CARNIVAL OF SOULS (1962): The seminal cult classic of "arthouse horror"

Added: 2026-05-15

[00:00:00]I don't belong in the world.

[00:00:03]That's what it is.

[00:00:06]Something separates me from other people.

[00:00:08]>> [ __ ] goddamn orange peel beef.

[00:00:26]What's up everybody?

[00:00:31]Welcome. Welcome.

[00:00:34]It's one [ __ ] hour time.

[00:00:37]That's right. It's the show.

[00:00:42]It's the show where we talk about one goddamn movie and we have just one [ __ ] hour to do it. That's right. I'm Evan Hus joined by my two people here.

[00:00:55]Uh to my left we got Mr. Remy Bennett.

[00:00:59]Ramy, welcome back to the show.

[00:01:00]>> Good evening and thank you for having me. Oh, >> of course. Anytime. Uh and uh to the right, to my right, screen right, we got Mr. Marcus Herring. Marcus, what's going on?

[00:01:10]>> What's up you guys? Really glad to see you and excited about tonight's episode.

[00:01:15]>> Oh, hell yeah.

[00:01:16]>> For sure. Oh, sorry. Turn my light.

[00:01:17]>> Whoa, that was some creepy.

[00:01:19]>> That was some >> What the hell? Jesus Christ. Purgatory.

[00:01:24]Open up the David already.

[00:01:27]Seriously >> going on over there. All right, but you heard it. This is what we're doing tonight. Of course, it is episode 162 of the show, which means, of course, we're going to be doing a movie from 1962.

[00:01:40]We're in the middle of this sort of uh year-long series where the uh we're going to cover movies uh one film per year per episode. The episode number corresponding, of course, with the year of release of a particular film, >> 1962. So, you guys voted on this [ __ ] So, let's give a round of applause for that. Uh, the results are in. Um, and the poll options. Yeah, this was uh this was interesting because uh you know I I I would have imagined that a Kubri would have run away with the with the poll because of course you guys know here that we >> I love polls.

[00:02:18]>> That's right. We love polls. Uh, but I would have thought a Kubrick film would have would have totally stolen the show here because of course Lolita was on the poll. Um, that that did not win. It seemed right out of the gate this was sort of foretold that it was going to be Carnival of Souls is tonight. So >> very I'm happy that this was the choice.

[00:02:39]I think it makes sense. I think it makes sense.

[00:02:41]>> Yeah, me too. I think, you know, it's it's it's the most uh it's probably the most, you know, OFH core title of the bunch.

[00:02:50]>> I think so.

[00:02:51]>> And of course, uh you know, we all know that tonight there's going to be a major appearance of the Jar of David as well.

[00:03:00]Um, of course, there has to be, right?

[00:03:02]Where where is he? Oh, yeah. Wait.

[00:03:03]>> Total [ __ ] [ __ ] >> That's right. So, the jar of David. Uh Whoa. Did I just Okay, there we go. The Jar of David is in effect, of course, all year long. And just a little recap on the Jar of David. Anytime one of us makes a a a reference to this man, um you have to put a coin in the jar, of course, right? It's a somewhat of a penalty play uh because he's very overdised uh on this channel. So, um so every time that happens tonight, we're going to put a coin in the jar. At the end of the year, the fiscal year here, um we're going to tally it up. You guys have to guess how much change is in the jar of David. And whoever gets Price's Right Rules closest uh to to guessing that is going to get to pick what movie we're going to cover for the next that next episode. Holy [ __ ] Too much power of God is in your hand on that one. So >> that's going to be crazy. Um but uh I'm excited for this Carnival Souls. A lot to talk to. A lot of talk about to get into um and to do that and so on and so forth. But let's give, of course, a quick uh little just so we can get to the main event. A Where the hell is it?

[00:04:14]Uh, okay. Wait, no. Sometimes I loot.

[00:04:18]There we go. Okay, we're going to give a quick shout out to the one [ __ ] hour. Patreon, of course.

[00:04:26]patreon.com/1fucking hour is where you can sign up for just five bucks a month and it gives you instant access to all of our bonus episodes audio commentary tracks. I think there's over 40 of those episodes up there right now that you can that's the only place you can watch them. It also gives you 24 to 48 hour early access to every single episode so you get to watch it before everybody else does for every episode that we do including this one. Um, so if you want all your content there, or if you want it on YouTube, you can scroll underneath this video, find the join button, and become a moment >> moment of the YouTube channel. Same price, same perk, same benefits, and we appreciate it so much. And of course, all the funds, 100% of the funds coming in from the Patreon stream and the YouTube stream, uh, all go in support of our one [ __ ] hour brother, Tom Fitzgerald, of course, uh, who is on medical leave from the show. Uh, as we mentioned, it's a pretty extensive, uh, recovery process. This, he ain't coming back anytime soon. This is a long road ahead for him, but, um, every dollar counts. As you can imagine, that'll be a pretty uh, pricey um, in terms of his rehabilitation. So, we appreciate everybody that has contributed thus far cuz it goes directly to him, and we appreciate that a lot. Um, and speaking of Tom, uh we did last week give a little uh uh a little update ski uh on that uh talking about how we've been starting to receive some fan mail which is uh very awesome of course. Um shout out to Liz of course who who sent a beautiful get well uh card and uh >> this is OG right been around for a long time.

[00:06:04]>> I think Liz has been since the first few months of the show I I would imagine.

[00:06:09]Yeah. Yeah. Um, so >> thank you, Liz.

[00:06:11]>> Yes, thank you so much. But we we did put out a little call to action, call to arms for the offh community. Um, cuz the letters are rolling in. We got some more coming in for Tom, some get well cards.

[00:06:23]Very excited about that. So, if you'd like to send a get well message, a card, or just anything, a a a doodle, um some words of encouragement, uh that would be fantastic because we're gonna sort of gather up all of those and we're going to send them next time we visit Tom. and he he really loved the hell out of opening that uh that card that that that Liz had handd drawn and written to him.

[00:06:45]So, if you'd like to send something to Tom, get your screenshot uh command ready because uh here you go. If you want to send a get well mail to Tom, send it to the address on your screen.

[00:06:58]You can send it to me at Evan Husny. Uh 697 Grand Street, Box 166, Brooklyn, New York 111211.

[00:07:08]697 Grand Street, Box 166, Brooklyn, New York 11211.

[00:07:14]>> And uh don't worry guys, >> your handwriting there.

[00:07:17]>> Thank you very much. Yes. And of course, it is not my home address, so you're not showing up and and going to be partying with us or anything, but that is our our mail service. So, if you'd like to send anything to us or to Tom, that's the way to do it. Oh, and speaking of the Patreon, I forgot to mention uh the finally the new bonus episode. The new Patreon exclusive is up right now on the Patreon or of course if you're a member of the YouTube channel. And what is it?

[00:07:43]Well, we kind of forgo the 50s roundup.

[00:07:46]We were going to do that, but I think that ship sailed and and uh one of our listeners actually came up with this idea and I think this is a great idea.

[00:07:53]So, we decided to just say [ __ ] it and we audible into this. Um, if you want to know or have ever been curious or wanted to know what the [ __ ] the one [ __ ] hour origin story is, who are we in the first place? How do we know each other?

[00:08:08]And what's the story of this? How did this whole podcast happen? What the [ __ ] going on? Um, well, you're in luck because our new bonus episode is the one [ __ ] hour origin story. And the uh only way to watch that or listen to it, of course, is up on the Patreon or if you're a member of the YouTube channel. So, that is out now. So, sign up if you want to check it out. All right. Right.

[00:08:29]>> Oh, yeah.

[00:08:29]>> All right, y'all. Um, you ready? Should we do it? I'm ready.

[00:08:32]>> So, yeah.

[00:08:33]>> I think I'm loaded for bear. Um, and then, of course, last but not least, stay tuned to the end of the episode after this hour is over. uh will of course reveal to you all what the the poll options are for 1963 because >> I love polls.

[00:08:54]>> Okay.

[00:08:55]>> Classic. All right. Um let's get the clock going here.

[00:09:01]>> Here we go. Locked and loaded. One [ __ ] hour, guys, on Carnival of Souls. I'm excited for this. Let's get locked and loaded. Here we go.

[00:09:11]Boom. All right. All right. So, where am I here? Okay. Let's read a synopsis here for the flick first. Another Criterion film uh here. Um kind of gets a little Criterion synopsis as well. Uh but we're going to cover a lot of the stuff that's that's covered here. So, here you go.

[00:09:28]Carnival of Souls. A young woman played by Candace Hilligos in a small Kansas town survives a drag race in uh sorry, a drag race accident. Okay, that's a weird plot moment. Then agrees to take a job as a church organist in Salt Lake City.

[00:09:48]>> Uh, in route, she is haunted by a bizarre apparition that compels her toward an abandoned lakeside pavilion.

