Carnival of Souls
DVD, The Criterion Collection
1962

review by Terry Wickham

The Criterion Collection has done a super job of putting together this 2-DVD set. It has everything one could hope for about the cult classic. One disc features The Original Theatrical Version of the film, which is 78 minutes. Disc two has The Extended Director's Cut, running 5 minutes longer at 84 minutes.

I haven't seen too many other black & white films that look better than this exceptional transfer. The blacks are deep and the picture quality is stunning. Based on the images alone, the DVD is worth picking up, but there's a whole lot more. You also get audio commentary by screenwriter John Clifford and the late director Herk Harvey. They don't speak the entire time, but when they do it's informative and really lets you know what they were thinking back when they made the film. You'll be surprised at the innocence of their choices, but that may be the reason the film worked so well. It was made for the right reasons, unlike so many films today that look to exploit any ingredient that may help cash in at the box office, videocassette or the Internet. I thought it was fascinating to hear that writer John Clifford wrote the script in sequence, not knowing how the story would end. Some people have said that they could see the ending of Carnival of Souls coming. Clifford admits that it may be true today, but back in 1961 his story telling idea & technique was less obvious. I believe, we must honor those who have come before us, who laid down the groundwork that we all use now. This film qualifies as such as it has inspired countless filmmakers including George Romero's Night of the Living Dead.

There's an absolutely wonderful supplement section devoted to the history of Saltair resort in Salt Lake City, where the last part of the film took place. Between the significant text and photos, you'll find a wealth of info on the film's spooky location. The Saltair resort is truly a one of a kind place. It's so unique and captivating, it's the number one reason the film was made. Director Herk Harvey explains that when he drove by the location on a trip from California to Kansas, it grabbed him as one of the scariest things he'd ever seen. When he got back to Kansas, he had John Clifford write a story that would revolve around the haunting location. Saltair still exists today, but is inactive on the south border of the Great Salt Lake.

You also get The Movie That wouldn't Die! The Story of Carnival of Souls: a documentary on the 1989 reunion of the cast and crew. There's outtakes accompanied by Gene Moore's score. The Carnival Tour: a video update of how the Lawrence, Kansas locations look today. Criterion has put together a bunch of short films from Centron Corporation, the company Herk Harvey and John Clifford worked for over 30 years. It's pretty neat to see what they normally worked on and how vastly different it was compared to Carnival of Souls.

This film is a landmark in the horror genre. If you've already seen it, I'll bet you that you haven't seen it like this DVD set. If you have not ever seen it, then you need to. It's a film that stands the test of time and will probably stay with you for as long as you live.

Official Website:

http://www.criterionco.com