CARNIVAL OF SOULS Screens at Schlafly Bottleworks October 5th

“It’s funny… the world is so different in the daylight. In the dark, your fantasies get so out of hand. But in the daylight everything falls back into place again.”

CARNIVAL OF SOULS (1962)  screens Thursday October 5th at 7:00pm at Schlafly Bottleworks (7260 Southwest Avenue Maplewood, MO 63143). 

It’s often the case with horror films that the best ones are those that rely on the power of suggestion rather than gallons of fake blood and impersonal computer-generated special effects – think of the work of Val Lewton, for example, which showed a rare intelligence for a much-maligned genre.

Herk Harvey’s CARNIVAL OF SOULS (1962) was shot on a budget with no big-name stars, and yet succeeds in unsettling the viewer to a degree that goes far beyond many of its mega-budget rivals. A young woman, Mary Henry (Candace Hilligoss), survives a plunge off a bridge in her friend’s car and, seemingly unscathed, travels to a new town to start work as a church organist. There is something cold and unfeeling about her, despite her apparent lack of injuries, and she eventually upsets and unsettles those around her, including the church minister and her creepy fellow lodger, Mr Linden.

In turn, Mary feels cut off from the world around her, especially as she experiences episodes where she seems to be ignored by everyone. There is also the strange matter of the zombie-like figure she keeps seeing, and the deserted fairground which somehow draws her to it ….

CARNIVAL OF SOULS could be viewed as a horror film purely on the main story (girl pursued by zombies), and is a success on that level: however, the film’s power is due to the psychological aspects underlying the plot. Mary experiences a type of disconnection with society, at one point exclaiming “I don’t belong in the world”, and it is this disorientation which affects the viewer most strongly. She is ignored in a department store: when she tries to get the attention of the shop assistants, she feels as if she is not there – and haven’t we felt that way ourselves at times, when no-one appears to acknowledge that we need attention and service. However, the problem goes deeper: Mary also finds that her supposedly sympathetic doctor seems unaware of her when she is discussing her problems.And what of the fairground? A building which usually brings back happy childhood memories, somewhere to have fun and laughter, and yet this fairground has a sinister fascination for Mary. It simultaneously repels and attracts her, and she discovers the truth when she pays it a final visit.

CARNIVAL OF SOULS is truly an original film, and one that holds up very well today. It’s a must see for fans of surrealism, horror, or just experiences. Don’t miss it October 6^th at Schlafly Bottleworks

A Facebook invite for the event can be found HERE

https://www.facebook.com/events/282679472218009
$6  for the screening. A yummy variety of food from Schlafly’s kitchen is available as are plenty of pints of their famous home-brewed suds.

“Culture Shock” is the name of a film series here in St. Louis that is the cornerstone project of a social enterprise that is an ongoing source of support for Helping Kids Together(http://www.helpingkidstogether.com/) a St. Louis based social enterprise dedicated to building cultural diversity and social awareness among young people through the arts and active living.

The films featured for “Culture Shock” demonstrate an artistic representation of culture shock materialized through mixed genre and budgets spanning music, film and theater. Through ‘A Film Series’ working relationship with Schlafly Bottleworks, they seek to provide film lovers with an offbeat mix of dinner and a movie opportunities.