Carnival of Souls (1962) Dir. by Herk Harvey
While driving her car with two girlfriends, the driver is challenge to a drag race and falls off a bridge over a river. When it seems that the girls have drowned and there are no survivors, Mary Henry surprisingly get's out of the water. A couple of days later, she drives to another town to work as organist in a church despite not being religious. While driving, she has visions of weird people. When she arrives, she moves into a room of the house owned by Mrs. Thomas. However Mary is haunted by spirits and is frequently drawn to a nearby abandoned carnival, where she discloses a dark secret. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Starting this movie off I was a little suprised about the lack of build up in suspense. Something just happens then they move on. The great organ oriented score got me back in the mood. A very creepy score. I picked up on the constant use of reflections, and felt like maybe that was the directors way of portraying her guilt over her surviving and her friends not. A unique use of shadows made it fell almost Hitchcockish, carrying themes of the film based on how the scene is lighted. Most of the movie Mary is either running, walking, or driving. It fails to use dialogue to build the story, and the lack of interection between characters made it hard for me to truely feel for the characters. A strong performance from Mary Henry (Candace Hilligoss) and clever filmwork are the only things that keep this movie afloat.
Entertainment Value: 4 out of 10 Carnies
Cinematic Value: 8 out of 10 Carnies
Atom Age Vampire (Seddok, l'erede di Satana) (1960)
A stripper is horribly disfigured in a car accident. A brilliant scientist develops a treatment that restores her beauty and falls in love with her. To preserve her appearance the doctor must give her additional treatments using glands taken from murdered women. His unexplained ability to turn into a hideous monster helps with this problem but does nothing to win her love. The doctor's woes multiply as the police and the girl's boyfriend begin to close in on him. Written by D.A. Kellough {dkelloug@infinet.com}
Thank you Germany! First off, This movie starts off with a hilarious car accident that Micheal Bay would shed a tear at, haha. The movie's main character is a stripper! Respectable disfigured make-up jobs and outstanding special effects litter this movie. I was pleasantly suprised to find such a strong cast of female characters for an early 60's film, but then again, its Germany, not the United States. It has a unique love square story, multilayered to keep it from being a one demensional film. The Beauty and the Beast style story transfers well into today's society, making it easy for anyone to watch. It is all about what people will do for love and beauty. The pace of the film never slows down, and keeps the excitement coming. My only bone to pic with the film is I'd almost rather have subtitles. The dub over into english is horrible and sometimes hard to watch, but the beautiful Susanne Loret keeps your eye on the screen. Alberto Lupo steals the show, both as the Professor and the Beast. I highly recommend this movie to everyone.
Entertainment Value: 9 out of 10 Disfigured People
Cinematic Value: 9 out of 10 Disfigured People
Well, with two movies down and 48 more to go it looks like I'll have my work cut out for me for sure. I just hope I can give people and insight into some films they might never have considered watch. Hope you all enjoy!
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