Carnival of Souls

The movie Carnival of Souls, originally a 1962 black and white horror film, has been miraculously restored and updated with color. Directed by Herk Harvey in his sole directorial feature, the film stars actress Candace Hilligoss leading a small, capable cast that includes Sidney Berger, Frances Feist, and Harvey himself. The modern restoration brings a fresh dimension to this classic spectral story brimming with an unsettling atmosphere and haunting visuals.

The film centers its narrative on a young woman named Mary Henry, masterfully portrayed by Candace Hilligoss. Henry is the only survivor of a vicious drag race that ends in a tragic car crash. Trying to move on and leave the horrific memories behind, she decides to relocate and takes up a job as a church organist in Salt Lake City, Utah.

However, this fresh start does not prove as regenerative as expected. Mary starts to experience a cascade of inexplicable occurrences undermining her sanity and grip on reality. She becomes haunted by eerie apparitions and is continually stalked by a creepy stranger with ghoulish features, dramatically played by director Herk Harvey himself. This figure seems to lure her towards an abandoned pavilion at the edge of the town, ominously named the Carnival of Souls.

On top of these terrifyingly supernatural happenings, she finds herself grappling with apparent non-existence, as there are moments when she appears invisible to people around her, as though she does not exist. This element of existential horror, punctuated by the chilling organ music characterizing the film's soundtrack, broadens the overall unease stemming from the film's supernatural elements.

Throughout the film, Mary's desperate efforts to understand her situation take her through a blur of the real, surreal and supernatural, creating an unsettling mosaic of psychological horror. Sidney Berger plays a rather forward and uncourthy lodger, John Linden, who forms an unsettling companionship with Mary. Frances Feist, playing Mary's landlady Mrs. Thomas, adds another layer of realism to the eerie estranged narrative.

The film’s stark compositions, evocative landscapes, and its ethereal blend of horror and art-house sensibilities make it a fascinating watch. Harvey creates a palpable sense of dread throughout, using the desolate pavilion and organ's haunting refrains as recurring motifs that anchor the film's horror. These elements take on a new life, becoming more pronounced with the careful application of color in the restored version of the film.

The choice to bring color to Carnival of Souls adds a new layer of depth to the film's original, haunting atmosphere. Far from detracting from the film's originally intended impact, the colorization process accentuates the movie's eeriness. The restored edition of the film presents the viewers with reinvigorated visuals that enhance the classic while still preserving its vintage charm. The tints and shades sprinkled over the original black-and-white scenery create a more in-depth cinematic experience, amplifying the film's haunting footprint on the viewer's mind.

Moreover, the film's expressionistic approach to horror is impressively preserved in the transition to color, enhancing its unsettling mood and undeniably eerie tone. But more than just a traditional horror film, Carnival of Souls deals with themes of alienation, existential fear, and the bordering line between the living and the dead, represented vividly through its color palette and lighting.

In a nutshell, in its restored color version, Carnival of Souls cements its reputation as a crucial piece of cult cinema. This is a unique blend of spook-house thrills and existential dread, a spectral symphony that lingers long after the picture dims. Whether you're a longstanding fan or a first-time viewer, this colored and carefully restored version undoubtedly provides a fresh perspective on this time-honored horror classic. The Carnival of Souls continues to stand as a testament to imaginations that extend beyond the limitations of budget constraints, blossoming into a strange and unsettling exploration of a fractured psyche; a real gem in the genre of supernatural horror.