It retains an atmosphere of melancholic, surreal dread.
Comment
09/21/07
Carnival of Souls (1962)
83
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:30
Fresh:25
Rotten:5
Average Rating:7.1/10
Runtime: 2 hrs 41 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Synopsis: Made in 1962 on an extremely low budget, Herk Harvey's classic CARNIVAL OF SOULS has become legendary for its ability to create a tensely creepy atmosphere with virtually no special effects. A... [More]
Starring: Candace Hilligoss, Sidney Berger, Frances Feist, Herk Harvey
Director: Herk Harvey
Reviews for Carnival of Souls
Top CriticThis is one of the most original and unsettling horror movies to come out of America during its B-movie saturated, drive-in friendly period.
09/21/07
Top CriticThe mesmerising power of the carnival and dance-hall sequences far outweighs the corniness of the awkward intimate scenes.
06/24/06
Top CriticThe movie is a triumph of mood over character.
02/13/01
For a flick with a non-existent budget (well, $30,000) and relative amateurs in front of the camera, everybody’s lines are practically howler-free.
06/01/05
Harvey leaves enough questions unanswered in this twilight zone to ensure that Carnival Of Souls enjoys a haunting afterlife in the viewer's mind.
03/01/09
Carnival of Souls works well enough as chill-up-the-spine cinema.
01/01/00
A genuinely creepy thriller, humble in scope and lacking some polish, but executed with ghoulish intuition.
05/22/04
It depends on crisp black-and-white photography, atmosphere and surprisingly effective acting.
01/01/00
Top CriticModern horror filmmakers could learn something from Carnival of Souls. Harvey's technique may be crude, but he knew how to use the materials at hand to create atmosphere, making this film very much worth a look.
01/01/00
demonstrates that the quality of scary filmmaking is not directly proportional to the size of the budget
02/27/01
A cult classic that would have subtle yet meaningful influences on the horror genre for decades to come.
03/19/03
The visuals of this film make it worth watching.
02/28/02
A nightmarish puzzle. It's aged very well.
01/01/00
There isn't very much here to sustain interest.
09/21/07
A haunting ghost story.
10/27/07
Occasionally a feature film emerges from the midwest, although this is the first ever out of Lawrence, Kans, where a group of commercial film pros veered off into a try at producing theatrical entertainment.
09/21/07
Top CriticA chilling ghost story with artistic pretensions.
09/21/07
Top CriticMuch overrated horror, not even minor classic in this corner
10/23/04
All atmosphere and very little else.
04/24/03
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