[00:09:55]Made by industrial filmmakers on a small budget, the eerily effective bem movie classic Carnival of Souls was intended to have quote the look of a Bergman and the feel of a cocktoe, which we're going to get into that. It's pretty amazing.

[00:10:12]And with its strikingly used locations and spooky organ score, it succeeds.

[00:10:17]Herk Harvey's great name. Uh Herk Harvey's Macob masterpiece gained a cult following on late night television and continues to inspire filmmakers today.

[00:10:27]So there you have it. Um >> yeah, >> one of my other favorite descriptors that I I I read just in the process of doing uh sort of uh you know doing some research was someone comparing it to uh it's like a Twilight Zone episode directed by Antoni, which I think is Right. Right. How cool does that sound, guys? Yeah, that's awesome. Very much so.

[00:10:47]>> I was pulling for the Joe Bob Briggs synopsis, >> but only purely because it's got that um >> connection to sort of the drive-in theater and just like the lower art form.

[00:11:00]>> Yeah, you're not going to get cocktoe in his uh >> he was like really sort of annoyed with this film getting like pulled up into like the New York Times.

[00:11:09]>> I think he felt like some ownership over >> this realm, you know.

[00:11:14]>> I see. Interesting.

[00:11:15]First they did it to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Then they did it to Blood Feast. And now the latest victim of an attack by zombie college professors is this movie Carnival of Souls.

[00:11:26]>> The drive-in double feature.

[00:11:27]>> I I kind of I kind of see where he's coming from, but >> I see it. I see it. But you know what's interesting just about this film and and you know we're going to get into a lot of this tonight is just kind of like uh I think one thing for me that was pretty uh amazing on the rewatch and the research was that this is 1962. Okay, this movie singlehandedly I think you can make an argument forecasted so much of what would be happening the rest of this decade and beyond. I was thinking the same thing crazy >> like sort of like the birth of new uh of new Hollywood in a way right I mean like some of the components are there um >> that you could say sure I was even spec like specifically talking about like it's Twilight Zone before Twilight Zone first first and foremost >> uh before Night of the Living Dead of course which would be the big >> I mean >> you know >> wow >> huge I mean I mean Night of the Living Dead owes so much owes so much to this film. Yeah, it's it's incredible.

[00:12:25]>> Uh but you know what other what other films come to mind? Uh, another >> well the haunting I mean I'll talk about that a bit later but it really sure >> the energy the mood the character the >> trap I love the haunting too >> the uh but also um another one [ __ ] an hour classic Messiah of evil we probably you know I think was massively influenced by this but you could be >> the shining I mean shining >> you know the ballroom and the ghouls dancing beetlejuice I mean the car going off the bridge that's the literal juice and then they're in purgatory.

[00:12:59]They're like in the liinal ghost space totally the type of guy who would be like >> Tim would be all overt late night TV as like teenager >> like him and David Lynch are the same the age of the guys who watched Carnival of Souls like >> and that's something we were like talking about okay Romero watched it but like but like it's not like it was available for other people. No, we're going to get into that, but let me finish the list.

[00:13:27]>> Okay, you finish off.

[00:13:28]>> Uh, go for it.

[00:13:29]>> You could make an argument. Uh, Palansk's Repulsion, you could you could draw a line back to this.

[00:13:34]>> Um, you know, even even uh little deeper cut here, but I think it owes a lot to this movie. I think it's almost kind of a direct ripoff for this movie. Mario Baba's uh Lisa and the Devil I think owes a lot to this, but also got to shout him out. Come on. Eraser Head.

[00:13:48]Anybody?

[00:13:49]>> Yeah.

[00:13:50]>> Come on.

[00:13:50]>> Fire walk with me, >> right? Firew walk with me. Yeah. Hollow and drive.

[00:13:56]>> We're going to get to that. So, >> well, well, let me just clarify what I was saying about just New Hollywood to real quick just because it's like the components are like >> to me it's like, you know, sort of skilled lowbudget American filmmakers who are inspired by European art.

[00:14:13]Exactly. Totally. Like real independent film making.

[00:14:16]>> Totally. Totally. Totally.

[00:14:17]>> This is a very early example of that.

[00:14:19]Yeah. And I love the way they talk about it too as independent film making like not lowbudget people like this is independent film like you said skilled filmmakers very much so >> not hacks not >> and this is why that just stands out too because every technician is like you said very skilled. The actors are actually very skilled actors. So it's like it it holds up in that way where you're not laughing at ever laughing at this movie. No. It doesn't have that Edwood thing about it at all. This is like each person is, oh wow, there's like some real artistry.

[00:14:53]>> Sometimes you can see, you know, like, you know, there's some ADR maybe here and there and some things, but for the most part, this is a very sharply made film and shows off a lot of techniques.

[00:15:03]>> That's all Italian cinema is like ADR, right? Everything's >> Right. Right. But it shows off a lot of amazing technique. It shows a vision and and some and again it again like thematically influenced so much. It's it's really hard to uh to separate >> and the mood and the the idea of like a dream state horror film obviously.

[00:15:24]>> Amazing. Yeah. Amazing. So we we're going to get into a bunch of that other stuff. But just before uh we get into the backstory which I do want to talk about because the filmmakers are fascinating. Um Remy, you mentioned before we started recording that this was a film that got regular play in the in the Bennett household, right?

[00:15:41]>> Yes. This was this I just I have to say because this one is like very very near and dear to my heart. Um this was a movie that like both my mom and dad showed me constantly grow. I know I say this a lot on the channel, but like it's like my and I was trying to get get to the bottom of it with my parents. I was asking my mom yesterday, my dad called me tonight. I was like, "So, what what is the deal like with this these movies that were on rotation for us?" Like, you know, now the people are showing their kids like Pixar movies or whatever, but like I I grew up in the way like Marcus, you were saying like I was almost I grew up in the same way like kids in the '60s might have grown up where like they were watching the Million-Dollar movie, Chiller Theater. It was the >> That's unique to your area though.

[00:16:22]That's >> right. In New York and New Jersey, they were playing these movies constantly um on repeat. So like my my my parents grew up on all the bee horror movies and and then um Carnival of Souls, the Bad Seed, the Betty Davis movies. And so those are the movies that then my parents showed us as little kids. So it's like they almost kind of repeated their experience as >> children. So we were like monster I was a monster kid.

[00:16:47]>> Monster kids >> as that guy in the commentary.

[00:16:49]>> Yeah. And it's kid, you know. Um um yeah, the New York and New Jersey area, you know. Yeah. You said you had Chiller Theater. You had a million dollar movie.

[00:16:58]these late night uh you know where you you'd watch a movie some weird schllock be movie would come on at you know one in the morning two in the morning and that's how a lot of these movies got seen especially this one because it didn't have the theatrical life that a night of the living dead had or you know some of these other films that would come later it was kind of dumped into the you know drive-ins in drive-ins in the south and kind of forgotten about and then it wasn't because which we'll get to it was public domain and of course people probably ran the [ __ ] out of it on TV and so a lot of people got exposed to it >> and this left a real mark like my dad was saying that he was terrified of this when he saw it when he was a little kid and he was like 13 and 14 and that because of just like the the genuine eeriness of this movie like it last led you know left such a lasting imprint that it was like they carried this down through generations to show you know their kids and and anyway like watching it now too you're like that genuine sense of eeriness and mood is still like so palpable >> and like legit jump scares too like serious that like hold up, you know? Uh for sure. So anyway, um let's let's talk a little bit about the filmmakers cuz they are interesting. Of course, you got Herk Harvey and uh uh the uh writer of the film, John Clifford. Now, these guys uh you know, they're making this film straight out of Kansas, y'all. Lawrence, Kansas. Okay.

[00:18:25]>> Uh where they worked for a company that produced hundreds and hundreds of these sort of educational films for the classroom. um all these corporate industrial films um and they had this >> industrial musicals even >> that's right that's what I mentioned right right and these guys were really one of the most like prolific uh and I guess respected makers of these academic and industrial training films too >> there was a big boom of these movies too like in atom atomic age America yeah >> right yeah he made like over 400 films personally >> incredible not only the sort of educational films you'd see in school but they also had like military contracts and they were making all these films we haven't seen that were like secret military.

[00:19:09]>> Wow, that's so cool. But yeah, so like these guys, you know, just like in terms of getting that much practice at, you know, um you know, setting up a camera, making a shot, sort of writing a story, you got to write stories for these too and just cranking things out. It's like you it does sharpen >> practice that like skill. Yeah, exactly.

[00:19:26]>> Totally. And from what you know uh is was said on the criterion disc about it um that they were very sophisticated in terms of not like these particular types of like industrial films. So for example, if there was like a a film to be shown in a school about like why you shouldn't grow up to be a bully, they wouldn't just make some sort of schllocky version of that that might be mocked on, you know, Mystery Science Theater or Pee-Wee Playhouse or something like that. Instead, they would they're Mr. Bungle, of course. Right. Of course, Mr. Bungle. But um they'd go the extra mile and they would write like a very sophisticated backstory for the bully. Why did the bully, you know, grow up to be this way? What shaped him? What forces, external forces, you know, so they really were making like again they they were they cared and they put a lot of effort into uh even these types of you know films that they were making and that of course will translate you know uh 10fold when it gets to uh this film.

