CARNIVALS OF SOULS (1962) Theatrical Trailer - Candace Hilligoss, Frances Feist, Sidney Berger скачать в хорошем качестве

CARNIVALS OF SOULS (1962) Theatrical Trailer - Candace Hilligoss, Frances Feist, Sidney Berger

The film instantly pulls you into its reality. It looks familiar, but before you can get comfortable with it a lot happens very quickly. There is a drag race, a car is bumped into a river and then bodies are recovered. The only survivor is a young woman named Mary Henry (Candace Hilligoss) who can't quite remember what has happened. When the shock wears off, she drives to Utah to replace a deceased organist. The town seems peaceful and quiet -- at least in the beginning. Mary quickly moves into a small but cozy apartment and then visits the church that has hired her. It is exactly as she had imagined it would be -- not too small and not too big, with a beautiful old-fashioned pipe organ that has been kept in perfect condition. Then a gradual but noticeable shift occurs -- and you are not surprised. You have been expecting it to happen but you were unsure when or why. It was just an odd sensation you had that it was coming. Like you, Mary also recognizes it and becomes terrified. She would try to talk to people but they will ignore her, and then she will see things that no one else would. For some unknown reason she would also find herself drawn to an abandoned carnival pavilion that may have been overtaken by ghosts. This low-budget film scripted by John Clifford and directed by Herk Harvey -- who had previously done some fairly straightforward documentaries and commercials for the Centron Corporation in Lawrence, Kansas -- enjoys a well-deserved cult status. It does look a bit dated now, but it is a serious mind-bender with some genuinely creepy atmosphere. The narrative is broken into multiple segments that constantly pull the film in different directions. For example, there are bits with some obvious Hitchcockian overtones that would easily fit in an old-fashioned thriller. Elsewhere, however, there is plenty of gothic exoticism that infuses the film with dark and quite heavy intensity. The entire film is also shot in a way that reveals an obvious desire to manipulate expectations without necessarily worrying about the legitimacy of key aspects of the narrative that bring some coherence to it during the final act. Carnival of Souls is frequently grouped with various classic horror films, but it is probably more appropriate to place next to the likes of Jean Cocteau's Orpheus and Alain Resnais' Last Year at Marienbad. Though far less refined (and at times actually visibly flawed), it seems to be driven by a similar ambition to experiment with contrasting themes and ultimately creating and delivering a unique cinematic experience. The acting is rather difficult to judge. Hilligoss frequently looks uncomfortable and nervous but her character actually benefits because the shift that occurs during the second act makes the roughness look most appropriate. The same can be said about the non-professional actors that step up in front of the camera as their odd lines and stiffness further enhance the spooky atmosphere. Criterion's upcoming release of Carnival of Souls includes the shorter Theatrical Version of the film. Before the film's theatrical and drive-in premieres in 1962, some footage was intentionally removed by its producers. Additionally, one reel of the film was accidentally destroyed and approximately 8 minutes of footage from the dance sequence at the end was lost. However, Criterion's release features three missing scenes, with head and tail from the new restoration of the film, that were sourced from an analog one-inch videotape (the best available source for this material).