By Raymond Benson
“We’Re Not In Kansas Anymore”
By Raymond Benson
The Criterion Collection released Herk Harvey’s 1962 cult film classic, Carnival of Souls, sixteen years ago as a two-disk DVD set, but that edition has long been out of print. Now, a new Blu-ray restoration is available from the company, and it is worth upgrading even if you happen to own the original. Note that Carnival of Souls is a public domain film, so it is available on DVD from many inferior manufacturers in bad-to-okay quality versions, but the Criterion’s releases are the ones to grab.
Carnival is indeed an oddity. Harvey worked at Centron Corporation, a maker of educational and industrial short films based in Lawrence, Kansas. It was much like Calvin Films in Kansas City, where Robert Altman cut his teeth making shorts in the 1950s. Needless to say, Lawrence, Kansas is not Hollywood, and...
“We’Re Not In Kansas Anymore”
By Raymond Benson
The Criterion Collection released Herk Harvey’s 1962 cult film classic, Carnival of Souls, sixteen years ago as a two-disk DVD set, but that edition has long been out of print. Now, a new Blu-ray restoration is available from the company, and it is worth upgrading even if you happen to own the original. Note that Carnival of Souls is a public domain film, so it is available on DVD from many inferior manufacturers in bad-to-okay quality versions, but the Criterion’s releases are the ones to grab.
Carnival is indeed an oddity. Harvey worked at Centron Corporation, a maker of educational and industrial short films based in Lawrence, Kansas. It was much like Calvin Films in Kansas City, where Robert Altman cut his teeth making shorts in the 1950s. Needless to say, Lawrence, Kansas is not Hollywood, and...
- 7/14/2016
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Herk Harvey's Carnival of Souls is a weird little movie. Made in 1962 for about $30,000, Carnival of Souls is one of the creepiest films of the early '60s, and not entirely on purpose. The film was shot by Harvey and produced by the team at the Centron Corporation, a company based in Lawrence, Kansas that focused on industrial and educational films. The story was that Harvey had driven past the abandoned Saltair Resort outside of Salt Lake City, Utah was was creeped out enough to realize that it would be a great setting for a horror film. He and co-worker John Clifford started writing and not too long ofter, they had a script that would become one of the great unheralded cult classic films...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 7/13/2016
- Screen Anarchy
Cinema Art from Lawrence, Kansas? Industrial filmmaker Herk Harvey comes through with a classic horror gem for the ages. A haunted church organist begins to suspect that her hallucinations are more than just nerves. And who is that ghoulish man who keeps appearing in reflections, or popping up out of nowhere? Carnival of Souls Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 63 1962 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 78 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date July 12, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Candace Hilligoss, Frances Feist, Sidney Berger, Art Ellison, Stan Levitt, Herk Harvey. Cinematography Maurice Prather Film Editor Dan Palmquist, Bill de Jarnette Original Music Gene Moore Assistant Director Raza (Reza) Badiyi Written by John Clifford Produced and Directed by Herk Harvey
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Herk Harvey's marvelous Carnival of Souls is an anomaly in screen horror, a regional effort that transcends its production limitations to deliver a tingling encounter with the uncanny. Harvey was a prolific producer of industrial films,...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Herk Harvey's marvelous Carnival of Souls is an anomaly in screen horror, a regional effort that transcends its production limitations to deliver a tingling encounter with the uncanny. Harvey was a prolific producer of industrial films,...
- 7/8/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Guest writer Bill Shaffer takes us back to Lawrence Kansas in 1989, for a cast and crew re-premiere of Carnival of Souls. By Bill Shaffer Note from Glenn Erickson: I think I first crossed emails with Bill Shaffer around 1998, when I was still the editor for MGM Home Video and just beginning to write MGM Video Savant. Bill sent along info that helped me convince the MGM restorers to include a flashback at the end of Duck You Sucker. Although I didn't find out until much later, Bill was a producer at the PBS station Ktwu in Topeka, Kansas, and had actually interviewed Eli Wallach once about The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Bill became a major source for info and connections when it came time to do the extras for the MGM releases of the Sergio Leone movie; all just to help out. I think the fact that...