[00:20:20]Um, but anyway, so that's really cool that they made all these very, you know, uh, sophisticated films. Then, uh, Herk Harvey is driving cross country one day >> and he's driving from, I think, California back to Kansas >> and he and he's driving through Salt Lake City and he sees out his car window. He sees, you know, exactly what you see in the movie. This um very uh you know, uh large abandoned Moorish kind of Russian looking abandoned carnival pavilion that's right off of the lake there at Salt Lake. And uh he just, you know, had to stop and take a look at it because it looked abandoned.

[00:20:56]And he walked there and, you know, he he described that it was eerie, it was otherworldly, it felt like stepping into another dimension. And then immediately he sort of thought to himself like, "Holy [ __ ] this thing is just sitting here. This would be a great place to shoot a movie of some kind." And so that was the spark, of course. Um, and so he drives back to Kansas, uh, and links up with John Clifford, who's the screenwriter, and he's like, "We got to write a movie for this location," which I think is a great practical way.

[00:21:26]>> Yeah. And a very independent mind, film-minded approach.

[00:21:30]>> I love that. And uh all he basically told him uh was uh you know John had said that Herk came to him and he said he'd like to make a film about creatures rising from the lake and doing a dance of death in the pavilion. M >> and then as they're workshopping it, he basically went, I think for like a month and and like wrote the script and they both decided that it would feature someone being chased and uh that it would feature this like heroine character and uh you know uh and and he also kind of included later on when somebody interviewed John about it, he said, quote, "I decided early on to give the heroine no real sympathy or understanding from any other character.

[00:22:11]For the viewer, there is no relief from her dilemma. no catharsis except what viewers create for themselves. I believe that this is one reason the film tends to linger in the mind >> which is pretty cool.

[00:22:24]>> Um and then of course this is the crazy part is they were not now this is something that I think is underappreciated about this movie as evidenced in the synopsis I read. These guys were not like, "Yeah, let's like most independent fil, you know, horror filmmakers at the time. Let's uh let's make a cheapo film to throw in the drive-ins and make a buck." This is there's nothing cynical about this whatsoever.

[00:22:48]>> These guys were setting out specifically to make a film that felt like Bergman meets Cockto. You know, >> that's what he said multiple times.

[00:22:59]>> That he that's very consistent.

[00:23:01]>> The look of Bergman and the feel of cockto. Incredible. Incredible. So you have >> It's crazy how much it feels like last year at Marry and Bad too, you know, like just like the connections there with this big grand location in the sort of like is it a ghost story, you know?

[00:23:16]Um >> the organ music in I don't think you saw it, but it's just sort of interesting um that they achieved the same sort of like uh >> you know I don't know aesthetic or same sort of like feeling as that film.

[00:23:30]>> Yeah. And you you had said Antonio too and it's like le you know Monica Viti and Le in those movies of sort of that like isolation and alien blonde woman in an alienated environment >> right well she looks so French like you know she looks like Katherine Denuv or like you know like doesn't look like an American beauty it looks like a European style. Yeah. And yeah, it has that that you know, which would become much of so much of a pervasive trope in these artouse films in the years to come is this female protagonist drifting through this uncanny world, this disorientation, the sort of detachment, >> feeling disconnected and detached >> from reality, you know, the sort of like repetition, the doubles, the surreal encounters, >> um, and this kind of concept of like is the character already dead or are they spiritually trapped, you know, in this sort purgatory, which you know, of course, is what I think the movie is supposed to be. Um, >> right.

[00:24:26]>> But, uh, >> but it's so interesting, too, because, um, the idea that this kind of like justosition between that like very European art house sensibility, but then this incredible like Americana feel.

[00:24:39]Yeah, >> I love that this is like a Kansas American movie because there was a one of the articles I was reading, one of the essays said like maybe this is the first real American horror movie in a sense like where it's outside of like the Gothic European or the Vincent Price tradition. Um, and it's in this American dusty road, broken down amusement park, gas station, >> boarding house, sort of like the isolation and desolation of America at that time, >> right? Instead of taking place in a castle or something, it's like it's in this sort of decaying like amusement park which is like a place of like pleasure, >> right?

[00:25:18]>> Like pleasure- seeeking Americans, you know? It's sort of like this >> ruin. It's like the ruins of America, the ruins of the American dream. and on the road like when you had that sort of like the desolate space of being on the road how like highways in that time period too attraction in the late 50s and 60s the highway started people talked about that sense of like isolation and loneliness that that kind of created in America and so there is that like malaise and sort of like of the environment >> the sort of the zombie type people who inhabit that world you know and >> yeah they have sort of a sadness to them, you know, and like >> and yeah, and the the hotel is like a relic of this grand past that we didn't get to experience ever, you know, and they're sort of trapped in their uh >> in that memory of it. And um something about it does feel like a I don't know if it's like it's not overtly like a a critique of like the American dream, but I feel like all those elements are like >> just being they're just Yeah. they're just present in us as America instead of just hanging out in there.

[00:26:21]>> Totally in the writing.

[00:26:23]>> Yeah. Because like the history of that building is it was sort of this idea for people to be like hey you know us and people in Utah like we know how to party and have a good time too this decadent pavilion sort of like mimicking this let's make the biggest dance hall in America and like go big but then the place like burned down like a half a dozen times and then it just became this thing where they couldn't keep it up so it just sat you know >> and I was I was also thinking like this idea of we've talked about this before in the show with like in whole blood, but like on the road, like the 1950s sort of Jack Carowak dream of on the road, like the dark side of the road, like the hitchhiker, like the kind of >> murder kind of [ __ ] that was going on like on those desolate stretches that like people went out there to find themselves and ultimately a lot of times they found just like a lot of loneliness and and sort of like being being a drift in this open landscape, >> right? America has that open landscape and this highway system where you can explore that and like Europe is like you know you drive an hour and you're in another country you know.

[00:27:28]>> Yeah.

[00:27:29]>> Yeah.

[00:27:29]>> So just a couple of uh more direct lines to these sort of films than TV shows that were influenced by this. Just real quick but before we get into the actual movie itself. you know, Twilight Zone is hard to not think about when you think about this movie just because of of course it sort of has that twist shock ending. Um and and uh but also there's been a lot of people who've talked about uh a short story uh from 1890 called um an occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, which uh you know was about uh set during the American Civil War. It explores you know this idea of illusion, consciousness, the psychological boundaries between life and death. Mhm.

[00:28:09]>> And uh and the study sorry and the story was widely studied for its innovative structure and vivid realism like influencing literature and film and all this type of thing. And so um uh people had theorized that this must have been sort of uh you know that they were influenced by this short story. Now, Twilight Zone would also go on to adapt the same story and make, you know, their own uh, you know, their own adaptation of that actual story, which is sort of this kind of purgatoryesque, you know, dreamscape that >> what happens the few seconds before you die in your consciousness, what's happening, >> right? Exactly.

[00:28:44]>> Right. Right. And wasn't there the the Academy Award for like short story or short film of the year went to last uh went to an occurrence at Al Street? I think that's right. Like the year before, right? Right. I think that's right. Yeah. So, you know, so you have that and then um >> and it's the most incredible conceit. I mean, the that idea is so beautiful that like it's not, oh, it's all a dream.

[00:29:08]It's not like reductive in that way.

[00:29:10]It's no what happens to like when your consciousness collapses in of itself.

[00:29:15]>> Joe Bob was sort of picking it apart a little bit, saying that he thought too much was made of the connection between the hitchhiker. He's like, I don't think >> Well, that's different. the hitchhiker.

[00:29:24]>> Well, two, he was just he was saying he was kind of assuing both of them saying like, okay, >> I think too much is made of the Twilight Zone, you know, um influence >> and then and then, you know, and then pointing out that an occurrence at Al Street Bridge is like the moment that happens right before you die, right?

[00:29:38]That's what that story is about. And this is about being trapped in purgatory.

[00:29:42]>> But I don't know. See, this is I have an argument about this or I have a theory about this.

[00:29:46]>> Take it up with Joe Bob. But that's what's so cool about this because actually I used to think it was more the purgatory state like after you die and you're in that liinal space >> and now I'm thinking more that it is about the moment when she and actually my dad was talking about this to me tonight when like you are in the car accident and you are about to die and you you're conscious of that and it's what happens in those split moments before you actually descend into death.

[00:30:15]like you're it's almost like when you're passing out of your consciousness, it's like this hypnogogic hallucinatory state where um Richard Brody also said in the New Yorker like it was it's the metaphysical shock of realizing you're about to die and then it's almost this dream fugue state her brain is going into of like the story very Mahulland drive lost highway like she's going to the story like the story is that she escapes the car crash she goes off to have this whole life but then she's in this weird space and the death keeps on bringing her back. So, it's like it is almost all of that stuff happening in that moment. And that's one that's and it can be both, you know, it can be all of those things.

