Today's movie is the 1962 release of Carnival of Souls. This is not to be confused with the 1998 version, which has almost nothing to do with the original version. The 1962 version actually has a wider release now thanks to Criterion, but the version that was pushed in front of my face was actually distributed by a company called Good Times DVD, and somehow made its way to a GameXchange dollar bin. As for the movie, it was shot on a $33,000 budget, and stars Candice Hilligoss as the main character Mary Henry, who is the sole survivor in a car crash that kills two of her friends. Some time later, she is an organist in Utah that begins to see "The Man" in reflections after passing a deserted pavilion Soon, the images begin to haunt her, and she begins to wonder if she is alive or dead, as the surrounding people's ability to acknowledge her fades in and out at times. The ending will definitely surprise you. The scare factor relies on the music of the movie, which is great in that it adds to the overall psychological horror that was intended. As for death scenes, outside of the car crash in the opening sequences, there isn't much to speak of, but Carnival of Souls was built on mental scarring, not physical, and that is what makes this movie worth seeing.
On an interesting side note, parts of this movie was made in the Lawrence, KS area, so anyone in the Kansas City/Lawrence area, this would be a decent pick up for the local enthusiast in your life.
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