Movie Recommendation- Carnival of Souls
CARNIVAL OF SOULS (1962)
The idea of being trapped with a monster is nothing new. Movies like Alien, Night of the Living Dead, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre explore the seemingly hopeless reality of needing to escape and having nowhere to run. Herk Harvey’s Carnival of Souls, however, adds another layer. Our heroine, Mary, survives a horrible car accident and soon finds that she is being terrorized by visions of malevolent ghosts. She seeks out help from well meaning strangers, but soon finds that she’s alone. Not only can nobody see these horrifying visions; there are moments in which those around her cannot even see or hear her. As lonely as it can be fighting for your life on a spaceship or in an abandoned house, Carnival of Souls suggests that it can just as lonely- agonizingly so- to be surrounded by people that cannot help you. Through fanciful camera work and an eerie score, this film puts you in the increasingly desperate mindset of the protagonist, who tries to move on with her life after the accident, but finds herself blocked at every turn, both by her frightening visions and the ignorance of those around her.