[00:30:53]>> Let's get into the movie because there's a lot of that we can talk about in the very beginning of the film, but just really quick for anyone wondering, is there a tangible connection to David Lynch? And of course there is this is a little factoid core. Uh little factoid core but Angelo Battlei okay the guy famous for you know writing the score to all of you know David Lynch's films.

[00:31:17]>> Uh he was John Clifford the writer of Carnival of Souls songwriting partner in the late60s.

[00:31:24]>> So interesting.

[00:31:25]>> Yes. Uh Clifford was also a multidisciplinary writer. He'd do also songwriting in his spare times and he and Bad Lamenti penned songs for the likes of Nina Simone and Dela Reese together. So insane that there's that, you know.

[00:31:40]>> Yeah, there's actually two degrees of separation.

[00:31:43]>> That is nuts.

[00:31:44]>> Yeah. Um, a quick John Clifford thing just, you know, like I don't know if you guys saw this or not, but he was like a he was, I guess, like a medic in World War II, you know, >> and he came back with like PTSD, but it was sort of like misdiagnosed by a psychiatrist at the time because they thought like, well, you weren't a soldier. You're like a medic.

[00:32:03]>> Yeah. And so, uh, you know, but that is sort of like I mean, you know, the the idea was that that inspired this film somewhat because the the, um, being sort of dissociated from reality. There you go. I can see that. And experiencing dissociation as like a a symptom of PTSD. Which is like one of the most common symptoms.

[00:32:23]>> I love that reading of it, too.

[00:32:25]>> Totally. Um, so other real quick thing.

[00:32:28]This is a I I've read two figures.

[00:32:29]either $13,000 budget or $30,000 budget >> or 16,000. They >> No matter how you slice it, that's crazy.

[00:32:37]>> That was the original cost to start the film, I think. And by the end, they had gotten 3,000. Yeah, it's crazy. No matter how you slice it, that's nuts.

[00:32:46]>> And and yeah, and these guys were swinging for the fences, man. They they envisioned artouses for this film. So, let's get into it.

[00:32:52]>> A lot of deferred payments, I think. You know what I mean?

[00:32:55]>> After after Yes.

[00:32:57]>> Well, they have a production company, too. There's probably some savings there. So, okay, this movie opens like it could be one of those kind of teen scare films. Uh, one of those kind of industrial warning films, like a highway safety film, cuz it opens um exactly with uh this this drag race, which is kind of a WTF way to start.

[00:33:19]>> Very strange.

[00:33:20]>> Yeah.

[00:33:21]>> And as a kid, I never really cuz I didn't really understand like what a drag race was, so I never really like thought about it. But now watching it, I'm like, it's so strange that a bunch of guys in a car >> are like approaching these women, these young women in a car and like challenging them to and then like running them off the [ __ ] bridge.

[00:33:39]Like it's that's very strange, but I think like maybe not coinc >> Yeah.

[00:33:52]>> after this woman. What's what's that word? like just on like I don't know like chasing just like like it's like she can't get rid of them, you know?

[00:34:01]It's like whether it's the leerous man across the street or the haunted man or these guys on the, you know, >> on the bridge coming after her. So anyway, >> psychiatrist, the priest, right, that are kind of it's almost like it feels like they're always literally um haunting her. But anyway, sorry.

[00:34:20]Yeah, creeping on her. So, so we see that the car crashes into uh, you know, it crashes into this body of water, crashing, you know, of course, um, over the bridge. Great little effect there, right? But great effect there for the for the budget and what they were trying to do. Totally works.

[00:34:36]>> Um, then you got this great opening credit sequence, too, which I got to shout out cuz this is when you first get that hit of the amazing organ score that's present throughout pretty much the whole film.

[00:34:47]>> Uh, shout out Marcus. some great typography, >> really wild titles. And usually the film doesn't go that nuts with the on and the print. You know, usually the poster will have a really wild lettering like that, but then the movie will have very stark like >> Yes. But this is jagged. It's all kind of like just interesting compositions using the typography which I think is just that I've always said you know like you can tell a lot uh in terms of what hands you're in as a filmmaker like what filmmakers hands you're in like the like the caliber of filmmaker based upon what they do with the titles you know if it's default kerning right or you know whatever you know you're no one they don't they don't care as much right um and and when you see like a a title sequence like this, you can tell, oh [ __ ] like these people really have a vision from every frame of >> like along they're like along angles like following the branch. I love it.

[00:35:40]Trees angles and stuff.

[00:35:41]>> Super cool. Super cool.

[00:35:43]>> So then uh it the film begins. Um we have the authorities uh who are there sort of at the crash site. Lots of that ADR action happening there of course uh which just gives it this kind of unintentionally bizarre dreamlike reality as the opening kind of tone. now and with all the mud and sand it's carrying, they may never find that car.

[00:36:04]>> Um, but you're getting hints of like the kind of dock style shooting, just like looking at the onlookers. It just feels like an indie film right there, which I just love. Um, and and and and yeah, we're kind of here. We're we're looking out at the water. We're surveying it.

[00:36:18]There's people out in boats trying to, you know, dig this uh try to attach the, you know, whatever the the wire to the car, all that stuff. And there's a couple beats that are just there, right, of like what's going to happen. And then we see Mary Henry, of course, the the main character of the film. She's emerging from the water and it's kind of like >> she didn't wash upstream, >> you know, whatever. She's coming out right of the crash site, you know, like a beat or two later and >> and the image of her just like matted in that mud. It's so cool. Yeah. The dress just like soaking wet.

[00:36:49]>> Yeah. What an arresting image of her coming out of that. And um and so everyone kind of, you know, like approaches her. Then it cuts to her walking down the bridge. This is one of the weirdest little subtle moments of the film >> where we see her dressed in she's dressed up now. She's like, you know, she's she's she's she's looking, you know, uh like, you know, normal >> and she's walking across this bridge looking out at the canoe boat, which is still trying to attach whatever thing to get the car out of the water. And then she's looking at that down there. And it's such a weird >> nonliteral dream like dream logic type of move because to me that almost is feeling like it's signaling the beginning of this whatever fugue state purgatory reality whatever that that's actually kind of like the like the illusion you know almost is beginning there you know. Does that make sense? I mean >> Yeah. Yeah. Cuz she's clean. She's not dirty back at the site.

[00:37:47]>> She's out of body. She's looking.

[00:37:49]>> It is out of body. Yeah.

[00:37:51]>> And she's looking down at where the car was.

[00:37:54]>> And the girl on the bridge moment is very Twin Peaks. Uh Firewalk with me, too. Right.

[00:37:58]>> Palansky. Well, yeah. And >> was that Theresa Banks or >> Runette with the long dark hair when she's escaping from >> That's in the show, isn't it? In the TV show.

[00:38:07]>> And she's walking across the bridge.

[00:38:09]>> Yeah. Right. Right.

[00:38:10]>> Yeah. And and and u >> it's almost the exact same shot.

[00:38:13]>> It's No, it is. It is. And like uh but this idea of >> Theresa Banks is like an actress, right?

[00:38:19]>> No. Theresa Banks is the is the other woman that um Leland was sleeping with >> and Leland Vernette Plansy and Laura were like in a little threesome. Okay, got it.

[00:38:29]>> For a second I was panicking that I said like Tyra Banks or something.

[00:38:32]>> Not Tyra Banks. But yeah, it is really the same shot and then like >> I was going to say too Rita and Mahullen drive when she gets into the car accident >> and then I'm sorry but then like she because she's in that state of shock and like when Mary first comes out of the water she has that amazing look right of total shock doesn't know what happens disassociation and then like you said then it cuts to her clean like the the hair all done up and so it's very surreal from that moment >> we always signal these kind of subconscious Lynch uh like influences, you know, because they they again he does he's cy about all of it, but it's like this definitely seeped into his mind.

[00:39:13]>> And then when you guys were saying she's looking out >> at the water, there's something about that flicker of recognition.

[00:39:20]>> That's what I'm saying.

[00:39:21]>> So like she doesn't remember the crash.

[00:39:23]She's in shock and then she looks into the water and the water is almost beckoning her in that very like >> Greek, you know?

[00:39:30]>> Yeah. But it's like it's like this weird dream logic of like, "Oh yeah, how are my friends down there? Are they okay?"

[00:39:36]You know, >> and the water is is beckoning her in the same way like the dance macabra is going to back her back into the underworld sort of thing.

[00:39:43]>> So, okay, then let's get to this next part here. Okay, so that it's amazing.

[00:39:47]Great opening. Incredible. And then it gets to her just playing on this massive organ. There's an awesome uh match cut to get here where she starts her car.

