It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Not much good I can say this film. Bad acting, make-up, transitions. I just need to find someone to knock me over the head for wasting an hour and 18 minutes on this terrible film.

Carnival of Souls is very slow, very low-budget and the acting is terrible, but there's something about this "classic" horror movie that is just likeable - maybe it's all the Salt Lake references and/or seeing the old Saltair. Not for all, but it will entertain some.

I'm a fan of Herk Hervey's "Carnival of Souls" - which, shot in 1962, was perhaps the first low-budget horror movie sensation - and I don't entirely know why.There are plenty of reasons to hate it. The acting is terrible. It was shot on the cheap, and oh my God, does it show. Hervey's ear for dialogue isn't just tin, it's Formica. The male lead would have in the 60s been called a pervert, and would now be called out on #MeToo.And yet, I can't help but be drawn to this film, because, like all the best horror movies, it speaks to a kind of anxiety that can't be put into words. Ever been nervous about getting home before dark? Ever felt someone walking too close behind you? Ever just felt afraid without knowing why? "Carnival of Souls" vibrates with that anxiety. It's the cinematic version of that queasy, unnerved feeling we all have from time to time, when we feel a terror we don't quite understand; like few movies before or since, it expresses nameless fear.The plot is thin, but gets the job done. Mary Henry (Candace Hildegoss) is the only survivor of a drag racing accident, and moves to a small town in Utah to start over as a church organist. During the trip to her new home, she is haunted by visions of a pale, ghostly figure (Hervey) who seems to mean her harm. This specter refuses to leave her alone, even as she seeks comfort in her daffy (to the point of brain-damaged) landlady (Frances Feist) and a friendly psychiatrist, and fends off the attentions of her drunken, beatnik neighbor (Sidney Berger). Finally, she confronts the apparitions that haunt her, with unexpected results (or, at least, unexpected for anyone who's never seen "The Sixth Sense")."Carnival of Souls" screams "acquired taste". Anyone would be forgiven for laughing at its grade-Z (even for the early 60s) production values. There's the horrible dialogue ("She's a tough-minded little thing", or "That's just what I need, get mixed up with a girl who's off her rocker!") The acting is horrendous, especially that of Hildegoss, who spends the whole film appearing dyspeptic, expressing fear as if it's a stomach-ache. An audience might also be excused for finding the main male character, who spends the entire film basically trying to rape the heroine, so gross as to turn them off. So, you might ask, why do I like this movie? I like it because it gives me goosebumps of the "unknowable fear" kind. Like Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw" or the 90s horror film "The Blair Witch Project", it scares us with what we cannot see. Rather than relying on cheap, instantly forgettable jump scares, it slowly builds a sense of vague discomfort, a creepy atmosphere of dread. Plus, it inspired filmmakers like George Romero and David Lynch to make far superior films. Without "Carnival of Souls", there would have been no "Night of the Living Dead" or "Blue Velvet". Whatever its flaws, it's an important film, if only because it paved the way for other, better films to scare the living hell out of us.We watch horror movies to get a good scare. A film like "Carnival of Souls", that scares us on a basic, primal level, is always worth watching, even if it fails in every other way.

The tagline reads :"She Escaped Death. Now It Wants Her Back!" Well, as far as I am concerned, "it" can have her. Cult classic or not, this was a really bad movie. It was like a poorly made Twilight Zone .. one of the ones that would never be shown even on those three day holiday marathons where they show all but the really crummy episodes. The "heroine" is a lump. She would have been the prompter at her High School Drama Club productions because she was so totally inept as an actress. Production values ? Director ? Budget for the film ? All seem to be missing. When the car goes off of the bridge, the girls scream before they are doing anything other than driving straight forward. The faces appearing here and there ? I have no clue even after watching the film twice. If you are a fan of bad movies. Go for it. Otherwise.. ummm .. no! OK I have to edit my review. I have read the others and an awful lot of them insist this is a masterpiece so I must ... heartily disagree. It's a mess.