Carnival of Souls (Herk Harvey, 1962)“Carnival of Souls certainly taps its creators’ industrial film

Carnival of Souls (Herk Harvey, 1962)“Carnival of Souls certainly taps its creators’ industrial filmmaking background — opening with a road race challenge that results in the pivotal car accident, the film immediately recalls a “teenicide”-style highway safety film, such as Harvey’s own None for the Road (1957). But there are also several clever stylistic flourishes, thanks in part to Maurice Prather’s black-and-white cinematography. When Mary arrives at a gas station and inquires about the location of a boarding house, the attendant points out its direction, into the darkness beyond. A rectangular light pierces the darkness, and we realize that our point of view has shifted, and we are now looking out from the interior of a dark room as Mary enters from outside. Later, as she looks out her room’s window at night, we see the abandoned pavilion in the distance, but the shot again abruptly changes perspective so that the view is now from inside the pavilion, which sits vigilantly like Shirley Jackson’s Hill House, watching and waiting. These impressive transitions also connect to the aforementioned mutability of place — like in dreams, one place becomes another, and the notions of “inside” and “outside” cease to have strict definition.” — Kier-La Janisse. -- source link

More pics about