[00:39:58]>> Yes. and the edit because there's some cool edit tricks as well. She starts she turns the key of her card and it match cuts to her pushing in the knob on >> the knob or something like that. That is very cool. There's a lot of that those little tricks uh throughout this film.

[00:40:11]So, but we see her playing this epic organ huge and it's kind of breathtaking actually just the size, the scope, the the sound of it, you know, and like of course it's kind of very like uh there's great towny casting of like some Vernon Florida looking, you know, old fogies there, >> you know. Um it's amazing great like um industrial exploitation happening in this scene and um and uh you know it's it's amazing and of course again this is such a great >> you know indie film origin story cuz it's the idea of like where you think of what you have access to you know and of course they had access to this you know like I guess organ company that like you know kind of has like an organ testing room where they display these kind of crazy things and they they had access to that. So perfect. So, let's weave it into the script because we can shoot it there. Oh, and then she's going to be an organ player and that's how we create the character just practically based on what what's available to us >> and establish the soundtrack for the movie.

[00:41:07]>> Boom.

[00:41:08]>> Yeah, there you go.

[00:41:08]>> Awesome.

[00:41:09]>> And then it has like it brings in the Gothic element to it, the idea of religion and all of those undertones.

[00:41:15]So, it's like so amazing thematically.

[00:41:17]>> So good. It's a rich even though it was a practical idea. I love that. That's like when these when these magical lightning in a bottle type films were like it's supposed it's supposed to click in all this way, you know? It's like fate.

[00:41:32]>> Um, so we we learned she's getting sent to Utah to be an organist at a church.

[00:41:37]Uh, that's where she's going. Uh, I guess that's where she's going to be going. And um, and of course driving out to Utah, this is where, you know, she's got to drive over the bridge again. uh which is something that you know you'd imagine if she actually survived this crash that like would she actually do that you know um >> but there is something also symbolic about that crossing >> sure >> of the bridge right like in like the sort of myth mythical sense of like the the bridge to the other univer or parallel dimension underworld or whatever that is totally and she's running from that trauma too she's like trying to escape the trauma >> she wants to restart her life and and do something there lot of little like lines in the section too where they're like, you know, you need to put your soul into your job or like are you gonna say bye to your parents? You know, >> and it is so strange too, the idea of this like young woman in 1962 on her own in a car. I mean like these things are we take for granted now, but like that was sort of strange like and for her to go off and you know have this independent life and >> journey. Well, it's strange at any time, I think, just her relationship to the world cuz she doesn't need family. She doesn't need all of a sudden she doesn't need anything. A little suspicious, right?

[00:42:52]>> Totally, totally. Totally.

[00:42:53]>> And totally detached from Yeah. like earthly things like, >> right?

[00:42:57]>> So, this is of course where we're seeing all these beautiful driving shots. Uh, Salt Lake City. She of course notices uh that salt is what is what it's called.

[00:43:07]That that whole, you know, um the whole crazy pavilion. She notices that she's driving. Again, a trope that would be reused in >> Twilight Zone and you know, Nightmare at 20,000 ft. Of course, she's driving the birds. Yeah, she's driving in the car.

[00:43:22]>> Psycho. Did he say psycho?

[00:43:23]>> And then and well, not only just the driving the car, but for psycho, but the idea of seeing that that that creepy face jump scare >> of where you're actually seeing, you know, the man as he's referred to looking in the window. I mean, that's literally >> terrifying.

[00:43:38]>> Is that like the OG jump scare? jump scare.

[00:43:41]>> I mean, it could be one of them. It's amazing. It's so good. So, think about that just that trope of someone looking in your window. It's like Weathering Heights, you know?

[00:43:49]>> Yeah. And it is like the original ghost story like that like those gothic like Bronte stories of like the person coming up to the window pane. And I was thinking like, you know, even Stephen King with Salem's Lot like that idea of like that someone pressing against it's just >> it's so creepy. It's it's it works every time, but it's really effective still so many years later. Um, and then of course you see the man standing in the middle of the road again and it's very effective and of course you know we got a shout out her Harvey the director is playing the man which of course is is amazing.

[00:44:21]>> Um, okay. So then after that moment she gets to this gas station and this is where we get the backstory where you know she asks the gas station attendant like what is that structure off the side of the road and he explains to what it is and then and this is amazing again great technique here. She goes, "I have this um address to this house that I'm gonna be staying at. Do you know where it is?" And then he and it's a great shot. He literally goes, "Oh, yeah. It's like over here." Yeah.

[00:44:45]>> And then the camera pans to darkness.

[00:44:49]>> So cool.

[00:44:50]>> Which is like wow. Pans to darkness and then of course works as a perfect transition for uh the the the sort of rooming house lady and uh and of course Mary opening the door to her room. And it's really amazing. Um and that of course is great edit signaling like okay you're heading off into the darkness of course is what that's evoking >> um metaphorically and so on and so forth. And she gets there and she's in the rooming house and again it's like or like sesperia is another kind of uh >> thing where this you know trope uh where she gets there and of course she unpacks her luggage and she sees the man outside the window again and it's like another crazy amazing eerie scene. That is that the moment too when it's like the the reflection of her face too is like almost refracted cuz there's like an amazing moment like that where it's like her it's and that kind of is a little bit of like the Palansky thing too of like the fractured >> identity and she's looking at herself but then sees his face coming up.

[00:45:49]>> Yeah. And and um so then uh from there uh she tests the new organ at the church which is going to be her job. And of course, again, more real authenticity to the church people that are cast here, the minister and the church lady.

[00:46:04]>> And this is what you were saying, Marcus. I think one of the lines of dialogue here is like the the uh the church guys like, you know, urges her to put her soul into her music, you know, and stuff. Um, which is of course I think you know one of the many like references to this idea of you know uh yeah just being you know we were talking about like this being you know her being trapped in a purgatory and this idea of like you know she makes many uh references later on in this film about how she's not >> she doesn't play organ at these churches for any sort of religious uh component.

[00:46:38]She's doing it as it's a gig.

[00:46:40]>> Well Mary you'll make a fine organist for that church. It's just a job to me.

[00:46:44]I'm not taking the vows. I'm only going to play the organ.

[00:46:46]>> You know, it's a business business. It's like any other business, she says.

[00:46:49]>> She doesn't believe in anything necessarily. And that kind of I guess in the sort of traditional sense of purgatory, whether it's Catholicism or whatever the hell it is, I don't know what it is, but it's this idea of if you don't believe in anything, >> you know, then then you're going to be stuck.

[00:47:03]>> I'd also have to say like this just reminds me of like the God is dead thing. Again, I feel like we often talk about like the Nietian sure existential dread of like that the movie is basically she her character is basically saying like I don't believe in anything, right? Like we're like we're just sort of here, you know, wandering aimlessly.

[00:47:24]And then the leerous guy has that line where he's like, don't you get nightmares thinking like that? Because it's like she doesn't have anything to comfort herself with. It's like the existential nightmare is the only thing.

[00:47:35]>> Is that why she's in purgatory?

[00:47:37]have that's that's a >> reading or purgatory is like we are all in purgatory like the existential like I guess my dad was saying this too he was like you know it's like those lessons when you're a kid instead like the Grim's fairy tale like growing up on movies like Carnival of Souls like they're really just kind of telling you that like life really is just existential dread >> and we're all in our own consciousness like >> there's a lot of like really little clever lines and this movie doesn't have that much dialogue Right. It's pretty sparse dialogue wise, but like half the lines that are delivered are some sort of clever kind of dual meaning line.

[00:48:14]>> Good luck, Mary. Stop by and see us the next time you're in.

[00:48:18]>> Thank you, but I'm never coming back.

[00:48:21]>> I don't belong in this world. And like someone else says they're like, you shouldn't isolate yourself from the world.

[00:48:27]>> My dear, you cannot live in isolation from the human race. You know, >> everything has some sort of meaning.

[00:48:33]>> True. a double meaning, you know, >> and the dark fantasy she talks about where she's like at night, you know, the dark fantasies run wild, but like in the daytime everything's okay. And it's like it's sort of hinting to is this a is this a part of her like derangement, mental derangement and trauma and that she's like her fantasies are taking the better of her or is this literally like a story of, you know, the supernatural stuff?

[00:48:56]>> Yeah. Right. So this is then where you know of course you have another great creepy moment with the with the man walking into the church you know and he walks in again very >> mystery man in Lost Highway too. Sorry >> Fantasm as well I mean the guy in um Lost Highway thanks for face paint.

[00:49:16]>> The mystery man. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:49:17]>> Yeah. Fantasm. Oh my god. Shout out to another OFH classic. Um, so then, uh, we cut to her riding out to the abandoned carnival boardwalk thing for the first time, the pavilion. She goes out there, and this is great. She's kind of checking it out, looking through the fence, and it's again just such a good uh, man, it feels so ahead of its time >> where uh, >> with a priest, right? She's with the priest.

