Society Collects its Debts

I was up pretty late playing Skyrim last night and didn't think I had time for a movie. But I thought I'd just watch a little bit of 1962's Carnival of Souls before bed. That's the kind of bright idea I get sometimes. I ended up watching the whole thing. It is one of my favourite horror movies.



I suppose it may be because I identify with the main character so much. It's kind of the perfect introvert's movie. Mary (Candace Hilligoss) lives in a perpetual state of wanting to be alone and not wanting to be alone. She probably knows perfectly well she'll just be a big disappointment to the skeezy guy, John (Sidney Berger), who pesters her into going out with him. But she goes out with him anyway because it's better to be with someone human than to be with the weird demoniac stalker.



I really enjoy Hilligoss' performance. She's very pretty but with large, almost exaggerated features that communicate her feelings while her lines are mostly very simple. That famous shot of her in the car, her face reflected, and the demon guy suddenly appearing, gets me every time.



The terror the film holds for those of us who don't like to socialise is that one day we'll all be forced to join some weird, cackling club of phantasms in an abandoned carnival pavilion. There is a kind of logic to it. Everybody needs somebody sometimes. It's like a prophecy of doom for an introvert.

Carnival of Souls is available on The Criterion Channel.