnival. Other versions of the film exist, most taken from inferior prints and only running 73 minutes. When originally released in 1962, the distributors cut four minutes from the film making it only 80 minutes long.
The new 4k restoration comes from a new scan of the films original 35mm negative. The theatrically issued edition appears on the first dvd, and a directors cut that runs an additional five minutes can be found on the second disc. Those who havent already seen the films directors cut should find these three deleted scenes fascinating. Sadly, the need to lampoon or poke fun at the film seems to have gone up in the last few decades, which is a shame. The film initially bombed at the theater where it was paired with the devils messenger 1962, but the film gained a cult following on repeat midnight showings. Criterions original 2disc dvd edition for herk harveys carnival of souls presents both the 78minute theatrical cut and 83minute directors.
Sep 18, 2012 carnival of souls is a 1962 independent horror film starring candace hilligoss. Rank this title with brazil, grand illusion and armageddon as one of this companys finest offerings. Carnival of souls simple english wikipedia, the free. Proving that there is a certified worldwide appeal for low budget, homegrown horror films, criterions deluxe edition of this fascinating cult item is long overdue, especially considering that director herk harvey passed on in 1996 and that most of the discs extra features were realized over a decade ago. Written, produced, and directed by herk harvey, carnival of souls is a horror mystery film. Hello there, the criterion collections newest bluraydvd release of carnival of souls is the theatrical cut of the film, and the longest scenes from the directors cut will be presented on the release as deleted scenes. Carnival of souls has never looked so good, and fans of the film and students will appreciate the opportunity to compare the two existing cuts and explore the history of this influential, low budget horror films. After directing an industrial film in california, he was on his way home, driving past the great salt lake, when he noticed an abandoned amusement park.
For one, we actually find two different versions of the movie itself. A young woman candace hilligoss in a small kansas town survives a drag race accident, then agrees to take a job as a church organist in salt lake city. The theatrically issued edition appears on the first dvd, and a director s cut that runs an additional five minutes can be found on the second disc. Made by industrial filmmakers on a small budget, the eerily effective bmovie classic carnival of souls was intended to have the look. Directors herk harvey cast includes candace hilligoss, sidney berger. The directors cut will not be included on the upcoming bluray edition. The criterion collection has released on bluray carnival of souls, the 1962 indie supernatural ghost story originally released by hertslion international corp.
Carnival of souls free speech wiki fandom powered by wikia. Carnival of souls is about imagery and atmosphere more than anything else. Jul 20, 2016 the criterion edition of carnival of souls includes only the 78minute version of the film not the 84minute directors cut that had been available in the past, but offers several effective special features. Carnival of souls was intended to have the look of a bergman and feel of a cocteau, and succeeds with its strikingly used locations and spooky organ score. Carnival of souls was harvey s only feature film, and did not gain widespread attention when originally released as a double feature with the devil s messenger. Criterion upgrades their previous dvd edition of herk harveys carnival of souls to bluray, presenting the theatrical version of the film on a duallayer disc in the aspect ratio of 1. Each film is presented on their own duallayer discs. Carnival of souls british board of film classification. Infobox film carnival of souls is a horror film released in 1962. Of the two the theatrical cut does look better and thats probably because of the source materials. Mary henry candace hilligoss survives a drag race in a rural kansas town, then takes a job as a church. It may be lacking in some ways, but its still a worthy independent effort, especially for its time. It wasnt until years later that i began to appreciate this film for what it was and what it gave the filmmaking community.
Criterions original 2disc dvd edition for herk harveys carnival of souls presents both the 78minute theatrical cut and 83minute directors cut in the aspect ratios of 1. Carnival of souls is a 1962 american independent horror film written, produced, and directed by herk harvey, and starring candace hilligoss. There are two different versions of carnival of souls. Carnival of souls is still a classic for those interested in the evolution of horror, more than a frightfest for newcomers. Herk harvey came up with the idea for carnival of soulsduring a drive through utah.
Carnival of souls was virtually ignored when it was released in 1962 but has since acquired a cult following. Carnival of souls was the only feature that producer director herk harvey and writer john clifford were ever able to squeeze in between their steady flow of industrial films. According to imdb s carnival of souls alternate versions page there are at least three different versions to be found on videodigital video disk. Directors herk harvey cast includes candace hilligoss. In the liner notes on the criterion disc, it is mentioned that director herk harvey sought to evoke the essence of bergman and cocteaua lofty homage, being as this is the industrialeducational filmmakers sole feature. Carnival of souls bluray candace hilligoss dvdbeaver.
Criterion s dvd release of carnival of souls packs in a slew of supplemental materials. Those whod actually seen it were few and far between and tended to be people who wrote magazine articles rather than those you met over a coffee. The criterion dvd contains both the 78minute theatrical version and the 83minute directors cut. When i was a little sprout, carnival of souls used to pop up on tv and i always thought it was night of the living dead. Note that the directors cut version of the movie that was included on the dvd release has not been included on the bluray.
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