[00:49:38]>> Yeah. And so you're seeing the shots of the pavilion and then like it cuts to a shot inside like some I don't know catwalk or some little area inside of there and you just see the man like sitting there kind of looking like out the window or something.

[00:49:53]>> Great. And there's just so many good POV switches that are happening.

[00:49:57]>> The perspective keeps on switching. So, and it is like also Hill House and the haunting where totally Shirley Jackson is kind of, you know, this this ominous sort of place is beckoning her and and the house itself has a sentient nature to, >> right? And the man is the connection to the Twilight Zone things like wherever you go, the hitchhiker guy is there or whatever. The hitchhiker and the man are the sort of herald the herald of death kind of character.

[00:50:22]>> Yes. Yes.

[00:50:23]>> Yeah. So, okay. Um, yeah. So, now we get to her. She's taking a bath and then we see that, you know, this guy living, you know, sort of across the hallway, this guy John at the door and he's sort of creeping on her and she like, you know, she he knocks at the door, she puts a towel on. Great little camera trick here where like he opens the door and he's kind of like checking her out and then of course the camera like tilts on the tripod to like check her out, you know?

[00:50:47]Um and um >> and then you know he he >> another gross peeping tom.

[00:50:52]>> Totally. Yeah. He kind of sends or sorry, she sends him off and then she steps out of her room, looks down the stairs, >> and again, another amazing jump scare.

[00:51:02]Remy, you actually screamed as we were watching this like full on screen.

[00:51:06]>> Yeah. Like shrieked >> of of this great zoom shot right into him, the man standing at, you know, at the bottom of the stairs.

[00:51:14]>> And then she chases, you know, she goes back into her room, shuts the door, and you hear the footsteps coming up the door. Super great tension, suspense.

[00:51:21]totally holds up. Super creepy. And then of course it's it's it's the rooming house lady is there and you know um and and she's like there's nobody else in the house of course you know and stuff like that. Um, and then >> and it makes you feel like that feeling, at least for me, of like being alone, the fear of being alone. And that's something also that she brings up a lot.

[00:51:39]Like she has this sense of inherent like loneliness about her and she says she doesn't really want the company of others and she she feels alienated from others, but at the same time, she's terrified of being alone. And and it's like when that when the man appears, it's so simple, but it's that fear of like no one's here to protect me. I feel like as the audience you feel that especially as her being a woman as well.

[00:52:01]>> It's like oh god here's another person that's like after Yeah. Yeah. It's like Jesus. Um >> one of the great observations is like you know she was like a she was a real ass actress right she said right she's a method actress. Yeah.

[00:52:14]>> Method actress right?

[00:52:16]>> Yeah. So like you know uh one of that a big part of the method is like reacting to your to the other people and like >> so I guess she would keep asking like you know what's my motivation for this scene you know and and heck would be like no method no method you just you're just uh walking from here to there across the street you're just trying to cross the road cuz he wanted her to be >> completely isolated from the world and dissociated >> but she like wants to be she wants to have connect as person as an actor, she wanted to have connection with that world. So, there was always this tension between her wanting to bring in the method of like knowing what her motivations was and trying to connect with the world and heck saying like, "No, you're not going to you're just going to be >> isolated." So that so one of the observations is that tension is like what helped sell the character you know someone that wants to be >> right >> that wants to be part of the world but is also completely isolated and disconnected from >> well there's a good stylistic you know uh there's a good some good stylistic uh you know tool for that which we'll get to shortly here in a second.

[00:53:20]>> Um but just real quick I'm going to pick up the pace a little bit getting a little nervous.

[00:53:23]>> Uh there's a shot of her then we see her sleeping in the rain out the window.

[00:53:28]It's beautiful. She looks out the window. There's a series of amazing zoom shots that we're seeing seeing that are very stylistically sophisticated of like looking out the window and then seeing saltier and then cutting back to her.

[00:53:41]>> So incredible.

[00:53:42]>> Uh the next day, John the Creep brings her coffee. We sort of talked about that already, so I'm going to continue on.

[00:53:50]>> Um but now she needs to go dress shopping. Okay.

[00:53:53]>> And this is amazing.

[00:53:54]>> So good. Uh, of course, great just sort of indie film making, like we're showing up at a store and we're just going to [ __ ] shoot here, you know, and and they do it and it's amazing. She goes into the dressing room, of course, but now she goes in to try something on, but something has changed in the changing room because when she comes out of the changing room, people stop noticing her.

[00:54:16]Um, and this is this is kind of what you were alluding to, Marcus. It's like this idea of like, you know, she's in this weird sort of she's a ghost. She she why don't they answer me? Why don't they see me? You know, and this idea now she's invisible to everybody.

[00:54:29]>> And this is the dissociated state too.

[00:54:31]We're talking about like with the trauma response as well. So it's like she is in this state of complete disconnection where the world is suddenly unreachable to her and she's a woman who's like can't be heard, can't be seen. And she she's almost like one of the uh reviews said like it's like as if she's her existence itself is flickering in and out. Yeah. You know.

[00:54:52]>> Yeah. Right. I think what and what they said maybe was the intention was that she was going in and out of phase with with the world, you know.

[00:54:59]>> Right. Right. Right. Right.

[00:55:00]>> And they one of the great details is they said like this middle stretch just came from the idea that oh, you know, these ideas to have her like slip in and out >> uh came from the idea that this middle section of the film didn't have much going on.

[00:55:12]>> So they wanted to fill it with something. Love it. So that love it.

[00:55:17]They dressing room thing is so cool. And that visual effect. They look like glass, like wavy glass or something, >> right? So on drive, you know, like when they're messing with the lens and stuff, you know?

[00:55:29]>> Well, cuz it's all of a sudden it's like that like the parallel dimension thing like the water is coming back, >> right? Or when they go into the box in Mahindra, you know, like there's like a switcheroo there.

[00:55:41]>> Two coins for that one. I mean also Twin Peaks the return you know everyone is stuck in these liinal spaces flickering in and out of exist existence so you know department store. Yeah, that is liinal. Yeah.

[00:55:54]>> And her running in the department store and trying to reach out to people and but just the feeling also of like we're talking about the movie on multiple layers. If we're also talking about a woman who's just extremely lonely and disconnected and that that kind of you know desperation to reach out but she can't. And somebody said like uh you know uh in one of the essays I read like you know she flickers back in when she touches this magical tree >> and and you know here's you know it's it's magic bird you know that's there.

[00:56:24]It's like nature. She's like tapping back into nature.

[00:56:26]>> Yeah. And she comes back and uh of course there's, you know, where she goes over to the drinking fountain and then she gets startled because there's a guy there.

[00:56:35]>> Very strange man who's like, "I didn't mean anything, but I just wanted a drink." And almost looks directly at the camera.

[00:56:42]>> I didn't mean any harm. I just stopped to get a drink.

[00:56:46]>> He's like, "There's something to live for. Jesus told me so."

[00:56:51]>> It's very coven at that moment. It's a coven moment.

[00:56:55]>> Tom's favorite guy.

[00:56:56]>> Yeah, definitely.

[00:56:57]>> Totally. Coven moment. Um and uh it's so then and then we see of course here's a random psychologist of some kind.

[00:57:05]>> Yeah.

[00:57:05]>> And um >> and then uh she explains to him I think she says it was though for a time I didn't exist >> is what she says. And then we see of course now she's in the doctor's office.

[00:57:16]It's shot of the Oh, great little like lowbudget moment here when you need to do a pickup line and you don't have the actor to do it. It's just a shot of the back of his chair with clearly nobody in it and an ADR line.

[00:57:28]>> Um, so this is when you saw this man, you say, you know, whatever. Uh, it's amazing. Uh, >> but then it's cool that he's then the character of like this sort of psych psychologist psychiatrist who was like, you know, does this man represent your father? Is it a past sexual trauma? And he's not using the word trauma because at that point they weren't using that one, but they were saying it's a shock.

[00:57:46]You're in shock. And so I think there also can be a subtext of like this girl, this woman did maybe go through some strange sexual trauma with a male figure. Every male figure sort of after her and haunting her. So I feel like there's, you know, that's another level.

[00:58:03]>> Yeah. Yeah. Of course, the these are the male characters she's meeting along the way that are sort of pulling her in one different type of direction, you know, whether it's kind of like figuring out like about her or if it's like, you know, pulling her into literally her death or, you know, >> and then the way the men are like scrutinizing her and watching her all the time like she's always being surveiled and watched and like the idea of this creepy leerous guy saying like kind of criticizing her and like, "Oh, you're so cold woman and you're like this." It's like the pressure of like being a woman and having to like perform these identities for men to be like sort of likable or attract and so she's constantly having to like kind of code switch and stuff to please men, >> right?

[00:58:45]>> Um, and we were talking about the entity too like Marcus earlier how like with that weird experimental film that was made that's like this crazy psych psyche kind of being [ __ ] up is like the movie that the other experimental film >> know, right? There's you're saying that there's like a film that was made using Lost Carnival Souls footage called like Candace Hilligos's Flickering Soul, right? And it's like >> Yeah. Yeah. Yep.

