As we dive deep into the months of fall, there is no better time to watch a scary flick. Our latest Lawrence movie review covers “Carnival of Souls” a 1960s indie-horror flick that was filmed and created largely in LFK.
Director Herk Harvey has deep ties to the University of Kansas, having studied here himself before going on to become a professor in the same department he once studied. One of his final creations was “Carnival of Souls” and while upon release it was mostly looked over and quickly forgotten, it became a cult sensation decades later and still today is screened across America around Halloween.
At the height of the film’s revival a group of actors and filmmakers, including Harvey himself, got together for a reunion party in downtown Lawrence. Many of the talents including lead actress Candace Hilligoss were surprised to find that their college-years creation had found new life. Hilligoss learned of the revival while reading a paper on a New York subway and Harvey himself expressed surprise having believed the film “died a natural death”.
If this movie sounds interesting to you it can actually be seen for free online. If you liked the film and want to take things a step further, track down a local screening or head over to KU’s film department to check out the old movie poster.