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Carnival of Souls (also billed as Wes Craven Presents 'Carnival of Souls') is a 1998 American horror film, a remake of Herk Harvey's 1962 horror film of the same name, although it has very little in common with the story of the original. It stars Bobbie Phillips and comedian Larry Miller, and was directed by Adam Grossman and Ian Kessner. It was executive produced by Wes Craven. The film received generally negative reviews.[1]
| Carnival of Souls | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Adam Grossman Ian Kessner |
| Written by | Adam Grossman |
| Based on | Carnival of Souls 1962 film by Herk Harvey |
| Produced by | Lisa Harrison |
| Starring | Bobbie Phillips Shawnee Smith Larry Miller Paul Johansson Cleavant Derricks Henry G. Sanders Brendan Dillon |
| Cinematography | Christopher Baffa |
| Edited by | David Handman |
| Music by | Andrew Rose |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 85 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2,000,000 |
Plot
editThis article needs an improved plot summary. (September 2014) |
The film centers on Alex Grant who witnesses a carnival clown named Louis Seagram raping and murdering her mother on January 24, 1977. Twenty years later, Seagram returns after being released from prison and attacks Alex in her car. She drives the car into the river, and as she struggles back to shore she has hallucinations of Seagram and the same carnival where she met him. Alex is then drawn into a ghoulish game of cat and mouse with Seagram at the carnival.
Cast
edit- Bobbie Phillips as Alex Grant
- Shawnee Smith as Sandra Grant
- Larry Miller as Louis Seagram
- Paul Johansson as Michael
- Cleavant Derricks as Sid
- Henry G. Sanders as Officer Soby
- Brendan Dillon as Henry
- Anna K. McKown as Elaine
- Raquel Beaudene as Young Alex
- Tiffanie Ann Taylor as Young Sandra
- Joseph S. Griffo as Photographer
- Robert LaSardo as Candyman
- Mark Paskell as Clown
- Ellen Albertini Dow as Mrs. Meltzer
- Andrew Craig as Worker
Release
editCarnival of Souls was released on August 21, 1998, on a limited theatrical run, and eventually came direct-to-video in the United States and other territories.[citation needed]
The film was released on DVD by Lions Gate on February 23, 1999. It was later released by VCI on January 15, 2001, and by Cinema Club on December 31 that same year.[2]
Reception
editOn Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 20% based on five reviews, with a weighted average rating of 4.1/10.[1] Shawn Handling from HorrorNews.net stated that, although the film was "a decent little fright picture" and its style made up for its lack of originality, Handling criticized the film's "run-of the-mill" performances, writing, predictable story, lack of scares, and choice of music.[3] TV Guide awarded the film 1/5 stars, calling the film "dismal", writing, "Though filled with modern-day horror contrivances, Grossman's film evokes none of the haunting atmosphere that distinguished Herk Harvey's eerily timeless original."[4]
References
edit- ^ a b "Wes Craven Presents: Carnival of Souls (1998)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
- ^ "Carnival of Souls (1998) – Adam Grossman". AllMovie. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
- ^ Handling, Shawn (November 30, 2014). "Film Review: Carnival of Souls (1998)". HorrorNews.net. Archived from the original on December 7, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
- ^ "Carnival Of Souls – Movie Reviews and Movie Ratings". TV Guide. Archived from the original on September 29, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2018.