5
(supernatural elements and church-going characters)
7
(mobid subject matter)
4
(might be worth seeing if you like old ghost stories)
You have to love old horror movies. Okay, I guess you don't have to, but it sure is interesting to see the entertainment of a bygone era. Horror has always been popular since before movies had sound. "Carnival of Souls" is so much different from what it would be today that it's almost interesting to see on that basis alone.
A road race turns deadly for a car full of young girls. Only one makes it out, Mary, who is a fine organist and taking a job at a church. Life is going so well otherwise that the accident doesn’t faze her much until she starts seeing strange faces where there should be none. A nearby lake and old house are eerily fascinating. Why do they hold such appeal for her? As she explores she begins to question her very existence.
Overall this is an interesting movie. Its biggest downfalls are that it is too slow in several spots and is hard to follow since many character reactions don't make a lot of sense until all of the plot info is divulged. It does ultimately come together in the end which saves it, but in the meantime the mystery behind it is more confusing than interesting at times.
Aside from the supernatural mystery it's very much a character-driven movie. There aren't that many scares and what we do get are just human faces. While this is spooky because of the atmosphere it isn't monstrous. I like this because it forces the viewer to think a little bit about what is going on rather than spelling it out in graphic detail, but I do think that the runtime could have been compressed to pick up the pace of the plot reveals or the suspense/excitement heightened in some areas.
The acting is a little better than many of the B horror movies of this time. This helps keep the slow parts from being unbearable. It's still antiquated, though, and certainly not with any award-winning performances. There are no special effects to speak of. With the "monsters" being human there is no need for goofy costumes. The movie relies on the context of the monsters and atmosphere to sell the horror. While it doesn't excel in doing this it does well enough to create an enjoyable movie-going experience. If nothing else it helps keep the viewer in the reality of the movie.
Morality
There is almost nothing questionable in this movie at all. I didn’t notice any strong language at all. There’s practically no sexuality, and even the horrific elements are done by implication and reaction rather than anything graphic. The girl displays traditional values. Where a modern movie would most likely take the opportunity of a young couple alone together to have a sex scene, this movie has its heroine keep her clothes on.
Spirituality
The story involves ghosts so in the strictest sense it presents an idea of the afterlife. Spirits can be trapped on Earth. It never gets into any details about how this works as far as a crossing over to an eternal home. There is no serious suggestion that this is anything more than a plot device for a spooky story.
Mary does take a job in a church. There is some suggestion that she may be a person of faith and that her faith helps her hang on to her sanity a little longer than she might have otherwise, but faith is not her salvation in this situation. Otherwise her job is little more than a backdrop and provides no significant element of religion to the story.
Final Thoughts
I have found "Carnival of Souls" to be frequently overrated. Even so, it's not bad if you can get into Mary's character and plight. If you like old black-and-white era horror this is one worth checking out as long as you don't mind the slow unfolding of the story.
Buying Guide
There are far too many releases for "Carnival of Souls" out there for me to try to cover them all. It's positively soul-crushing, but I'm here to keep your soul from being crushed! I'll try to hit a few of the most notable versions I've noticed. You can get it for next to nothing, and you can spend some cash on it. But are the expensive ones worth it?
You can buy it by itself and in numerous different multi-packs including at least one Blu-ray set though that one is nothing special and does not offer any sort of enhanced presentation (it can also be hard to find).
The most notable stand-alone release appears to be the Criterion Collection which is a 2 disc offering. It boasts a new digital transfer, theatrical and extended versions of the film, and numerous extras including a commentary, at least a couple of documentaries, over 45 minutes of outtakes, a look at the filming locations, and several features based around the Centron Corporation.
The Mike Nelson Collector's Edition offers a color version plus the original black-&-white along with a restored and enhanced transfer. It lists no extras.
There's a RiffTrax comedy version available as well.
Other than that the offerings I found appear to be no different than the 50 pack version I have (detailed below) in quality or bonus features.
Final Recommendation:
The 50 pack is a good way to get a sampling of a lot of movies for very cheap. It offers an acceptable if unimpressive presentation. If you're really a fan, the Criterion release is the way to go with the Mike Nelson release being a median of higher movie quality (assuming the enhanced transfer is done well) without the cost of all the Criterion bells and whistles.
I've only seen the Horror Classics version which offers 50 movies on 12 DVD's.
Video
1.33:
There is no widescreen version. It looks decent for such an old movie though I have no doubt that the enhanced transfers would be far better. This one is a bit fuzzy and has some trash in the image though not nearly as much as some of its peers.
Audio
2.0 mono:
It's fair quality, dated without question but acceptable.
Packaging
This particular disc is housed in a cardboard sleeve contained in a Velcro-fastened box. More recent copies are packaged in plastic.
Extras
There are none.