In the early 2000s, a new “Saltair” appeared in the form of a rather clumsy, concrete building with just a few spires to honor its predecessor. Sidney Berger as John Linden. As observed by writer. “You don’t like for a man to hold you close?” he later asks, perhaps implying sexual “deviancy.” Despite all this, Mary is consistent in manner and determination. The scenes of Mary dodging cars in the busy streets of Salt Lake City are more documentary than fiction, because with no stuntmen or extra vehicles, Hilligoss was simply sent out into the street with fingers crossed. But watching Carnival of Souls, I can’t help but ask what Mary wanted, despite her fate. The stark white of the salt beach and the strange dark quiet of the surrounding buildings made it the spookiest location I had ever seen.”. It was built over a mile south of the original cursed ground. Then, suddenly, Mary appears on the bank, drenched and dirty. In fact, the director, Herk Harvey, worked for a company that made public service films (Centron Productions), out of Lawrence, Kansas. , “Herk Harvey described to me a strange outdoor ballroom he had seen rotting on the shores of the Great Salt Lake. The filmmakers had asked for Candace Hilligoss, the star of the first film, to also appear, but she declined, feeling that Clifford and the filmmakers of the remake had shown disrespect to her in initiating the film without consulting her or considering her treatment for a sequel to the 1962 version. There is no romance or triumph. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Other men are more subtle: The pastor for whom she works feigns care and concern, but when Mary is actually in trouble, he condemns her and throws her out of the church, far more interested in chastising her perceived sins than welcoming her into the fold. I wonder why she didn’t go on to a bigger career. She meets the proprietor who informs there is another lodger staying there. features a scene at the then dilapidated Saltair III, showing the exterior and interior. Men call her “cold” and “soulless,” and this certainly hints at Mary’s limbo-like existence. The hair stood up on my neck. And the film itself, fiercely independent, with a singular vision, experienced a similar outcome as its protagonist. On the other hand, the lead actress, Candace Hilligoss, is terrific. When he returned, he found that the check for his Carnival of Souls earnings had bounced. "[30] Stephen Holden of The New York Times saw the 1989 screening at the Fantasy Festival and wrote: "What has earned Carnival of Souls its reputation is the director's knack for building a mood of fatalistic angst. While the film was purchased for distribution, that very distribution company, Herts-Lion International, went out of business in disgrace months later. and swim. He assumed that was the end of it. With her matter-of-fact outlook on life, it is not death itself that seems to bother her, but rather the hostility of a male-dominated world. The tragedy of Mary’s disappearance is presented as inevitable, and debate of the film usually centers on the how of Mary’s brief interstitial existence. It contains so much for Mary: the desire to be independent, to be neither Madonna or whore, to wear the clothes she wants and to keep her own schedule and practice her art and to be free of the constant expectations others have for her. Sidney Berger, who plays John Linden, has a role in this film's remake - Carnival of Souls (1998) - as a policeman. Death comes to her in the form of “The Man,” played by Herk Harvey himself. The specifics of time and place make the film all the more eerie; the abandoned palace was almost too ripe for Harvey’s film, as if there were indeed ghouls waiting in the water. The main character, Mary Henry, is not immediately likeable, a choice which purposefully alienates the audience. Consequently, every frame of Carnival of Souls is saturated with otherness. It began to catch fans in its web. At the Church she meets the minister and plays the organ for the first time. I couldn’t believe what I had seen. because he knew they could shoot there without straining their tiny budget. The town did not charge a fee for the use of the bridge, only requiring the film crew to replace the bridge's damaged rails once they were done filming. to let them film in the dressing rooms. The original Saltair burned down in 1925. While the film was purchased for distribution, that very distribution company, Herts-Lion International, went out of business in disgrace months later. And yet, against all odds, Carnival of Souls is fantastically compelling—a film that showcases the mastery of director Herk Harvey, writer John Clifford, and actress Candace Hilligoss. But there’s more to Mary than can be gathered at first look. Bill De Jarnette as Mechanic. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Thanks! As you can probably guess, I’m a fan of abandoned buildings, and will probably seek this film out. The 1962 film feels as out of place in this world as its protagonist. Hilligoss said that for a particular scene, filmed in a department store. I couldn’t believe what I had seen. Following a 1925 fi re, a second pavilion was built. Mary’s experience mirrors that of director Herk Harvey. His alignment with the other, living men is made explicit when he takes their place, revealed to be sitting in the doctor’s chair or taking over the neighbor’s reflection in the mirror. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. "[31], TV Guide gave Carnival of Souls a score of three stars out of four, praising the film's atmosphere, acting, and eerie score, calling it, "A chilling ghost story with artistic pretensions." As I reached the ground where the Saltair once stood, looking at the ghostly remains out on the lake, my camera blinked an alert: storage full. The valley and the stretch of the lake makes the whole place look intensely empty and flat, and aside from the surrounding mountains there’s hardly anything for miles. She is also obsessed with the ruins of an old amusement park on the shores of the lake just out of town. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Made for a budget of $30,000 (roughly $255,000 today), it throws viewers with its guerilla-style aesthetic, non-professional cast, and moments of poorly synced sound. 10 of 10 found this interesting. She also sees a large, abandoned pavilion on the shores of the Great Salt Lake. Frightened, she tells John what has been happening to her. They made the film on their own time, using a crew of six coworkers. What I know Saltair for is its appearance in the 1962 horror movie Carnival of Souls. Mary Henry is seen as distant and stand-offish by her neighbors. It’s there that she sees the Saltair Pavilion, which calls to her the moment she sees it, pulling her out of life and into the lake via mysterious visions of “The Man” (Harvey). It’s a great movie, but not a good one, if you know what I mean. However, Mary is confronted by The Man and his fellow ghouls. But there’s no indication that this wasn’t true of her before the accident—nor is it true that death is where she belongs. However, the 16 mm television copies were printed complete and individually cut by each station to fit their time slot, which is why they vary in length. Those around her reject her. This refrain is all too familiar, spoken by myself and women I know. Suddenly Harvey and Clifford and Hilligoss were invited to festivals for a film they assumed was as dead as Mary. [17] Film and music scholar Julie Brown comments on the score, noting: "The organ is one of the spectral presences in Carnival of Souls, summoning up, or being summoned up by, the various allusions in the film to cinema's past. Be sure to check out the photo gallery. This refrain is all too familiar, spoken by myself and women I know. ( Log Out / Women Writers of Folklore and the Fantastic: Lettice Galbraith. But the remains of the old Saltair Pavilion seemed as far away as they were when I started walking toward them, still just a few posts of rotting wood out in the salty marshes, stubbornly staying out of reach. It was rebuilt, and did fairly well for a while, but never regained its former success. But there’s no room in the world for a woman like Mary. Suddenly Harvey and Clifford and Hilligoss were invited to festivals for a film they assumed was as dead as Mary. When she returns to her lodgings Mary meets a man, John, the only other lodger, who wants to become better acquainted. One of the most striking scenes takes place in an organ factory back in Kansas, which writer. Learn how your comment data is processed. , built by the Mormon church in response to the community’s need for an entertainment venue that would meet conservative standards (Joseph F. Smith, then-head of the Mormon church, “entertainment of a high moral character as well as rest from the heat of the city”). “Something there was that didn’t love pleasure domes, that wanted them down.”, The Saltair remained on the lake in ruins, just waiting for Harvey to see it. After selling the film, Harvey went on a work trip to South America. Clifford said of writing the film, “I decided early on to give the heroine no real sympathy or understanding from any other character. But there’s no indication that this wasn’t true of her before the accident—nor is it true that death is where she belongs. Don’t expect Night of the Living Dead, but if you are in the mood for a quiet tale of the weird, and you like old, abandoned buildings, give this one a try. [12] The other $13,000 of the total $30,000 budget was deferred.
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