Reviewed by Melissa Antoinette Garza
Have you ever watched a movie and then thought to yourself, “what the hell is this?” Such is the case with the loosely based remake Carnival of Souls. The original 1962 film is a classic. There are scenes that still resonate with the audience. There’s a level of creepiness and eeriness that causes chills to fall down the spine.
Even though I’m not often impressed with remakes, I thought since Wes Craven was involved that there was hope. I was wrong. It was a disaster. To be fair, Craven did not direct the film. He merely “presented” it. Still, it was awful.
First and foremost, there are very little commonalities between the original and remake. Other than the car accident, a ghoulish figure seen while the main character is in the car, the carnival, and the conclusion – everything is different.
Alex (Bobbie Phillips) as a young child witnessed her mother get raped and murdered by Louis Seagram (Larry Miller) who is a carnival clown. Years later, Louis gets out of prison and attempts to kill Alex. At the same time the carnival comes back to town and Alex starts to have nightmares. She worries about her younger sister who Louis has threatened.
The issue with the movie is the stated villain. Larry Miller is a good actor who if provided the material could have been a competent nemesis. The issue is that the material just wasn’t there. There wasn’t any motivation. I understand in real life there are not always motives with murderers and rapists, but in a horror movie where the major focus is going to be this monster’s evil deeds, there needs to be more than the act itself. To instill the fear in the audience that Alex has, the film has to provide insight into the villain. Even if that insight is lack of motive, the movie could have focused on him being a sociopath. Displaying a character that was completely cold and lived without remorse for his deeds would be fine if emphasis was placed.
Unfortunately, Carnival of Souls did not accomplish this. Instead, it was decidedly just a series of strange imagery. The dialogue wasn’t there. The characters had no depth. The ending fell flat – not because it was the same as the original but simply because it was executed poorly.
I cannot suggest this movie for any reason. Even the scary monster like creature that Alex sees in a hallucination is ridiculous. It’s a bald, white creature with no eyes and a large mouth. It’s just stupid.
Carnival of Souls is a complete waste of time. I cannot say that there is a single redeeming quality about this movie.
Scared Stiff Rating 0/10