- 7/8/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
A film that’s as influential as it is frightening, Herk Harvey’s Carnival of Souls (1962) is coming to Blu-ray and DVD on July 12th from Criterion. Poor Mary Henry and the ghouls who haunt her will appear more clearly than ever before, as the Blu-ray features a new 4K restoration as well as a lengthy list of extras that should please fans of the horror classic:
From Criterion: “A young woman in a small Kansas town survives a drag race accident, then agrees to take a job as a church organist in Salt Lake City. En route, she becomes haunted by a bizarre apparition that compels her toward an abandoned lakeside pavilion. Made by industrial filmmakers on a modest budget, the eerily effective B-movie classic Carnival of Souls was intended to have “the look of a Bergman and the feel of a Cocteau”—and, with its strikingly used locations and spooky organ score,...
From Criterion: “A young woman in a small Kansas town survives a drag race accident, then agrees to take a job as a church organist in Salt Lake City. En route, she becomes haunted by a bizarre apparition that compels her toward an abandoned lakeside pavilion. Made by industrial filmmakers on a modest budget, the eerily effective B-movie classic Carnival of Souls was intended to have “the look of a Bergman and the feel of a Cocteau”—and, with its strikingly used locations and spooky organ score,...
- 4/28/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Special Mention: The Last Wave
Directed by Peter Weir
Written by Tony Morphett and Peter Weir
Australia, 1977
Genre: Psychological Thriller
The tagline reads, “The Occult Forces. The Ritual Murder. The Sinister Storms. The Prophetic Dreams. The Last Wave.”
Peter Weir follows up on his critically acclaimed masterpiece Picnic at Hanging Rock with this visually striking and totally engrossing surrealist psychological thriller. Much like Picnic, The Last Wave is built around a mystery that may have a supernatural explanation. And like many Peter Weir movies, The Last Wave explores the conflict between two radically different cultures- in this case, that of Aboriginal Australians and the white Europeans.
It is about a white lawyer, David Burton (Richard Chamberlain), whose seemingly normal life is rattled after he takes on a pro bono legal aid case to defend a group of Aborigines from a murder charge in Sydney. The mystery within the mystery surrounding...
Directed by Peter Weir
Written by Tony Morphett and Peter Weir
Australia, 1977
Genre: Psychological Thriller
The tagline reads, “The Occult Forces. The Ritual Murder. The Sinister Storms. The Prophetic Dreams. The Last Wave.”
Peter Weir follows up on his critically acclaimed masterpiece Picnic at Hanging Rock with this visually striking and totally engrossing surrealist psychological thriller. Much like Picnic, The Last Wave is built around a mystery that may have a supernatural explanation. And like many Peter Weir movies, The Last Wave explores the conflict between two radically different cultures- in this case, that of Aboriginal Australians and the white Europeans.
It is about a white lawyer, David Burton (Richard Chamberlain), whose seemingly normal life is rattled after he takes on a pro bono legal aid case to defend a group of Aborigines from a murder charge in Sydney. The mystery within the mystery surrounding...
- 10/27/2015
- by Ricky Fernandes
- SoundOnSight
Every year, we here at Sound On Sight celebrate the month of October with 31 Days of Horror; and every year, I update the list of my favourite horror films ever made. Last year, I released a list that included 150 picks. This year, I’ll be upgrading the list, making minor alterations, changing the rankings, adding new entries, and possibly removing a few titles. I’ve also decided to publish each post backwards this time for one reason: the new additions appear lower on my list, whereas my top 50 haven’t changed much, except for maybe in ranking. I am including documentaries, short films and mini series, only as special mentions – along with a few features that can qualify as horror, but barely do.
****
Special Mention:
Häxan
Directed by Benjamin Christensen
Denmark / Sweden, 1922
Häxan (a.k.a The Witches or Witchcraft Through The Ages) is a 1922 silent documentary about the history of witchcraft,...
****
Special Mention:
Häxan
Directed by Benjamin Christensen
Denmark / Sweden, 1922
Häxan (a.k.a The Witches or Witchcraft Through The Ages) is a 1922 silent documentary about the history of witchcraft,...
- 10/30/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
A face appears in the night. Amid the darkness emerge two sunken-in eyes surrounded by pale white skin. It’s hard to tell whether the ghastly expression is that of someone living or dead. This face initially appears to Mary while driving to her new job in Salt Lake City as she passes the Saltair Pavilion. It’s a simple and yet creepy face that repeatedly haunts the main heroine of Carnival of Souls throughout the duration of the movie and will no doubt leave a lasting impression on the viewer as well.