[00:59:08]>> It's cool.

[00:59:09]>> But it looks almost exactly like that Outer Space film, which is like which uses using footage from >> Flickering Halo. Sorry.

[00:59:16]>> Yeah. Yeah.

[00:59:17]>> Okay. 10 minutes, guys. Sorry. Okay. So, um >> Sorry.

[00:59:22]>> Shout out. Okay. She heads to the pavilion. There's a big Now there's all these great shots of her walking alone in the pavilion and and we sort of see this sort of abandoned funhouse that sort of rotating cylinder that she walks through. You know, she throws a coin in the >> that's very blood of the poet cocktoe.

[00:59:38]>> Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. For sure.

[00:59:39]>> There's like a lot of those weird and also the ghoul makeup is very like Lee Miller who plays the statue in blood of the poet. That was like one of his big like >> insp Yeah. So cool.

[00:59:49]>> So then we see her throwing a coin in the water of course and the man is underneath the water. Um, and so it's a great just little interstitial moment there that just very atmospheric, super cool.

[00:59:58]>> Lord of the Rings, by the way, the guy under the water. I don't know if you're >> not I might It's been a while. Um, okay.

[01:00:05]Uh, and uh, then here comes the creepy guy again, creeping on her, wants to take her out for dinner, and now she's kind of like too afraid to be alone and sort of decides to entertain this guy, to go out with him, just to not be alone because she's afraid of the man coming to get her. Um, and then it cuts to her uh back in the church and she's playing the organ totally like you know the blind woman from the beyond or something like she's completely in this trance >> and the discordant music.

[01:00:35]You see her barefoot.

[01:00:36]>> Yeah, that's really weird like pedal work there.

[01:00:39]>> Yeah, that's like like almost like pagan folk witch witchy barefoot sexuality enters into it briefly.

[01:00:46]>> That's true. Yeah. Yep. And then and then this is where we see the shots of the people dancing in the pavilion to her organ and in fast motion. Very great touch. Super cool. And then the man walks towards the camera and it's like this just amazing little interstitial musical sort of uh just amazing little little uh segment there.

[01:01:07]>> This is like the dance of death. This is like the >> this is it. This is what they wanted from the beginning.

[01:01:11]>> Um so now they're at the date night. Uh, obviously the the the dude is drunk and she says like, "Ah, you don't like dancing or holding a man, you know, having a man hold you close or any of that stuff." And then she says, "I don't want to be alone tonight. I don't want to be with you." And he gets very pushy with her. Um, and so then they leave, they go back to her room and he's like necking with her, but of course it's the man that's necking with her. Oh, that's >> And you know, and then of course it's like a big jump scare and she's like, I don't want to get mixed up with a broad who's off a rocker, you know, and uh and of course, you know, she cries into the camera.

[01:01:44]>> Um she then leaves the rooming house and this is one of the this this is maybe one of the weirder Okay, we have access to this location. Uh so let's work it into the script. uh is she pulls into this repair shop >> and she goes into the repair shop cuz there's an issue with her transmission and she pulls up, you know, onto the lift, like I guess the car lift >> and it raises her in it and it's just a weird circumstance to be trapped in the car, which of course obviously that is kind of nightmare logic, you know, she dies in this car perhaps, question mark >> and now she's trapped in the car in a different circumstance, you know, and it sort of, you know, raises her up. Of course, the man, his you see his shadow coming into the garage, the footsteps, the car lowers, and then there's one of the weirdest things in this movie. She screams and I guess falls backward out of the window. It makes zero sense when how she get leaves from the inside of the car to the outside of the car. It's like physically impossible, but it's so crazy and weird that they included that.

[01:02:48]>> Then she runs down the street. She's running to the bus depot again. We see that wave effect again. Uh comes on.

[01:02:54]She's now she's now phasing out again and people don't notice her. She's invisible and she can't get a ticket to get on the bus and she wants to get away from here.

[01:03:03]>> She of course walks onto the bus.

[01:03:04]There's all the creepies in the bus and that's very Lisa and the Devil. If anyone out there has ever even seen that movie, they basically ripped that off completely wholesale from that this moment.

[01:03:14]>> Um but it's amazing and and and no one can.

[01:03:17]>> It's just a terrifying feeling that no one can hear you, no one can see. Just that feeling of isolation of like you cannot reach out for help, it's impossible. Scary.

[01:03:25]>> I know. I know. And and one of my favorite little accent marks uh in this film is when during this part when she's running down I think like a little alleyway and it's a top-down shot from the from the roof of this building looking down at her and she's screaming, "Why can't anyone hear me?" And it's like it's like it's like uh it's like reverb. It's why can't anyone hear me?

[01:03:52]>> Yeah.

[01:03:52]>> Why can't anybody hear me?

[01:03:57]>> You know, and it's, >> you know, and it's just like the if we're looking at it too from like the mental unraveling lens as well, like this is the moment of pure like psychosis, pure dissociation.

[01:04:07]>> Totally. Totally.

[01:04:09]>> Another moment where she touches the tree and here's the bird again, you know, multiple times, >> right? So weird. And then like guys in from [ __ ] Kansas are coming up with this [ __ ] I love it.

[01:04:20]>> Uh we see of course the man sitting in the doctor's chair. Um you know and and it's and then of course she falls asleep in the car, wakes up, drives off and uh she drives to the pavilion again and and here we go. Here's kind of the final, you know, sort of crescendo of this film. Um we see the the sort of creepies, you know, coming out of the lake water. She watches them dance. And then of course there's that great sequence where it's where she's kind of dancing with the man. Yeah.

[01:04:47]>> And she's got the makeup on. She's got the ghoul makeup on in the eyes. The camera spinning to the organ music and the dancing.

[01:04:55]>> You know, she screams and runs and then they come at her fast. That's also really cool, too. Really scary.

[01:05:00]>> They They come at her like sped up in a really crazy fast way. That's really fast.

[01:05:04]>> Fast zombies.

[01:05:05]>> Fast zombies.

[01:05:06]>> Fast zombies. Yeah. Ahead of its time.

[01:05:08]>> Totally. Uh very cool. Now we're under the boardwalk and we're under this these pylons and like we're chasing her out into the beach. Um they and then of course they just basically consume her and they come down on top of her and they and it's like a POV shot from her POV and they just cover the camera.

[01:05:25]>> Yeah.

[01:05:25]>> Um >> and then amazing. This is very David Lynch. Sorry. uh where the uh the people, you know, it cuts to black and then you have the people investigating, I guess, whatever her disappearance >> and they're like, "Look, >> her footprints end here and then there's just a handprint."

[01:05:47]>> Oh, yeah.

[01:05:48]>> In the beach.

[01:05:49]>> Yeah. It's so cool.

[01:05:50]>> Wow. And nothing else there.

[01:05:53]>> So cool. So, she basically dematerializes completely.

[01:05:57]>> Amazing. And then the priest and the doctor, they sort of look at each other at that moment. And this is of course when we get the big reveal ski, which is um that they that they find the car that they pull the car out of the lake. Big reveal. She's sitting in the front seat and she died in the car crash.

[01:06:16]She's been dead the whole time, you know, is that sort of the idea, >> right?

[01:06:20]>> And um I don't know. Super [ __ ] effective. Uh >> genuinely scary. genuinely scary. Um, you know, one of the things that's interesting to say about this film, too, just while we have a few minutes here, is uh I guess, you know, the distribution life of this movie is they sold it to some sort of hack company that just decided to dump it into these drive-ins.

[01:06:44]>> They failed to put a copyright notice on the film's prints. So, this movie was automatically, I think, like Night of the Living Dead, was was placed into the public domain in the US. So, I don't know if these guys ever saw a [ __ ] dime based on this movie at all.

[01:06:58]>> Right. They cut out like 10 minutes of it. Uh, you know, which is a lot of the end part, which a lot what a lot of people saw on TV was missing that part.

[01:07:06]And then, uh, yeah, I guess they didn't, um, that the company folded, the owners escaped overseas. They had like 73 prints they sold off to TV, >> like illegally, you know, gave to some guys off to TV >> and no one ever got paid. The investors never got paid back. The deferred payments never got.

[01:07:23]>> Yeah. So, it's a cruel story because I I I think a lot of people were sort of wondering why this guy didn't >> this is one of the best one and done of all time and why didn't this guy go and make more feature films and I think well this experience of you know making this like DIY film >> you know uh and then having it just being completely stolen and taken from you and butchered and and then not to have it anywhere find the audience they were intending for it. They were they were skilled filmmakers but they had no experience in like the Hollywood distribution system and that's what screwed them.

[01:07:56]>> Yeah.

[01:07:57]>> Yes. Exactly. So, but it it it is amazing that you know they did envision this film >> to be playing artous. That's where they were that's what they had in mind and they eventually did.

[01:08:07]>> Yeah.

