I didn't really know much CARNIVAL OF SOULS, other than that it was a low-budget horror movie with a cult fan-base. What I got was certainly interesting, but hardly a masterpiece. The story is probably the weakest element, as the characters don't really have any depth or personality, and the plot is paper-thin. It's still a compelling watch, though, due to the atmosphere created by a creepy organ score and some excellent cinematography. So, it succeeds as a mood-piece even while failing at the narrative level. The story is about a woman who survives a car wreck and then takes a job as a church organist in Utah. When she moves into town, she starts seeing a ghostly figure and is strangely drawn to an abandoned carnival. This basically sets the stage for a series of sequences where she hallucinates a lot and starts questioning her sanity, as do the people she encounters. There were also a few scenes which kind of tap into human fascination with religion and the supernatural. She sees herself as a rational person, only taking the organist position for the money, but the things she sees bring her into conflict with herself and others. Ultimately, though, the film is mostly about the creepy atmosphere and imagery, which are quite good. One scene I liked in particular took place in the church. She starts off playing out of her organ music book, but then transitions into carnival-esque music, almost as if in a trance. There was also a lot of good on-location shooting. For a film with such a low budget, it looked fairly decent. The only real complaint I have outside of the thin story was that the sound mix was muddled in places, making dialogue hard to hear. Ultimately, CARNIVAL OF SOULS, is an intriguing curiosity which, despite lacking in terms of story, has some cool visuals and a suitably unnerving score.