Carnival of Souls, a mostly forgotten film from 1962, stands as the only feature film directed by Herk Harvey. The film’s original intention was to have the “the look of Bergman” and the “feel of Cocteau” that would eventually appeal to arthouse filmgoers. After a long and frustrating battle between Harvey and the distributors, Carnival was eventually...
Carnival of Souls, a mostly forgotten film from 1962, stands as the only feature film directed by Herk Harvey. The film’s original intention was to have the “the look of Bergman” and the “feel of Cocteau” that would eventually appeal to arthouse filmgoers. After a long and frustrating battle between Harvey and the distributors, Carnival was eventually...
- 12/3/2012
- by Michael Haffner
- Destroy the Brain
Throughout the month of October, Editor-in-Chief and resident Horror expert Ricky D, will be posting a list of his favorite Horror films of all time. The list will be posted in six parts. Click here to see every entry.
As with all lists, this is personal and nobody will agree with every choice – and if you do, that would be incredibly disturbing. It was almost impossible for me to rank them in order, but I tried and eventually gave up.
****
Special Mention: Gremlins
Directed by Joe Dante
Written by Chris Columbus
1984, USA
Gremlins gets a special mention because I’ve always considered it more of a comedy and a wholesome Christmas flick than an actual horror film. This tribute the 1950s matinee genre stands the test of time from a time when parents would take their children to family films that pushed the boundaries of the MPAA. Joe Dante is...
As with all lists, this is personal and nobody will agree with every choice – and if you do, that would be incredibly disturbing. It was almost impossible for me to rank them in order, but I tried and eventually gave up.
****
Special Mention: Gremlins
Directed by Joe Dante
Written by Chris Columbus
1984, USA
Gremlins gets a special mention because I’ve always considered it more of a comedy and a wholesome Christmas flick than an actual horror film. This tribute the 1950s matinee genre stands the test of time from a time when parents would take their children to family films that pushed the boundaries of the MPAA. Joe Dante is...
- 10/15/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Herk Harvey's $30,000 dollar horror film Carnival of Souls (1962) is a cult-film, a low-budget, black and white shocker that spent years on cable access and in the public domain but still elicits both scares and confused looks. Whenever I mention the film at a cocktail party, I tend to get one of two responses. "Hell yes! I grew up in Lawrence, Kansas (where the flick was lensed). We watched that one all the time!" Or "Never heard of it, sorry!" The film isn't a particularly well-constructed or well-acted yarn. Harvey and John Clifford, who began their careers making industrial films for Centron Films, didn't have the time or resources to iron out the kinks. Yet, Carnival of Souls is a in a different league than Plan 9 from Outer Space (1958). Harvey's film, unlike Ed Wood's, is actually quite chilling and he is able to squeeze aesthetic blood from his low-budget turnip.
- 10/15/2010
- by Drew Morton
John Clifford wrote a single feature film during his career, but it proved to be memorable. He teamed with director Herk Harvey to write Carnival of Souls in the early 1960s. The 1962 release starred Candace Hilligoss as a woman haunted by eerie apparitions after a car accident, and was filmed on a low budget ($30,000) primarily in Lawrence, Kansas. It developed a cult following as a creepy classic, and spawned a less successful remake in 1998.
Clifford was born in Springfield, Illinois, in 1918, and was raised by relatives in Chicago after the death of his parents. He began his career writing jokes for radio comedian Ken Murray. He served in the military during World War II, and studied screenwriting after his discharge. He began writing industrial and educational films at Centron Films in Lawrence, Kansas. He worked on numerous productions there from the 1950s through the 1980s.
He also penned the western...
Clifford was born in Springfield, Illinois, in 1918, and was raised by relatives in Chicago after the death of his parents. He began his career writing jokes for radio comedian Ken Murray. He served in the military during World War II, and studied screenwriting after his discharge. He began writing industrial and educational films at Centron Films in Lawrence, Kansas. He worked on numerous productions there from the 1950s through the 1980s.
He also penned the western...
- 3/15/2010
- by Jesse
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
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