[01:08:08]>> Played on TV for a while and then like Cinnapantastic did like an article on 83 or something which kind of paved the way to people noticing it again. Yep. Got a re-release in like99.

[01:08:20]>> They had a big like home homecoming coven style screening >> uh in in in in Kansas where everyone everyone showed up. Of course, Herk Harvey is in full >> ghoul regalia for that is such a great move that he showed up dressed up as the man to his own big big time screening.

[01:08:40]>> It's just so I love that it's a Kansas film.

[01:08:44]It's so unique in that way, you know, like and it kind of reminds me too of like Toby Hooper and his crew >> during Texas Chainsaw. Like it was just it was so authentic and so of just their artistry in that little crew.

[01:08:58]>> They were so inspired. They were they were all like high on this this certain supply, you know, and they >> and it couldn't have been in LA. It couldn't have been in New York or anywhere. It had to be in its own little American space somewhere.

[01:09:11]>> Yeah. They were locked in. and they took a few weeks to do this movie and they just banged it out and they they managed to put something together that just really still holds up and [ __ ] they wanted artous well they got the [ __ ] criterion collection you know it's pretty [ __ ] >> and the New Yorker reviewing it and you know >> unbelievable unbelievable and again I just go back to say it's it's amazing the line you can draw from this film to inspiring so many other things that we love and and you may if you haven't seen this movie in a while or at all check it out It's not what you think. This movie is an art film in every sense of the word in my opinion.

[01:09:46]>> The new scan looks so much better than watching on VHS back.

[01:09:51]>> Yeah.

[01:09:51]>> All right.

[01:09:53]There we go. All right.

[01:09:55]>> Beautiful.

[01:09:55]>> That was one [ __ ] hour on Carnival of Souls.

[01:09:59]We uh we hit it all there, I think. Um >> great flick. Thanks, guys, for voting and picking that movie. I think that was a great choice.

[01:10:06]>> That was really good.

[01:10:07]>> You guys have great taste. Great taste.

[01:10:10]>> Great taste. All right. Um, so that was that. Now, um, I guess that's 1962, everybody. So, we are moving along here.

[01:10:18]Uh, next week we're going to get into 1960.

[01:10:23]And, of course, we're going to do another poll.

[01:10:26]>> I love >> Oh, wow.

[01:10:30]>> Okay.

[01:10:30]>> Carnival of Poles.

[01:10:32]>> Carnival.

[01:10:34]>> Yeah, that deserves that. Okay. Carnival of Polls. Okay. Let's take a look at what your options are now. Just a little um I guess recap on how this all works.

[01:10:44]If you haven't voted and before, here's how it works. Um if you are watching this uh you know podcast episode uh within the 24 hours of it going live for the public, not of course if you're a mman, you get to watch that a few days early, but within the first 24 hours of going if Let me try that again. Within the first 24 hours of this episode going public, head on over to the YouTube link in the description of this video or in the description of the podcast app you're listening uh to this on. Um there's a link to YouTube where uh you will see a poll uh for your four options from 1963 that y'all get to vote on um and should be live there. So uh go race over there and you'll see them. Here are your four options for 1963.

[01:11:34]I think guys, this is one of my favorite four lineups here uh that we've had. I'm very excited about this this four.

[01:11:42]>> So, um well, we talked about Bergman tonight, so let's let's hit it with a Bergman. We could follow we go right into Bergman if y'all want right after this. So, option number one, um Jesus Christ, one of the bleakest films uh I've ever seen. Uh, but it's a beautiful film and I love it. Uh, we're talking 1963's Winter Light would be option number one. That's part of, of course, the >> Silence trilogy that, uh, Bergman did.

[01:12:11]>> Uh, we haven't done We've done one Bergman before. We did, uh, Virgin Spring, so this would be a Right. Right.

[01:12:16]>> a shot. Uh, >> oh, we we forgot to mention The Seventh Steel tonight, but that's okay.

[01:12:20]>> Right.

[01:12:21]>> Yeah.

[01:12:21]>> Damn.

[01:12:22]>> Yes.

[01:12:23]>> Right. Right.

[01:12:24]>> Oh, well. Well, we'll talk about it next week if you pick uh Winter Light. Okay.

[01:12:28]So that's option number Uno. Uh option number two, again this is kind of I guess keeping things a little consistent uh in terms of uh similar feels uh from Carnival of Souls. Remy, tell us what One [ __ ] Hour on The Haunting would be like for option number two.

[01:12:45]>> What would it be like? I It's one of the most incredible movies. My top 10 ultimate one of my favorites. Yeah, I that's my pick. The one would be >> That's my pick. I vote for the haunting.

[01:12:58]>> No thumbs on the scale. All right. So, if you want to make Ramy happy, pick option.

[01:13:02]>> I wasn't prepared for that question, but yeah.

[01:13:04]>> Yeah. Okay. Number two is The Haunting.

[01:13:06]Option number three, though, you also might like, and this is a very um I don't know if it's exactly underrated, but it's a [ __ ] gem. And this is this would be uh we'd be going over to the UK for this one. Uh for 1963, The Servant.

[01:13:22]Joseph Losy's The Servant.

[01:13:24]>> This is a cool one. Uh Dirk Bogard, is that his name? Yeah.

[01:13:27]>> Yeah. Durk Bogard.

[01:13:28]>> Uh this is an amazing film, right? I mean, anything to say on that?

[01:13:32]>> Like weird power dynamics.

[01:13:34]>> [ __ ] weird. Yeah.

[01:13:37]>> Um subversive British.

[01:13:39]>> Very subversive >> class study about like subverting class expectations.

[01:13:44]>> Very British in that way.

[01:13:45]>> Yes. Amazing. Amazing film. So, uh that's option number three. Option number four is a French film. Uh we're trying to get this. We're trying to get them in the polls here, Marcus. Uh >> yeah, >> I know. I know.

[01:13:55]>> Uh but this would be so far I think the first Jean Lucar uh that we've offered, >> right?

[01:14:02]>> First offering, but >> we could really use one. I think >> I think we're going to force one soon. I have a feeling we're >> within the next within this the next 10 years there's going to be a guitar.

[01:14:12]>> No, I think in this decade we're going to force one. I have a feeling.

[01:14:16]>> I have a feeling just knowing us we're going to force one. But if it but if not they could the the people can force it here if they'd like. Option number four, Jean Lucodar's contempt would be uh which I think would be fantastic.

[01:14:29]>> Yeah, that's a good one.

[01:14:30]>> Lefree one >> would be uh you know of course and she just died.

[01:14:35]>> I know that's exactly that's right.

[01:14:38]That'd be another uh reason to do that.

[01:14:40]Um score is fantastic and be incredible.

[01:14:43]Um so yeah, we got to get our French new wave hit in one way or the other.

[01:14:46]>> This is a good lineup. This is a great lineup.

[01:14:49]>> Yeah, it's very like subversive.

[01:14:51]>> It's also very like cinnaphile like you know oriented and it's amazing. But if you've not seen any of these films or you've not seen one of them, watch them all.

[01:14:59]>> Yeah, check check them all out.

[01:15:00]>> Check them all out. This is a great block of films. To recap, option number one, Eggmar Bergman's Winter Light. Uh option number two, The Haunting. Uh option number three, The Servant. And four, Contempt. So, it's in your hands.

[01:15:15]If you're listening to this within the first 24 hours of it going live, click the YouTube link in the description.

[01:15:21]It'll bring you over to the poll and you vote away, my friends. Vote away. Okay.

[01:15:27]So, >> vote away.

[01:15:29]>> Okay. Um, all right. So, that's it for everybody. Again, quick shout out to the OneFucking Hour Patreon.

[01:15:33]patreon.com/1fucking hour. Sign up there to get an instant access to our new bonus episode, which is live right now. We're sort of giving you guys the uh one and done. If you want the one [ __ ] hour origin story, who the [ __ ] are we? Where did we come from? How do we know each other?

[01:15:52]>> That's the way to get all that info.

[01:15:54]It's up now on the Patreon. So, uh, sign up there to watch it and, uh, or click the join button below and become a moment of the YouTube channel. Same price, same perks, helps Tom, and you get the same benefits. U all right, everybody. Well, speaking of the M word, we can't leave you without your moment of zen. All right, everybody, take care. We'll see you next week. So long.

[01:16:21]>> Earlier in the day, a press conference was held at the Eldrich Hotel and Herk Harvey appeared in his famous Ghoul costume and makeup.

[01:16:29]>> Actually, it is amazing that there has been a revival of Carnival of Souls. It was made in 1961, released in 1962, and uh the very fact that we're here today, 27 years later, uh doing all this Mickey Mouse and so forth, saying uh that we're enjoying the revival of Carnival of Souls is fun. It's fun, I think, for all of us that were in it because we thought that about 25 years ago, it had died a natural death.

[01:16:54]>> [ __ ] godamn orange peel beef.

[01:17:17]That was wicked, and